JP 'not scared' to go back
2004-11-09 10:26
Cape Town - JP Andrews, who survived a shark attack off the Cape coast, is appearing in an advertisement for water safety.
"People want to know if I'm scared to go back. But I'm not," the brave lad states in the ad.
Seventeen-year-old JP was attacked by a shark while surfing at Muizenburg in April. He lost his right leg.
The ad, to promote the National Sea Rescue Institute's water safety campaign during November, was shot at Kommetjie beach.
In the ad JP appears on his surfboard in the water under the watchful eye of the NSRI.
Said JP: "The institute played an important role to save me. It is an honour to appear in the ad and to warn people about the dangers of the sea."
NSRI marketing manager Mariel Bartlett said the institute wanted people to know that the sea could be dangerous and that one had to be careful. The NSRI was there to help them when they got into trouble.
Two of the lifesavers who were on the beach when a doctor declared JP "dead" in April, also played a role in the ad.
It was a proud moment for them to appear with him, Bartlett said.
She said JP and his family wanted at the same time to thank everybody who were involved in his rescue and recovery.
The advertising campaign, which will include radio ads in six languages, will be aired from the end of November to April next year.
Advertising company Ogilvy made the ad free of charge. The South African Broadcasting Corporation and e.tv will broadcast the ad free of charge.
Bartlett advised people to store the NSRI emergency number, which differed from area to area, on their cellphones.
The public can phone 021-425-2225 to get the emergency numbers. The emergency number for the Peninsula is 021-449-3500.