Water Rescue Innovation: Hydro Spider's Rapid Redeployment

On this podcast, PartVu Xchange Talks Boating host Tonia Becker spoke with Ian Gibson, co-founder of Hydro Spider. The product is a clever life saving water rescue device that recreational boaters, commercial boaters, and government agencies have adopted.

Today, we’ll learn more about how the Hydro Spider and answer a few questions:

• How was it developed?
• What makes it different from other safety products?
• What are the practical uses of this amazing new invention?

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Can you give us an overview of the Hydro Spider?

Ian: The Hydro Spider is a rope and strap system that users can attach to a Coast Guard-approved type four flotation device. Type four devices are standard seat cushions commonly found in almost any type of boat and often legally required to be on board. The Hydro Spider system is a throwable safety device ideal for water-related rescues.

Where did the idea come from, and how did you develop the product?

Ian: My business partner Andrew and I worked for a local sheriff’s department as marine patrol in Michigan for about twenty years. We were responsible for water rescue calls in our county, which have about three hundred lakes and rivers.

While on the job, we dealt with situations where we felt we didn’t have the right tools. During our downtime together, we spent time brainstorming on better ways to handle water rescue situations. After kicking around many different ideas over the span of about four years, we came up with the Hydro Spider. We designed a couple of different prototypes, which culminated in the product we sell today.

How does the Hydro Spider differ from throw bags and rescue discs?

Ian: The biggest issue we had with throw bags or rescue discs is that we were limited to one throw. In actuality, there are ways to get second attempts, but the usage is pretty limited after the initial throw with those safety items. The biggest problem is having to wind up the rope each time these devices are thrown to make another attempt. When you’re trying to help someone in trouble, you want to have the ability to throw and re-throw as many times as possible as fast as you can.

Additionally, there’s no built-in flotation mechanism on the end of throw bags or rescue discs. Without flotation, I’ve been in situations where I reach someone in trouble with a typical device and have them latch on. However, once I began to pull them to safety, the device immediately pulled them underwater. That’s when panic ensued. Rescue discs will float but lack the buoyancy to float a person.

With the Hydro Spider, you can easily throw and retrieve without having to rewind or repack. So, that gives the rescuer a considerable advantage when working in a tense situation where multiple attempts are often necessary to reach a target. The flotation issue is solved by attaching the Spider to a type four flotation device.

With typical rescue devices, what part of the functionality makes it challenging to redeploy them?

Ian: In a rope bag, all of the weight of the bag comes from the rope itself. So, once you have deployed the bag, you have an empty, lightweight bag which is almost impossible to throw. To get the necessary weight back into the bag, you need to recoil the rope to attempt another throw. All of that repacking takes precious time, which is a valuable commodity when someone is potentially drowning.

With the Hydro Spider, all of the weight is in the throwable. The rope is not necessary for the weight component. It’s just there for strength and retrieval.

Furthermore, people naturally react to throwable cushions by “hugging” the cushion. That intuitive reaction is precisely what we need as rescuers to calm them down and remove some of the stress from the situation.

We’ve done market analysis and rescue simulation with three standard rescue devices: throw ropes, rescue discs, and Hydro Spiders. Without much instruction, we provide participants with each of the three options. Invariably, they have difficulty figuring out how to redeploy throw ropes and rescue discs, whereas they use natural instincts to throw, retrieve and redeploy the Spider.

It’s vital to be able to make multiple attempts because it’s tough to make accurate throws. Many variables like thrower accuracy, wind, current, boat movement, and other factors significantly impact how precise you can be during deployment. So, it’s critical to have a way to throw again quickly and efficiently.

How far can you throw using the Hydro Spider?

Ian: Regardless of size, we consistently see users hitting the thirty-five to forty feet mark with a simple underhand throw, so our standard product has fifty feet of rope. Occasionally, we run into first responders that can throw further, so we field requests for editions with sixty-five to seventy-five feet of rope.

Practice is essential with any safety device. Therefore, we recommend taking some time to make practice a part of a routine.

How does the tensile strength of the Spider add value to the product and help with lifesaving efforts?

Ian: Quality is paramount since we deal with lifesaving efforts and safety. We tested every type of paracord and rope that we could find. At the end of the day, the 550 tensile strength paracord was the sweet spot. It’s small enough to store in a bag and releases well consistently without tangling or snarling.

We’ve tested our rope in every way that we could think of and still haven’t been able to break it. I’ve pulled Andrew, a big guy, out of a river with current using our product. I’ve also hung upside down in a tree with our product. We’ve done some crazy things to push the limits, all to demonstrate the durability of the Spider.

Once you’ve deployed the Spider, what’s the process like for preparing it for the next time it’s used?

Ian: You’ll pack it the same way you load a throw rope bag. It’s a pretty simple process. Basically, you open the bag and place the rope on top of itself. You want to avoid twisting your hand or shoving it in because you’ll end up with tangles and snags.

Can you give us an example of when the Hydro Spider was used in a rescue situation?

Ian: We have two confirmed rescues with the Hydro Spider. The first comes from Lake Michigan. At a boat show, someone bought our product to have on their thirty-three-foot boat. They were out for a regular Sunday outing when they noticed their fifteen-year-old swim farther away from the boat than they were comfortable with. Suddenly, he starts to panic. He was trying to make his way back to the boat, but wind and current were making things difficult, and he began to lose ground. The mom grabbed the Hydro Spider and threw it perfectly within reach of her son. He hugged the device, and his mother pulled him back to safety.

There’s a second rescue that we have been made aware of. We’re waiting on the details of that rescue so we can accurately report how the Spider was used.

These are both feel-good moments for our business. Of course, we hope no one ever has to use it, but just in case, the Spider does its job very well.

What kinds of end-users have expressed the most interest in the Hydro Spider?

Ian: Our initial business plan was the everyday boater. We had a great product to offer the general public at a reasonable price. Then, we noticed a lot of first responders showing up with significant interest.

Now, we are selling to police and fire departments regularly. For example, the Kent County Sheriff’s Department bought a Hyrdo Spider for every vehicle in their fleet, which is well over a hundred units.

Another segment of the population that has shown interest is lake associations. Several lake associations are trying to buy a Spider for every two or three docks. So, if you’re at the lake enjoying a BBQ and see someone struggling in the water, you can run down to the dock and access a Spider for a rescue operation.

We’re also working with a number of large piers to potentially outfit them with our product. You often see old-fashioned lifesaving rings at places like this, but they are hard to throw.

One interesting use that we didn’t anticipate was ice-related rescues. For example, a large fire department in Farmington Hills wanted to try the Spider out for ice rescues. Since ice rescues are inherently risky to the rescuers, the Spider may help keep distance from dangerous thin ice while working through the rescue operation.

With the Hydro Spider, you also have the option of attaching it to a life jacket instead of a type four. If you’re attempting to rescue someone who is hanging on to a tree or something else in current, for example, the first thing that we typically try to do is get them to put on a life jacket. Now, with the Spider, we can toss it to them with added weight, allowing for more distance and accuracy. In New Mexico, a fire department purchased a large quantity of Hydro Spiders to use in flash flood situations just for this purpose.

In sum, there are quite a few different ways to use the product. It’s versatile and allows for multi-functional usage.

For more details about this incredible product, check out our website at partsvu.com or visit hydro-spider.com. The Hydro Spider site has a ton of great information about the product, its many uses, and a great demonstration video.