DUBLIN, IRELAND (Team Geared Up) - I had the fortune to attend a Sea Survival training course in the amazing NMCI at the Irish Naval Base in Cork last weekend. The pool has simulated environmental effects including cold water, darkness, rain, wind, waves, lightning - great storm conditions.

They threw us in full clothes and with 2 pairs of overalls on-top to test our life-jackets. After a day of training we moved up to our full survival kit and had a simulated boat abandonment from a rib in the dark into a liferaft.

The experience was daunting - no matter how comfortable you are with it, I really would not like to do this for real - especially with untrained passengers. I didn’t realise how out of your comfort zone you are in a liferaft when everything is cramped, stuffy, and jelly to touch. Ever felt sea-sick in a swimming pool? With this simulator it’s possible.

Here’s some video and photos from the day…

Irish Coast Guard Sea Survival Course from Robin Blandford on Vimeo.

Full set here.

-Robin.

(Image Credits: VF, Crosshaven)

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND (Team Geared Up) - It’s all the buzz in the tech sector of the internet and its now available. The Eton Voice Link Radio is the coolest, sharpest and one of the most functional pieces of survival kit around. If one of the survivors on Lost had one of these the show wouldn’t have gotten through half a season. This is a compact voice link AM/FM radio that offers two-way talk via any Family Radio Service-enabled device, receives both General Mobile Radio Service transmissions and weather advisories from the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, and features a bright LED flashlight, cell phone charger, a siren, a digital clock. If that wasn’t enough it features a hand crank so you’ll never be needing to search for any power to charge it up. Not to mention for a radio, its damn sexy…