SUP Safer
Author
Thomas Bowden
Date Published
SUP Safer was my final-year dissertation project at Swansea University — a software application designed around a simple question:
Could technology help paddleboarders make better-informed decisions before heading onto the water?
Stand-up paddleboarding is an accessible way to explore coastal and inland environments, but that accessibility can also make it easy to underestimate the risks involved. Weather, wind, tides, currents, water temperature, location and experience can all influence whether a planned trip is appropriate.
Rather than attempting to replace existing safety advice, I wanted to explore whether relevant information could be brought together into a single, accessible application that helps users understand the conditions they are likely to encounter.
The result was SUP Safer: a location-focused application combining environmental information, trip planning and safety considerations into one interface.
One of the biggest challenges I identified during the early stages of the project was that safety information is often fragmented.
A paddleboarder planning a trip may need to consider several different sources of information: weather forecasts, wind direction, tide times, local hazards, launch points and general safety guidance. The information itself may be available, but the process of bringing it together and deciding what it means for a particular trip can be less straightforward.
This is particularly important for less experienced paddlers. A forecast showing calm conditions does not necessarily mean that a particular location is suitable, while a seemingly small change in wind direction can significantly affect a coastal trip.
The RNLI's guidance highlights the importance of preparation, including checking weather and tide information, understanding the local environment, carrying a means of communication, using appropriate equipment and avoiding offshore winds.
This became the foundation of my project:
Rather than simply providing more information, could an application present the right information in a way that helps someone understand the conditions surrounding their planned trip?
LINK: https://sup-safer.co.uk