National Safe Boating Week 2021
2 - 8 October 2021
National Safe Boating Week is an initiative of the Australia New Zealand Safe Boating Education Group (ANZSBEG).
ANZSBEG and the Australian Recreational Boating Safety Committee (ARBSC) aim to improve recreational boating safety through public education to reduce boating and water craft incidents, injuries and deaths.
National Safe Boating Week is an annual week dedicated to raising awareness of safe boating behaviours across our waters.
Whether you’re heading out to sea, on the river, or a lake, it is important to always put safety first.
Whether you’re out on the water to earn a living or just for fun, everybody has a responsibility to ensure the safe operation of their boat and make sure everyone comes home unharmed to their loved ones.
National Safe Boating Week encourages safer boating practices and promotes responsible boat ownership for commercial and recreational use by encouraging increased awareness of:
- Proper and regular vessel maintenance,
- Always carrying appropriate, well maintained and accessible safety equipment, and
- Always wearing a lifejacket when boating – if you end up in the water you are much more likely to survive if you are wearing a lifejacket.
National Safe Boating Week themes
National Safe Boating Week for 2021 has three themes:
Service it: Be a responsible boat owner. Maintain your boat and equipment.
Vessels need regular maintenance, servicing and safety checks.
Make sure your boat is seaworthy before you head out on the water. Ask yourself is your boat maintained well enough to take your loved ones out on a safe trip? If the answer is no, don’t go out.
Pack it: Be a responsible skipper and be prepared before heading out on the water.
Have you seriously considered what could go wrong on your vessel, and what you would do in an emergency? Having the correct safety equipment can help you survive when the unexpected happens.
Learn more about what safety equipment you need, and remember that some equipment like flares will expire so make sure you know when replacements are required.
Wear it: Safe boating means wearing a lifejacket.
When accidents happen, there’s rarely time to put a lifejacket on. Add into the mix swell, shock, fatigue and treading water until rescue arrives, and the benefits of wearing a lifejacket become clear.
If you end up in the water, you are much more likely to survive if you are wearing the correct lifejacket.
Wear the correct lifejacket for your vessel type, age and where on the water you will be operating. Find out which lifejacket is right for you. Remember if you are using an auto-inflatable lifejacket and it fails to inflate, stay calm and remember you can inflate it manually using the breathing tube attached.
Friday 8 October
Wear your lifejacket to work day
Wear your lifejacket to work on Friday 8 October 2021.
These days, lifejackets come in many styles and sizes for different purposes and environmental conditions. Many remain compact and out of the way until you hit the water, with some inflating automatically. This makes them ideal to wear during normal activities on a vessel to reduce the risk of drowning if you fall overboard.
Show your colleagues that if it’s easy enough to wear at work, it’s easy enough to wear on the water.
Post a picture of yourself wearing it to #safeboating and #lifejacket2work
Come and see us
Our Marine Safety Officers will be out and about across metro Adelaide and regional South Australia for National Safe Boating Week.
Check the timetable below to see where and when you can visit them to say hello and ask about boating safety.
Date | Region | Location and time | Safety topic |
|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 2 October | Upper Murray River | Renmark boat ramp | Vessel maintenance |
Metro | North Haven boat ramp | Vessel maintenance | |
Sunday, 3 October | Metro | St Kilda boat ramp | Vessel maintenance |
Monday, 4 October | Metro | O’Sullivans Beach boat ramp | Check safety equipment |
Tuesday, 5 October | Metro | St Kilda boat ramp | Check safety equipment |
Metro | North Haven boat ramp | Check safety equipment | |
South Coast | Goolwa boat ramp | Check safety equipment | |
Wednesday, 6 October | Yorke Peninsula | Port Hughes boat ramp | Check safety equipment |
Metro | North Haven boat ramp | Check safety equipment | |
South Coast | Bluff boat ramp | Check safety equipment | |
Thursday, 7 October | Yorke Peninsula | Wallaroo boat ramp | Life jackets |
Port Hughes boat ramp | Life jackets | ||
Metro | St Kilda boat ramp | Life jackets | |
South Coast | O’Sullivans Beach boat ramp | Life jackets | |
Friday, 8 October “Wear your life jacket to work day" | Yorke Peninsula | Wallaroo boat ramp | Life jackets |
Metro | North Haven boat ramp | Life jackets |
More information
A day on the water should be enjoyable for everyone.
See more tips and information to help you have a fun and safe day on the water.
Check out the SA Boating Safety handbook for full marine and boating safety information.
Take the Practice Boat Licence test to see if you have what it takes to skipper your own vessel.