Surveillance Artificial Intelligence for Lifesaving.

Rock fishers are overrepresented in coastal drowning numbers. According to Surf Life Saving NSW, Australia recorded 12 rock fishing deaths in the 2024/25 season, and 10 of them were in NSW, around a fifth of all drownings in the state.

It happens fast. Surf Life Saving NSW estimates it can take less than five seconds to go from standing on the rocks to being in the water, and without a lifejacket there are only about five minutes to make a rescue. Every second between a fall and an alert matters.

Source: Surf Life Saving NSW, presented at AFAC26.

SAIL watches high-risk rock shelves with AI-enabled cameras. When it detects someone washed into the water, it automatically alerts the Surf Life Saving NSW State Operations Centre by SMS and Teams.

The trial runs five solar-powered units: three at Little Bay in Sydney, watching 400–800 metres out, and two at Kiama Blowhole, watching 200–350 metres. Each unit works on its own or with others to cover a whole area.

SAIL gives every person or object it detects a label. Each label carries its own risk profile.

• Person in waterIncludes swimmers wearing lifejackets. A persistent, high-confidence detection triggers an alert.
• WaderWater up to chest height, in the zone between land and water.
• DiverDivers and spearfishers below the surface.