What is the objective of this “Sentinel Surfer” program?
The idea is to be able to intervene with the equipment with which we go to the beach, bodyboard, longboard or surfboard… The public does not imagine that a 13-14 year old is capable of bringing an adult difficulty with his surfboard. There are techniques, ways of proceeding depending on whether the person is conscious or unconscious. Beyond that, there is the whole prevention aspect: what should I do to avoid putting myself in danger?
The project was previously called “Surfer savior”. You renamed it…
In effect. “Surfer savior” sounded a bit like a superhero, and above all it implied that we were systematically saving people. Sentinel surfer sounds better, less pretentious and a bit more in tune with what’s going on. The goal of the game is either to signal that someone is in trouble, or to intervene if you feel like doing so. The goal of the game is not to put yourself in danger. We repeat it in training: if you don’t feel it, don’t go.
Is the program in its operational phase? And how is it designed?
We have been working on this program for four or five years now. The deployment is for next year. It will be divided into several parts: one will be taught to sports educators, in clubs, so that they can intervene with all licensees. The second phase is to be able to link “Surfer sentinel” workshops to the events of the French Surfing Federation, including the French championships, from October 22 to 30, in Biarritz (Pyrénées-Atlantique). Then, we will have a whole digitized part. We will then open it up to the general public, so that the average surfer can take ownership of the content and know what to do.
Are there already trained young surfers?
The only young and less young trained were only trained during test days, in Lacanau, Cap Ferret (Gironde)… The idea is to develop the system in all regions, Cotentin, the Mediterranean, Landes, Basque Country, and Brittany, where there are between 180 clubs and 123 schools with the French Surf School label.
Municipalities are struggling to find lifeguards to monitor their beaches. Does this data convince you of the relevance of your program?
What convinced us were the conclusions of an international survey, conducted in 2019, under the aegis of Australian researchers, in collaboration with researchers from Bordeaux, on the role of surfers in securing beaches. This study revealed that there were a lot of interventions outside the opening hours of the lifeguard stations, and outside the bathing surveillance periods. Throughout the year, several thousand interventions were carried out by surfers to get someone out of the water. Someone may be swimming, struggling, slightly stressed. He meets a surfer who takes him on his board and brings him back to the edge. A pat on the shoulder, thank you sir. That is a part that is not inventoried anywhere.
How are you going to position yourself in relation to the lifeguard swimmers deployed by the SNSM or the Sdis?
We are not trying to replace the means already deployed. Each year, there are between 4,000 and 5,000 interventions where surfers, seeing someone in difficulty, intervene with their board. We know very well that a person who is drowning is in panic. We know that his priority will be to keep his head above water, even if it means grabbing you by the hair. When a teenager comes to the rescue of an adult who will grab him and use it to keep his head above water, the kid is potentially putting himself in danger. So the idea is to explain the techniques to ensure that you don’t put yourself in danger when he approaches the victim. The idea is therefore not to have surfers watching the beaches with binoculars but to give the right attitudes, in my practice, or to intervene with people in difficulty.
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