Month: December 2021

8 West are delighted to announce that the SafeTrx Active track and alert wearable is now available in Norway. Working with our partner, Redningsselskapet (RS) – the Norwegian Sea Rescue Service, we will be rolling out a service which provides safety cover on land as well as on sea SafeTrx Active is a purpose-built personal emergency search and rescue system for open water and outdoor sports enthusiasts which has been designed in very close co-operation with the leading Search and Rescue (SAR) organisations in the world. Recognising that a small, lightweight, long range, water resistant, wearable tracking and communications device was a requirement for the wet watersports sector, 8 West worked with its SAR partners to build such a solution. Martin Fuhr Bolstad, acting Secretary …

The world’s first rescue of a wing surfer who was wearing a SafeTrx Active on the #mSafety wearable from Sony Network Communications Europe. He was able to send an alert while surviving in the cold North sea. Finally he was saved by members of surfclub Jumpteam Scheveningen and with the professional support of the Dutch Coastguard and the KNRM.

On Saturday 20th November, Darren Zimmerman, the station commander of National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) Simonstown, reported the NSRI EOC (Emergency Operations Centre) received a SafeTrx emergency alert from a surf skier off-shore of Simonstown indicating an emergency from a local surf skier. NSRI EOC made a phone call to the surf skier who confirmed that he needed urgent assistance. NSRI coast watchers were alerted and they immediately got “eyes on” the surf skier in distress. The sea rescue craft ‘Donna Nicholas’ was diverted from another call out and was directed to the position reported on the SafeTrx emergency alert. The sea rescue craft Donna Nicholas arrived at the surfski incident finding a local 15 year old male had abandoned his surfski after falling out …