People on a rescue boat in the water

He ditched a nine to five for life at sea

Community
South Africa

Brad Geyser put in an honest nine to five. Working in the digital printing industry, his labour formed part of society’s ebb and flow while earning him a living. But Geyser was dissatisfied. He didn’t want just to live in society, he wanted to live for it.

So he joined the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) and committed to saving lives at sea. That was in 1975. Geyser has been serving for over four decades now. A stark contrast to the office profession he’d known, volunteering for the NSRI made Geyser feel as though he was really contributing to his community.

“The reward is the look on the face of the person you’ve just rescued and that’s happened a lot in my life,” he says. “It will stay with me, knowing there were so many people who would not be here now if it wasn’t for what we did as an organisation.” The work that Geyser and company do is crucial to ensuring our seas are safe. Having climbed the ranks through his service, Geyser is now a decorated Station Commander, steering the next generation of volunteers in the right direction.

Photographs taken by Paula Leech/NSRI were used in the creation of this film.

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