Box of Light is made possible thanks to these visionaries:
We ran a story in New Zealand Surf Journal a few months back that reached more than 20,000 people and touched every single one of them. And it was a 20 minute read – one of our longest stories ever on NZSJ. That happened for good reason: the story, written by Doctor Will Allen, detailed his and three other surfers' rescue attempt when they discovered a boat capsized in the surf at Taieri River Bar earlier this year.
Tragically, a little girl lost her life in the incident.
Will and his friends were determined to do something positive from the deeply upsetting moment. So, they are running a Surf Survival Evening at the South Coast Boardriders Association club at St Clair from 6:30 to 8pm on Thursday, November 18. All welcome, kai will be provided. Get there and find out how you can save your mate one day.
This event will be followed on Saturday, November 20, by a Surfers Rescue 24/7 CPR and board rescue course run by Surfing New Zealand. This event will be split into two: women from 9-11am and men from 1-3pm. We highly recommend attending both the Thursday and the Saturday events. It could help you to save a life.
When we canvassed surfers in New Zealand recently through social media we found that the average number of near-drowning incidents attended by surfers as first responders was well north of three per respondent. That's actually very impressive. Imagine how much better those outcomes will be with a little bit of training?
Add it to your diary – see you there. More info and registration details can be found here.
See you at the beach ... Derek
PS Ouch, my latest book Living the Dream has experienced further delays and won't hit the bookstores until later this week. If you want me to sign a copy here's your link ...
Box of Light is made possible thanks to these visionaries: