Bondi Lifeguards Get Technical

By Marcus Braid on June 4, 2015 in News

Waverley Council lifeguards will now be able to communicate important messages about beach conditions using a new voice-tag application for Apple and Android devices.

The application is currently being trialled and will be used to communicate safety messages to Bondi Beach swimmers and visitors in different languages.

“It’s a voice tag,” Waverley lifeguard Bruce Hopkins said.

“You record a message that goes for about 15 seconds and I post it, and take a photo of the beach conditions or whatever I’m talking about. That photo attaches to it, so that when people look at it they see the photo and then listen to my message.

“It’s up and going now, so anyone can get the app.”

Mr Hopkins said the messages they put up on the app would vary, depending on the beach conditions.

“It’s really important for us,” he said. “We can put up messages about swimming between the flags, or about beach conditions, such as if blue bottles are coming in.

“If we need to close the beach due to dangerous conditions, we can get the message out on the app.”

The app came to fruition through collaboration between Mr Hopkins and technical experts Michael and Stephen Fenech, using the VoiceByte they designed.

“[Michael and Stephen] wanted to design an app where you post a message on it and you have a photo, and it can go within a 500-degree radius,” Mr Hopkins said.