In a strange flight of fancy, I reckon if I tiled and waterproofed my backyard or my local swimming pool in Australia, I could make the entire yard and the local pool into an 8foot deep swimming pool. Now, if I added a wave machine, and one of those whirlpool things, I could create storms and things to train people for if their boat was in a *real* storm. The waves would be random, and it would show people and kids how to act if they were taken in by a storm, or if they accidently got into a rip.
Could be made into back-yard sizes for recreational purposes.

This, of course, would be supervised by trained professionals.

Of course, the excess water could be drained for 'normal' swimming, but where's the fun in that?
-- froglet, May 27 2005

(?) What fun! http://www.sportbre...orate/sea-survival/
Why people would do this for corporate entertainment, I'm not sure... [moomintroll, May 28 2005]

This looks more fun... http://www.red-aler...u/sstrainingws.html
I like the helicopter simulator bit. [moomintroll, May 28 2005]

[froglet] Decades ago, when I was a student, we used to have the use of a 25m (long) flush-deck pool a couple of nights a week, The use of the pool was split between canoeists, swimmers and scuba divers. The "highlight" of the evening was when all the swimmers did a backstroke start (but with maximum back exposure) across the width of the pool, sending a *huge* wave down the pool. Usually capsized all the canoeists. Thanks for the memories. [+]
-- coprocephalous, May 27 2005


Funny [SH]!. It would have been funnier if the scuba divers had then grabbed all the swimmers by the ankles!
-- gnomethang, May 28 2005


Speaking as someone who has done a few sea survival drills, I reckon the most effective way of training people in sea survival is to scare them so badly that they'll make sure it never happens to them. If this can be done in the comfort of a swimming pool, then so much the better.
-- moomintroll, May 28 2005


[moomintroll] Must agree with you on that one (despite the fact that it's my idea), but I only added the whole training people for sea survival as an afterthought, I just intended this as lame entertainment.
-- froglet, May 28 2005


I met a bloke in Malta who designed the user interface and code for a Helicopter crash demo. He basically goes round the world flogging it/testing it and training people to use it. I declines the offer of a 'go' in it because we were both drunk at the time.
-- gnomethang, May 28 2005


[froglet] Your idea does have some merit. Most sea survival courses are carried out in normal swimming pools, which mean they are useless - what are the odds of needing to climb into a liferaft in warm water, with no waves, and in a depth of six feet of water? (Probably higher than you think, but never mind). Even pools with wave machines tend to be pathetic because (a) the waves are small so as not to scare little children, and (b) the pool depth is fairly constant which means the waves end up pretty uniform too. Your yard/pool would have much more chaotic waves and be better.

I always enjoy reading your ideas, and self-deprecating honesty gets me every time. Therefore, a whole croissant shall be yours.
-- moomintroll, May 28 2005


Thanks! : ) I suppose a lame dream has turned into a fairly decent halfbakery idea after all... I'm glad I wrote it before I forgot it...
-- froglet, May 29 2005



random, halfbakery