Buoys enable blinds to swim

With temperatures soaring this summer, holidaymakers in the south of France are flocking to the beach to cool off in the water. Until now, that was not an option for the blind. Thanks to a new technological development, they need not feel confined to the sand and can enjoy a swim in the sea. Buoys fitted with audio sensors every fifty metres in the water tell the swimmer where they are in the St Jean de Luz bay. Each swimmer is equipped with a bracelet with buttons like a stop watch, as well as a panic button in case they lose their bearings. "The swimmer wears a bracelet with buttons in it, which when pushed, trigger a sound message from the sensor on top of the buoy. The sound message from the buoy alerts the swimmer where they are in respect of the beach and where they can swim too," said Deputy Mayor of St Jean de Luz, Ferdinand Echave.