SOS LAC NORD

SOS LAC NORD is the water-rescue app for the Lac Nord of Biscarrosse (Cazaux – Sanguinet) in south-west France, run by AquaPark Biscarrosse together with the lake's volunteer rescuers. 5,600 hectares, 21 metres deep, three towns and two départements: there are no road signs and no street addresses out on the water. When an engine dies in the middle of the lake, the hardest part is explaining where you are. This app answers that question for you. CALL FOR HELP IN TWO SECONDS A long press on the SOS button sends your exact GPS position, your name, your phone number, your boat and the number of people on board to the lake's volunteer rescuers. Your position keeps being transmitted throughout the alert, even when the app is in the background, so rescuers follow you if you drift. WATCH HELP ARRIVE As soon as a rescuer takes the call, you see their boat moving towards you on the map, with the distance and estimated time of arrival, and a button to call them. Waiting is far less frightening when you can see help coming. THE LAKE MAP, ON GPS The official lake plan redrawn on a real GPS map: the 300-metre shore band, the Cazaux military safety polygon, the kitesurf, jet-ski and free-ski zones, protected ecological sectors, the 78 hunting butts, harbours, slipways, rescue posts and drinking-water intakes. LAKE WEATHER, NOT TOWN WEATHER Wind, gusts and direction measured live by the AquaPark Biscarrosse weather station at the water's edge. Air and water temperature, hour-by-hour forecasts from sunrise to sunset, an animated map of incoming rain, bathing-water quality and the Maguide harbour webcam. A MAP FOR DIVERS Dive sites, depths, month-by-month temperatures, the 25 numbered buoys, the protected archaeological zone, an MN90 no-stop planner and a "divers in the water" button. LAKE WALKIE-TALKIE Voice messages between boaters and rescuers, on the lake channel or the rescue channel. REPORT A HAZARD A drifting log, a missing buoy, a shallow: press and hold on the map to warn other users. EVERYTHING ABOUT THE LAKE A library of 31 articles: navigation rules, water sports, first aid, harbours, lake ecology, plus a quiz and a pre-departure checklist. BECOME A RESCUER Often out on the lake? Sign up as a volunteer rescuer or a breakdown assistant. Once approved by AquaPark, you receive alerts with the exact position of people in difficulty. ALSO ON YOUR WATCH A wind widget on the Home Screen, an SOS from Apple Watch, and live alert tracking on the Lock Screen. IMPORTANT This app complements the public emergency services, it does not replace them. In a life-threatening emergency always call 112. A direct call button is on every screen. An alert launches a boat and mobilises volunteers. Deliberately false alerts get the account and the phone banned, and are a criminal offence in France. Free, no advertising, no trackers, no analytics. Data hosted in France.