YAMAHA WaveRunner Riding Academy in the Maldives
Report on YAMAHA WaveRunner Riding Academy in the Maldives
On Dec. 5, 2005, a Yamaha WaveRunner Riding Academy course was held at one of the most famous resorts in the Maldive Islands, the Paradise Island Resort & Spa.
Made up of some 1,190 coral reef islands, the Republic of Maldives is a country that has thrived on the blessings of the sea. At the same time, however, that same sea can be a threat, as it was when the tsunami resulting from the Sumatra earthquake in December 2004 inundated all the islands for a brief period. That constant threat has brought attention to the potential of Yamaha WaveRunners as rescue craft and prompted the focus of the recent WaveRunner Riding Academy course, which was attended by 38 participants from the National Security Service, the Maldives Police, airline companies, representatives of resort sports centers and the Swimming Association.
Because many of these participants were using a personal watercraft for the first time, the course began with a classroom session in which the basic functions and rules of use for PWCs were explained. After that, each participant was given Practical Riding Training in which they actually rode the WaveRunners. This was followed by instruction in rescue methods and how to pull a drowning person out of the water, etc.
In the classroom session, the advantages of the PWC as a rescue vehicle were also stressed, including the facts that it has no propeller, it can be used in shallow waters, it can be brought right alongside the swimmer/victim and its outstanding inherent maneuverability. Also, thanks to the cooperation of the local Yamaha distributor staff, a demonstration of a WaveRunner being used to rescue a drowning swimmer was held at a hotel wharf to successfully convey the great effectiveness of PWCs as rescue craft.
Maldives Gets Its First Taste OF Using PWC In Combination With Rescue Sleds
Up till now, personal water crafts or PWCs in Maldives are well known only for there recreational use. Yet, whilst PWC-sled combo is an efficiently used rescue tool common to countries like the USA and Australia, it has never been used locally. Although the territory of Maldives consists of about 98% sea, it may come as a surprise that the local community has not been able to take advantage of such modern technology. Hence our objective is to introduce such methods to key sectors throughout the country.
The unique geographical makeup of Maldives with nearly twelve hundred coral islands and hundreds of shallow reefs can sometime make rescue a considerable challenge using the traditional propeller driven boats and inflatables. This makes the rescue using personal water craft an ideal substitute. Further, the recent devastating effects of the tsunami have compelled us to increase the level of preparedness and learn from other communities living near the sea.
At long last, Alia Investments Pvt. Ltd. organized the first-ever seminar using the combination of PWCs and rescue sleds under the name of Yamaha WaveRunner Academy held on 5th December, 2005 at Paradise Island Resort. The PWC model of choice was the world’s most renter friendly Yamaha WaveRunner XL700 combined with rescue sleds.
The feedback given from the participants found the seminar to be very useful for their respective line of work. Most of them, such as the Maldives Swimming Association, currently receiving first aid and life guard training, found the seminar to complement their course of training. Further discussions are underway to have PWCs available as a rescue tool for the public sector and various organizations.
The WaveRunner XL700 once again proved its user friendliness with its excellent handling and stability; convenience with its large fuel tank and minimum gauges; and cost effectiveness with the lower initial investment and maintenance cost.
The overwhelming positive response to the seminar has made us to essentially think of organizing similar events in future.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for there tremendous effort and cooperation to make it a success. We would also like to congratulate Paradise Island Resort as the pioneer for implementing rescue services using the Yamaha WaveRunner XL700 and rescue sled.
Alau Ali
Managing Director
Yamaha Division
Alia Investments Pvt. Ltd.
Message from the Instructor
Mr. Tomoyoshi Koyanagi, Overseas Market Development Operations, Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.
Hello Everyone.
I (Tomoyoshi Koyanagi) have been working on the development of Yamaha WaveRunners for 16 years. During this time I have been involved in the designing of the WaveRunner 3, the Raider, the GP and the GPR models. Presently I am involved in overseas market development in various parts of the world.
Product development is a process of giving form to dreams. And I believe that personal watercraft like out WaveRunners are truly dream machines. If I were to define a PWC, I would say that it is mounting a non-protruding jet propulsion unit on a small hull to create a craft that gives you ultimate freedom on the water.
The unique geographical makeup of Maldives with nearly twelve hundred coral islands and hundreds of shallow reefs can sometime make rescue a considerable challenge using the traditional propeller driven boats and inflatables. This makes the rescue using personal water craft an ideal substitute. Further, the recent devastating effects of the tsunami have compelled us to increase the level of preparedness and learn from other communities living near the sea.
If your WaveRunner was a craft that had a protruding propeller, you could certainly never have a race like the one at Ole"ron island in France where hundreds of PWCs start at the same time, and you wouldn’t be able to use one to swiftly approach and rescue a drowning swimmer without taking the time to be extremely cautious of the propeller.
I have been to the Maldives in the Indian Ocean three times now, including business trips. The first time I visited these islands was on my honeymoon. The peaceful time I spent there surrounded by those beautiful emerald green waters is one of my most precious memories. The next time I visited the Maldives was more than ten years later, shortly after the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004. I was glad to learn that the island of Male where the capital is located suffered only from mild flooding due to the wave-breaking effect of the tetra-pot break wall built by Japan’s ODA. But I learned that many lives had been lost on the outlying islands due to the tsunami. If only there were some way to project the elderly and young children who can’t swim in such times of natural disaster ….
The Republic of Maldives is made up on many islands and lifesaving activities at the beach areas using sufficient mobility should be very effective. On my most recent visit to the Maldives, this was brought home to me very clearly when we held a Yamaha “WaveRunner Riding Academy.” Many people came to attend this event attracted, including a good number who have never been in contact with a PWC before. The bright eyes of all the participants as they listened intently to the explanations of the basic structure and operation of the WaveRunners and watched a rescue demonstration, showed that they were truly experiencing what a marvelous craft the PWC is.
I hope everyone will take this opportunity to rediscover the wonderful world of personal watercraft. I am sure that there will be something exciting and new for you to find here.
