Kromme river enjoyed a busy season

“The season has come and gone, it has been a bumper season in all respects and in particular as far as the Kromme River is concerned taking into account the large number of river permits sold. The river was very busy and well used particularly at high tide. Fortunately there were no serious incidents or injuries reported. The major contributing factors certainly were the very efficient river patrol that was in place, the buoys that were positioned from the river mouth all the way up past River Tides to clearly indicate the navigable channel and also the additional signage that was installed in places from the river mouth to the start of the Ski Zone past River Tides.

Minor problems which occurred were people still skiing and tubing from the river mouth to the bridge on occasion which is no longer a Ski Zone due to the narrow and shallow navigable channel in this section of the river. There were also a few instances where people did not follow the path of the buoys and got stuck on a sand bank. A few complaints were received about jetskis doing freestyling in the river mouth and even going beyond the signs at the mouth which indicate “NO JETSKIS”. Due to the fact that reimbursement of the river permit fees to the KJRC was only received from Kouga Municipality towards the middle of November 2016, there was not sufficient time to do and complete what was planned before the start of the season. These matters were discussed at the recent meeting of the Kromme Joint River Committee (KJRC) and will be attended to. However, the initiatives implemented nevertheless assisted in making the river safer for the boating fraternity.

It is the intention to install additional and more prominent signage in certain places and also to increase the number of buoys indicating the navigable channel in certain areas. Furthermore, an additional patrol officer is to be employed during peak holiday periods to ensure at least a 12 hour a day presence on the river especially when high tide happens to be late in the afternoon.

Lastly the Kromme River Joint Committee wish to express its gratitude and thanks to each and every one that has helped and contributed, the River Tides community in particular, to making it such a successful holiday season for users of the Kromme River.”