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One Up Saves Life Buoy
20 Mar 2018

New portable live buoy could change marine & beach rescue

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INVENTIONS: Saul de León from the Canary Islands has invented a practical, inflatable rescue buoy called OneUp Saves, which is no bigger than a water bottle in a deflated state.

The weight of the life preserver is 370 grams; it is cylindrical and 17 centimeters long. Therefore it should be easy to throw where you want it to land.

When it lands in the water, it automatically blows up to a rescue buoy in two seconds.

International public funding

OneUp Saves was one of the winners of the Philip Morris Entrepreneurs Program, and the only one of Spain's winners chosen for large-scale international funding, writes Europa Press.

A fundraising campaign will be handled by the American Marketing Agency Rain Factory on the Indiegogo platform. The start date is March 20th.

Small enough for everyone to carry
De Leon believes that the rescue boom will save many lives. He shows that everyone can carry an OneUp Saves and be potential bodyguards.

If people can wear sunscreens, they can wear OneUp Saves too, he thinks.

De Leon points out that 80 percent of the drowning casualties in the Canary Islands occur on beaches without lifeguards.

In Canary Islands 93 people died by drowning in 2017 - over twice as many people than who died in traffic.  600 people died by drowning in all of Spain.

The Canary Islands government, the Red Cross, the Sea Rescue Service and several hotels in the Canary Islands will be interested in OneUp Saves.