Australia drone makes first rescue
A pair of Australian swimmers yesterday became the first people to be rescued in the ocean by a drone when the aerial lifesaver dropped a safety device to distressed teens caught in rough seas.
Australia is leading the use of the technology in surf lifesaving, with dozens of drones being trialled on beaches around the country.
In what is believed to be a world-first drone surf rescue, two boys yesterday got caught in three-metre (10-foot) swells while swimming off Lennox Head in New South Wales, near the border with Queensland.
Beachgoers onshore raised the alarm to the lifeguards who then alerted the drone pilot, and the aerial lifesaver was deployed in moments.
"I was able to launch it, fly it to the location, and drop the pod all in about one to two minutes," lifeguard supervisor Jai Sheridan told the Gold Coast Bulletin.
"On a normal day that would have taken our lifeguards a few minutes longer to reach the members of the public."
Other than a little weary from their experience the pair were reportedly unharmed.
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