FISHERMEN lost off the Queensland coast in future may owe their lives to a fashion dummy and a new computer software program.

And they can thank fourth-year coastal engineering student Nathan Benfer and Asia-Pacific Applied Science Associates director Sasha Zigic, who last week startedground-breaking research off the Gold Coast.

The pair are using the latest technology to determine what happens when someone is lost at sea.

"Nathan needed a project for his coastal engineering studies. We live on the Gold Coast, and search and rescue is a hot topic," Mr. Zigic said.

Mr. Benfer, a Griffith University student, used the engineering school's boat but was faced with the challenge of finding a substitute for a floating body.

"I managed to get a store dummy from the Bocoo fashion company at Mermaid Beach," he said.

"I drilled holes in the feet and hips. Then I put a lifejacket on it before we winched it into the water."

The dummy's movement off popular Gold Coast fishing spot Mermaid Reef was recorded by the company's SARMAP system, which has been used to locate bodies lost at sea in Asia.

The satellite tracking technology can predict the movement of people or objects at sea by defining a search area based on winds and tides.

The pair are still compiling the test results but an early map shows the dummy completed an S-bend as it moved north during a five-hour period.

Mr. Sigic said winds during the test were under 12 knots, the speed which normally created whitecaps or breaking waves.

"The dummy covered 233m every 30 minutes.

"The S-bend it covered shows the complexity of wind-driven flows and the changes in tidal currents.

"Although the wind was predominantly from the west, the inward and outward movement of the dummy reflects the flood and ebb tides.

"We're hoping that the findings we can get from this exercise will help local search and rescue authorities during actual rescue events."

Picture: Geoff McLachlan

For more information on SARMAP, please contact Sasha Zigic at szigic@appsci.com or +1-401-789-6224