Water safety blitz shows message is sinking in for most

Friday, 2 February 2024

A long weekend marine safety blitz has found an overall increase in compliance on previous years, despite a disappointing number of River Murray boaties issued infringement notices or cautions.

Marine Safety Officers from the Department for Infrastructure and Transport visited boat ramps and waters across the metropolitan Adelaide and Yorke Peninsula coastlines - and the River Murray - across the Australia Day long weekend.

Of the almost 200 vessels checked on coastal waters over the three days, the majority were compliant with boat safety rules (77 per cent on metropolitan waters and 69 per cent on Yorke Peninsula).

Misuse of or not carrying lifejackets and not carrying appropriate safety gear were among the most common cautions for these locations.

Disappointingly, more than half of boaties along the River Murray were issued warnings or expiations for a range of breaches including speeding, not carrying safety equipment, driving unlicensed and driving too close to swimmers.

The blitz was part of a larger six-week effort that launched at the start of the summer school holidays and saw more than 1000 vessels inspected across the state.

The Marine Safety team was pleased with the overall 63 per cent compliance rate during this holiday period, an increase from previous summer holidays, but believe there is still work to be done.

The most common issues identified during this period were expired flares, not carrying the correct safety equipment (including not wearing or carrying lifejackets) and speeding.

The law requires skippers to carry enough lifejackets for each person on their boat and for all children under age 12 must be always wearing one in an open area while jet skiers and kayakers must wear a lifejacket at all times.

During this period, Marine Safety Officers also continued their work marking and removing floating hazards on the River Murray following the 2023 floods.

Unmarked navigational hazards and marine safety concerns can be reported: SA.GOV.AU - Reporting boat incidents (www.sa.gov.au).

Check which safety equipment is required for your boat: Safety equipment checker tool (marinesafety.sa.gov.au).

Which lifejacket do you need? Which lifejacket do you need? (marinesafety.sa.gov.au).

Stay informed on changing weather conditions and safety alerts at www.ses.sa.gov.au, www.bom.gov.au or call the SA Emergency Info line on 1800 362 361.

Quotes attributable to DIT Manager Marine Safety and Compliance, Gordon Panton:

We were pleased at the high level of compliance across the metropolitan coast and the Yorke Peninsula this summer, particularly over the long weekend, but would like to see those compliance rates rise even higher throughout this year.

Our boating safety regulations are in place for a reason and that’s to keep boaties, their passengers, and swimmers safe at all times, so it was disappointing to see some people across the River Murray and coastal waters doing the wrong thing.

A lifejacket is no good to you if you’re not wearing it – wearing a lifejacket is such a simple, possibly lifesaving step you can take for yourself and your family.

Our Marine Safety team will continue their work throughout this year and beyond to educate boaties about safety equipment and operating safely on our waters.