Every year, volunteer lifesavers battle to save lives in the summer surf. Despite public education, a staggering 80% of rescues are outside the flags. Migrants and tourists account for a third of all deaths on Australian beaches. Tragically, people don’t see or understand the beach reports.

Life-Fi is set to save lives this summer by breaking down the communication barriers between surf lifesavers and international tourists. The new technology provides access to unlimited free wi-fi between the flags and enables beachgoers of different nationalities to receive live surf patrol instructions in their own language, without requiring app download. We designed prevention messages with a universal visual approach. In a matter of seconds, people are informed of what to do to stay safe.

After successful trials in Queensland surf lifesaving clubs, Queensland Government has backed the initiative to roll out Life-Fi to clubs across the state this summer.