Saint Margaret's Bay Marine Search and Rescue Society

What Saint Margaret's Bay Marine Search and Rescue Society does

Saint Margaret's Bay Marine Search and Rescue Society (SMBMSAR) is a Canadian non-profit charitable organization that provides volunteer-led marine search and rescue services to mariners, recreational boaters, and the broader St. Margarets Bay community in Nova Scotia. Founded around 2010 and operated as a 100% volunteer-driven entity, the Society delivers 24/7, 365-day rapid-response emergency marine SAR from a station at Shining Waters Marina (148 Nautical Way, Halifax). Its operational core is a single rescue vessel equipped with standard marine navigation, communications, and safety gear (previously a Zodiac 755 RecPro known as Angel Six, lost in 2024 during purchase negotiations); the Society is currently fundraising to acquire a replacement vessel and to restore AIS service coverage for the Bay.

The Society is an official unit of the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary-Maritime, which coordinates its marine emergency response with the Canadian Coast Guard and local fire, police, and ambulance services. Beyond incident response, SMBMSAR runs volunteer training in first aid, navigation, and emergency preparedness, and provides public education on safe boating practices. The "service" output is therefore a public good delivered free of charge, not a commercial product.

The business model is a charitable donations-and-grants structure with no pricing model: revenue streams comprise individual charitable donations, government and foundation grants, community fundraising events (Poker Run, charity runs, barbecues, silent auctions), and corporate sponsorship from local businesses. All services are free at point of delivery. Governance rests with a volunteer board and membership, with no parent company, institutional investor, or equity ownership. The 2025 capital campaign of $500,000 for vessel replacement, operating costs, and AIS restoration is the most significant near-term financial signal.

Name

Saint Margaret's Bay Marine Search and Rescue Society

Legal name

St. Margarets Bay Marine Search & Rescue Society

Website

https://smbmsar.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Saint Margaret's Bay Marine Search and Rescue Society is a 100% volunteer-led Canadian non-profit providing 24/7 marine search and rescue, boating safety education, and volunteer training in Nova Scotia's St. Margarets Bay region, operating as a Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary-Maritime unit.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Search and Rescue Services

NAICS

Other Support Activities for Water Transportation (48839)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400)

akta.pro primary industry

Emergency Towage & Rescue (Refloating, Grounding Response) (IMAJANAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Firefighting & Casualty Stabilization (Marine Fire, De-watering) (IMAJANAG), Search & Rescue (SAR) & Lifeboats (IMAJADAI)

Keywords

• Marine search rescue
• Volunteer rescue services
• Boating safety education
• Coast guard auxiliary
• Community emergency response

Headquarters

HQ city

Hubbards

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations: Funding generated through charitable donations from community members and supporters to fund operations, training programs, and equipment acquisition
2. Grants: Government and foundation grants to support operational costs, training programs, and equipment
3. Community Fundraising Events: Events such as charity runs, community barbecues, silent auctions, and annual Poker Run to raise operational funds; current campaign goal of $500,000 for new vessel and operating costs
4. Corporate Sponsorship: Sponsorships and donations from local businesses and organizations to enhance capacity for search and rescue services

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Saint Margaret's Bay Marine Search and Rescue Society is a volunteer-driven charitable non-profit that provides 24/7, 365-day marine search, rescue, and emergency response services for mariners in the St. Margarets Bay region of Nova Scotia from its base at Shining Waters Marina. It also runs volunteer training in first aid, navigation, and emergency preparedness, and delivers public education on safe boating practices to the local boating community.

Product overview

Saint Margaret's Bay Marine Search and Rescue Society (SMBMSAR) is a non-profit charitable organization, not a product company. The organization provides marine search and rescue services through volunteer operations. Their primary offering consists of emergency marine search and rescue operations in the St. Margarets Bay region of Nova Scotia, supplemented by community education on marine safety, volunteer training programs, and fundraising activities. Previously, they operated a Zodiac 755 RecPro vessel (named Angel Six), which was lost in 2024 during negotiations to purchase it. The organization is currently fundraising to acquire a new vessel.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Marine Search and Rescue Response Service 24/7, 365-day volunteer marine search and rescue response for vessels and individuals in distress on St. Margarets Bay, delivered from Shining Waters Marina by trained volunteer crews and coordinated with the Canadian Coast Guard, fire, police, and ambulance services.
• Volunteer Training in First Aid, Navigation, and Emergency Preparedness Rigorous training programs that prepare SMBMSAR's volunteer crew members for search and rescue situations, covering first aid, navigation, and emergency preparedness, ensuring responders can act with confidence and skill during marine emergencies.
• Public Boating Safety Education Community awareness and education programs that raise public understanding of marine safety and safe boating practices, targeting the local boating community in the St. Margarets Bay region.
• Annual Poker Run Fundraising Event An annual community fundraising event for SMBMSAR that combines a maritime route with poker-themed gameplay to raise operational funds and strengthen community engagement.

Quantifiable outcome

• Saved many lives and countless boats in distress over 15 years of service

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary-MaritimecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSMBMSAR is an official part of the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary-Maritime, providing vital search and rescue services with coordination and support from the Canadian Coast Guard
• Canadian Coast GuardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership with the Canadian Coast Guard for coordinated marine emergency response operations
• Local Emergency Services (Fire, Police, Ambulance)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEstablished interagency relationships with local fire, police, and ambulance services for coordinated emergency response
• Shining Waters MarinacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary station location for SMBMSAR operations, providing facilities and base for training and operational activities
• Local Businesses and Community MemberssupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerGenerous support through sponsorships, donations, and facility maintenance contributions that sustain operations

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI): UK-based charity providing volunteer lifeboat search and rescue services around the British and Irish coasts. Comparable as a charity-driven volunteer marine SAR organization with a similar operational model and community funding base.
• National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI): South African volunteer marine rescue organization. Comparable as a charity-funded volunteer organization providing emergency response and boating safety education along coastlines.
• Hamilton Beach Rescue: Canadian volunteer marine search and rescue unit based in Ontario. Comparable as a community-supported volunteer SAR organization operating from a marina and providing rapid response to waterway emergencies.
• Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary-Maritime: The national network of which SMBMSAR is a member unit. Comparable as the umbrella organization coordinating volunteer marine SAR units across Canadian coastal regions with shared operational protocols.
• Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue: Canadian volunteer marine search and rescue organization operating across British Columbia with a similar volunteer-crew model and interagency coordination approach. Directly comparable as a charity-driven maritime SAR society analogous to SMBMSAR.

Broad incumbents

• U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary: The U.S. volunteer counterpart to the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary. Comparable as a large volunteer maritime safety organization with similar mandate of supporting official coast guard operations through volunteer capacity.

Regional players

• Volunteer Marine Rescue (Queensland): Australian state-based volunteer marine rescue organizations operating along the Queensland coast. Comparable as volunteer-staffed marine emergency response units with a similar not-for-profit funding model.
• Nova Scotia Search and Rescue: Provincial emergency management and search and rescue coordination in Nova Scotia. Comparable as the regional governmental counterpart that SMBMSAR coordinates with and complements.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/smbmsar
• Instagraminstagram.com/stmargaretsbaymsar

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Saint Margaret's Bay Marine Search and Rescue Society