At each site, a boardwalk leads to a solar-powered chair on one track. Vacationers with mobility problems sit on a chair and “drive” into the water via a remote control device available on the beach or delivered in advance to the hotel. Once in the sea, they can lift themselves out of the chair to swim, and then return to the mooring base of the chair.
By using a chair, beachgoers avoid sand, which can be an obstacle for people who use a wheelchair, cane, or walker or who have difficulty walking. In addition, the system allows them to enjoy the sea independently, as no extra hands are needed.
In 2012 TOBEA – the company behind the Seatrac system – unveiled nine wheelchairs on different beaches in Greece. Last year, it installed 180 machines in Greece, as well as several more in Cyprus, Italy and Latvia.
Sitrak arose from a conversation between Ignatius Fotiou, an aeronautical engineer, and a Greek wheelchair-using friend, who said he did not like being carried through the water like “a sack of potatoes”. In 2022, the devices will already have more than 40,000 users.
This summer, the company plans to deploy more than 220 people during peak beach season, roughly from May to October. TOBEA says it plans to expand into Europe and beyond. It appears that officials in the US Virgin Islands, Spain and Croatia have already expressed interest.
