Why your next EPIRB should be a float-free one

However, place a person under pressure and sometimes you’re not able to think things through at the same pace you would if you’d been exposed to much calmer conditions. That’s where any automated process is a good one.

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We’ve seen VHF marine radios become more sophisticated to the point where many are now equipped with DSC, or digital call select.

At the press of a button, DSC will broadcast your boat’s position to everyone within radio range, greatly cutting down on the amount of time you need to make a distress call and the accuracy of the information on the receiving end where conditions may be just as adverse as where you are.

But sometimes things happen faster than you can react. Think of a bar crossing gone very, very wrong.

Australia will soon mandate that certain types of commercial boats, including charter boats, need to carry a float-free EPIRB. It means that in the event of a vessel capsizing or sinking, the EPIRB will automatically deploy as soon as it hits the water and flag with rescue authorities that you need help.

The new requirements, which come into effect in Australia from January 1, 2021, mean a new generation of float-free EPIRBs has hit the market at prices that are not out of reach of even ordinary boaters – think as low as $700.

In the event something goes wrong, it’s one less thing to have to worry about.

A float-free EPIRB looks just the same as any other, but it is mounted in a bracket with something called a hydrostatic release unit. It’s a similar idea to automatically inflating life jackets, which use a paper cylinder that dissolves in water to kick-start the inflation process.

It’s important to note that a float-free EPIRB activates when a vessel either capsizes or submerges, with the unit releasing the EPIRB when it hits a depth of between 1.0 and 4.0 metres deep. That means you will already be in the water before it activates.

The EPIRB will then float free of the boat on the water’s surface, where it has the best chance of alerting rescue services.

That means it is very important to decide where you mount the EPIRB on the boat to ensure it will not be caught up inside the boat and reaches sufficient depth to activate the release.

The regulations do say that smaller commercial vessels such as hire or dive boats that are rated with basic flotation – just the bow of the boat will float if it sinks – can use a manually activated EPIRB, but only if everyone on board is wearing a life jacket.

If anything, this is a reminder that with most recreational boats offering only the lowest level of flotation, wearing a life jacket is always a smart move.