A drone that was just being tested ended up saving two teen swimmers on Thursday at a seaside village called Lenox Head in New South Wales, Australia, according to ABC News. It was also considered as the world’s-first drone rescue with a flotation device. The UAV used was called the Little Ripper, and it saved two exhausted 17-year-old and 15-year-old swimmers from waves as tall as 9.8 feet at a distance of about 2,297 feet offshore. Here is the actual drone footage from Business InsiderAu’s YouTube account:
Little Ripper drone rescue
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, lifeguard Jai Sheridan took the Little Ripper drone out for training purposes, but a call of two distressed swimmers quickly turned the exercise into a real-life rescue. Within two minutes of the alert, the lifeguard was able to spot the swimmers and drop an inflatable flotation device. The whole drone rescue was also captured using the drone.
The teen swimmers held onto the rescue device and paddled back to shore where other lifeguards met them. They showed signs of fatigue but were considered safe.
