Top tips for becoming a safer boater

Simply checking over your vessel and supplies before heading out is not enough. In fact, preparing for a trip should start days before the activity so that should something go wrong, it becomes an inconvenience rather than an incident.

Here are our top tips to ensure you come home safely after an enjoyable trip.

There is no worse feeling than knowing you’re helpless and alone. Having someone on land looking out for you is a must.

Before any trip on the water, lock in a buddy plan. This means letting a trusted person know where you’re launching from, where you’re going and what time you expect to be back.

They should also have your vessel details and know what time to call Triple Zero (000) if they can’t get hold of you.

The Australian Volunteer Coast Guard’s SafeTrx app is a simple way to sign on and off electronically.

This tool stores all the details about your boat and follows your trip. In an emergency, you can alert authorities to your distress and location with the tap of a button. Just be sure your phone is charged and in a waterproof pouch.

The preparation for any trip on the water should start with a check of the weather forecast.

Boaters in Australia can use the Bureau of Meteorology’s updated BOM Weather app to do vital marine weather checks.

Victorian boaters should use the Boating Vic website and app to check for warnings and look up localised weather conditions, wind, waves and tides.

Once on the water, keep an eye on any approaching squalls or rain, and react to them. You may also want to check the weather regularly during your trip.

Bear in mind that if the wind builds, getting to shore may burn through more fuel, or sap more of a paddler’s energy, especially when you factor in tide and currents.

The water can give you some clues about what the weather is doing. Whitecaps will start to form on the front of waves in around 12-knot (22km/h) winds, while they will start to form on the back of waves in around 22-knot (40km/h) winds.

Wearing a lifejacket should be as much a habit as wearing a seatbelt.

In general, even at times when lifejackets aren’t compulsory, you should still wear one.

Trying to put a lifejacket on in an emergency is harder than you think. Wearing a lifejacket ensures you’re always ready if something goes wrong.

Lifejackets are required at times of heightened risk. What is heightened risk? Think of it as any situation that could pose a danger to boaters.

That can be everything from being on your own, rough weather, crossing a bar or in the Port Phillip Heads area. It can also include travelling at night, when visibility is reduced, in heavy rain, or as soon as you sense something is not right with your vessel.

Wearing a lifejacket is compulsory at all times in powered craft up to 4.8 metres in length.

Inflatable lifejackets need regular maintenance in accordance with the manufacturers’ recommendations. You should check your lifejacket before each trip and self-inspect it at least once a year to ensure it will work in an emergency.

If things do go wrong, an electronic distress beacon with GPS greatly increases you chances of being rescued.

There are two types of distress beacons for people heading out on the water: emergency position indicating radio beacons (EPIRBs) and personal locator beacons (PLBs).

EPIRBs are required for anyone heading more than 2.0 nautical miles (3.6km) offshore, but we recommend all boats have one onboard.

The smaller PLB is a great option for solo boaters and paddlers because they can easily be attached to your lifejacket.

You can buy a distress beacon that can be activated either manually by flipping a switch, or automatically when it comes in contact with water.

Make sure your beacon is registered with the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) so details of you and your vessel can be passed on to a localised search and rescue agency. Activating your beacon transmits a signal to a satellite that alerts the AMSA rescue coordination centre.

If you find yourself in the water, make an early decision to activate your beacon before fatigue and the cold water start to cloud your judgement.

If you have a water-activated EPIRB, be careful when hosing down your boat after a trip so you don’t set it off.

It may sound like a simple thing, but can you reboard your boat from the water?

Attaching a boarding ladder to your boat is a great idea. Swim ladders on boats are often very short, making it difficult to pull yourself back onboard. You may need to add a rope stirrup to the bottom rung of the ladder to make it easier to climb back up.

Factor in swell, waves and spray (you’re unlikely to fall in on a calm day) waterlogged clothing, an inflated lifejacket and the shock of the cold water, and suddenly, the difficulty of getting back on is greatly increased.

Have a think, too, about how you can get someone back onboard who is unconscious.

Being able to recover from being ditched in the water is especially important for paddlers. A paddle leash and kayak stirrup will be a great help.

It also pays to find somewhere to practise righting your kayak and reboarding it. Practise in the shallows and then in deep water with help nearby.

If you fall overboard, always stay with your vessel and, if you can, raise the alarm. Distances to land are deceptive from the water, so it may be safer to stay where you are than trying to swim ashore.

Remember: If you’re the skipper, you’re responsible for everyone on your vessel. Make sure you’re all well prepared.

For more information, visit Maritime Safety Victoria’s Prepare to Survive website.