Gecko Headgear

A custom-made piece of personal surf gear led this company to a develop a new standard in international emergency rescue equipment

If you’re ever in need of being rescued at sea, you’ll probably have good reason to thank Bude-based Gecko Headgear. The company has developed some of the most advanced marine rescue headgear available and its products are currently on active service with the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI), the Royal Navy and many other marine rescue organisations around the world, including the Irish and Canadian Coastguard services and the Australian government’s Antarctic Division.

It all started back in 1994 when surfer and boardmaker Jeff Sacree came up with a lightweight heat-retaining helmet to stop him suffering the migraine-like headaches that can strike when you’re out in cold water. Initially, the helmet was just a one-off for himself, but he ended up making several more for fellow ‘all-weather’ surfers.

The following year, Sacree heard that the RNLI was looking for a new helmet design to replace the heavy and cumbersome motorcycle helmets its lifeboat crews were still using. The problem with bike helmets is the ‘bucket effect’. Fall overboard in one at speed and, when their weight hits the water, it’s like a whiplash effect on the neck, something that can easily cause injury. Add rusting fastenings and soggy foam linings, and wearing a bike helmet at sea can be an unpleasant and potentially dangerous experience. The job of lifeboat crews is hard enough without having to cope with unsuitable equipment, which is why the RNLI were trying to source a new-style helmet. And that’s when Sacree realised his lightweight surfing helmet might just fit the bill.

Three years of trials, modifications and rigorous testing eventually led to the MK5 Marine Safety helmet entering service with the RNLI, and creating the first Marine Safety Standard in Europe. The company expanded, took on additional staff and continued to improve the helmet design. In 2003, Gecko introduced the MK 10, featuring an inflatable liner that offers exceptional comfort, prevents rotation and provides built-in buoyancy as well as good thermal protection.

The same technologies have now been developed for the extreme-sports market, with specific designs for surfing and windsurfing, jet-skiing and skydiving. The company produces specialist versions with integrated communications equipment and even a surf-cam option, to allow fully waterproofed hands-free filming. Jeff Sacree now has a team of five colleagues, a growing international order book and even sponsors several top surfers, wakeboarders and other sea-based sportspeople. It’s yet another Cornish success story.

www.geckoheadgear.com