ON THE WATER
‘Never sacrifice stability for speed... You can always paddle faster than you can swim.’ Calling all paddlers... The latest project the Mockes are working on, in conjunction with Fish Hoek Surf Lifesaving Club, is the Cape Town Surfski Series. There are 10 races, one every weekend, starting on 6 October and culminating in the epic Cape Point Challenge. For more information, go to www.capetownsurfski.com
ADT FindU
©OWEN MIDDLETON
Clearly Dawid Mocke is a professional athlete who has been riding the crest of the wave for almost a decade. And he shows no signs of slacking. It is this love of what he does – for fun and as a job – that others can learn from at the surfski school. ‘Surfski paddling is an adrenaline sport,’ says Dawid. ‘So each paddler must be aware of the conditions and of his capabilities, and must know his limits. ‘Safety is very important. Having a bodyto-boat leash is non-negotiable. A paddle leash is a good idea, and then also a brightly coloured life jacket, something to signal with, and a cellphone in a dry bag. And make sure that you have airtime
Often, one of the most difficult tasks of Sea Rescue crews is locating the person who needs their help. Even if someone has a cellphone in a waterproof pouch that allows them to remain in contact with rescuers, it can take a long time in difficult sea conditions to find and rescue a distressed individual. ADT recently launched a smartphone application that will change that. This clever application, called ADTFindU, could make a rescue much easier by accurately pinpointing the position and location of its user. David Hitchcock, who heads up ADT South Africa’s New Monitoring Services, is excited about this service. He grew up in Muizenberg and, from the age of 15, spent a lot of his spare time waveskiing. ‘That migrated into surfski paddling as well as K1 paddling. Since 2005 I’ve been involved in racing on the Berg River, the Fish and the Breede,’ says David. With his love for the ocean and his understanding of paddling and the risks that go with it, he sees the enormous benefit that ADTFindU could offer smallcraft users. ‘Anyone can download the application, and the service is really affordable,’ he explains.
18 • SEA RESCUE • SUMMER 2013
©OWEN MIDDLETON
Previous page: Hitting the water at the Cape Point Challenge, one of the most gruelling one-day events in the surfski calendar. Above left and right: Dawid and Nikki Mocke – more at home on the water than off.
and that you know who to call,’ he adds. Then there is boat choice. ‘Never sacrifice stability for speed,’ is Dawid’s advice. ‘You can always paddle faster than you can swim,’ he warns. ‘This is not cycling. The stability of the boat is linked to your skill. If you don’t fall off, you will paddle more and therefore will enjoy paddling more,’ says Dawid as he watches a whale frolicking in the bay. SR
‘It’s available to everyone, not only to ADT customers. It’s useful for other rescue platforms as well and not restricted to water rescues. ‘The great thing about ADTFindU is that it allows rescue crews to have advanced warning of your exact location. It updates every 15 seconds and if you are using a modern cellphone, the circle of probability around you is two to three metres,’ says David. When an ADTFindU subscriber heads out on the water, the application needs to be active, and tracking starts immediately. If it is then triggered in an emergency (either by shaking the phone, a double tap or a finger swipe, depending on the phone), the ADT monitoring centre is alerted to an emergency. This also automatically triggers the activation of the cellphone’s audio and video recorder – recordings are transmitted to the monitoring centre, from where operators will then call the subscriber to check on the situation. ‘If there is no answer from the cellphone owner, ADT will assess the video, sound and position, and alert the nearest Sea Rescue authorities. We will be able to pass on the exact position of the casualty, effectively taking the search out of search and rescue,’ says David.