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BEACH

French firm’s new ‘smart bikini’ to stop sun burn

A French company has made waves in France after it invented a bikini that can tell sunbathers when they need to reapply sun cream.

Published: 11 June 2015 13:43 CEST
French firm's new 'smart bikini' to stop sun burn
Wearers of the new bikini will hopefully never get sunburned again. Photo: Spinali Design
The bikini, which was itself a French creation, has officially been reinvented – and just in time for summer.
 
A French start-up has come up with what they call the “bikini connecté” (The Connected Bikini). The swimwear features a removable and waterproof UV sensor that measures exactly when sun cream should be applied or re-applied.
 
By recording the temperature and correlating it with the additional inputs from the user about their skin type, the bikini literally sends a message to the user's smartphone before any sun damage is done.
 
The company behind the product, Spinali Design, launched the bikini in May and has begun rolling out the swimwear this week.
 
 
Marie Spinali, the founder of the company, told French newspaper L'Express that the idea came to her, perhaps unsurprisingly, after she witnessed someone getting sunburned at a beach.
 
“I was wondering why she didn't react, why she didn't put on some sun cream or get into the shade,” she said.
 
The swimwear, which is currently only available for women, are on sale from €149.
 
In case you're wondering where the ten best beaches in France are to wear this bikini, click here. 

 

 

FISH

Teenager dies snorkelling after venomous fish encounter off Costa Brava beach

A 16-year-old was killed while snorkelling off Platja d’Aro in Catalonia after an encounter with a venomous weever fish.

Published: 20 August 2020 14:18 CEST
Teenager dies snorkelling after venomous fish encounter off Costa Brava beach
Stock photo: District47/Flickr

The boy, who has not been publically named, suffered anaphylactic shock and died on Saturday afternoon while on a family trip to the beach.

His parents raised the alarm after he disappeared while snorkelling and he was found unconscious nearby by bathers and brought to shore.

Initial post-mortem results show the teenager had a tiny wound on his neck, above his windpipe, and scratches on his face.

His parents told local media that he had been filming marine life with a waterproof camera and that footage retrieved by investigators suggested he had been stung by a weever fish.

“He had been following a jellyfish about 100 metres offshore which led him to a strange and colourful fish with a harmless-looking face,” according to a statement from the parents quoted in La Vanguardia.

“He was only able to film it for 30 seconds from a distance and at the last second it disappeared and stung him around the jaw area.”

A post-mortem has been carried out in nearby Girona where forensic staff are awaiting toxicology results.

The fish has been identified locally as a spotted weever (rachinus araneusa) a species that carries venom in its dorsal spines and buries itself in sand on the seabed.


Photo by Roberto Pillon/creative commons/fishbase.org

They are usually hard to spot and have been known to deliver painful stings to swimmers feet who unknowingly step in them when paddling in shallow water.

But although they can provoke a severe allergic reaction and in rare cases provoke heart attacks such stings rarely prove fatal because those who step on them can usually reach the safety of the shore before drowning.

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