Paddling

Paddler missing alarm for kayak, canoe and SUP groups

A group spreads out on the water. Someone capsizes behind a headland or falls back in a current, and the others don't notice for a long time. Crew Guard lets the paddlers' phones watch each other: if one goes silent, every phone in the group sounds the alarm and shows where that paddler was last heard.

How it works

1. Join the group. Everyone scans one QR code at the put-in. No account, no internet.
2. Start the guard. The phones keep in touch over Bluetooth and Wi-Fi in your pockets or deck bags. It arms itself once the group is moving, at about 1.5 knots.
3. Someone goes missing. Their phone goes quiet. After 30 seconds the others show a first warning. After 60 seconds every phone sounds “Paddler missing”.

Where to look

Every phone keeps its own GPS position, so the alarm shows where that paddler was last heard, not just where the group is: an arrow, the distance and the coordinates.

Made for paddling

• Spread-out groups: phones relay for each other, so a long line of boats stays connected as long as each one hears a neighbour.
• With a signal, fewer false alarms: when there's mobile coverage, a paddler out of radio range but within about 150 m of another one isn't counted as missing.
• Switched off isn't missing: a phone that's turned off or out of battery says goodbye first, and that brings a gentle warning, not a siren.

What it isn't

Crew Guard doesn't call rescue services. Wear a buoyancy aid, keep your phone in a waterproof case, and carry a whistle and a PLB where you'd need one.

Also: sailing, hiking and mountaineering. Or see the alarm in action.