Royal Flying Doctor Service uses SUP to teach water safety

To kids out in the bush, nobody is idolised more than the pilots and doctors from the RFDS. The Royal Flying Doctor Service is not only a lifeline in some of the most isolated places on a earth, but also a source of amazing initiatives like this. You thought the first time you ever went stand up paddling was cool, imagine you'd never been to the beach before!

To teach a little bit of water safety to kids in the bush, the RFDS loaded up one of their aircraft with 8 stand up paddle boards, a couple of instructors and set off into the blue. All they required was a patch of dirt to land on, a farmer with a dam big enough to fit 8 inflatable stand up paddle boards and some willing participants. The latter was no trouble, and nor was the patch of dirt and a dam.

Water safety is something that goes throughout your whole life, says the RFDS’s Health Promotion Officer Judith Taylor. “So these kids may not be living out here in the dry country for always, but also while they are living here in the dry country there are dams, there are rivers, drainage systems and so on that have water in them.”

In fact, surprisingly, more people die in inland waterways, including dams, than at beaches in Australia.

So if you want to watch what it's like for kids to experience the sport of stand up paddling, in a place you'd never expect to see it. Check out the video via 'The Project' in the the link below. 

Remember the Royal Flying Doctor Service requires donations from Australians just like you, to keep their aircraft in the air. If you want to see more great initiatives like this, or want to help the RFDS save a life, buy a patch of sky or simply donate via their website here.

tenplay.com.au/channel-ten/the-project/top-stories-september-2014/boarding-outback