Carrying suitable safety equipment

These include all inland waters, excluding Lake Alexandrina, Lake Albert and any other waters subject to tidal influence.

Vessels under 8 metres

• a Lifejacket Level 50S or above for each person on board
• one bailer with a line attached or a bilge pump
• one suitable anchor with cable
• if the boat has an engine or cooking facilities, one fire extinguisher
• if the vessel is being operated between sunset and sunrise, one waterproof and buoyant torch or lantern
• one fire bucket
• a pair of paddles or oars if your vessel is under six metres

Vessels over 8 metres

• a Lifejacket Level 50S or above for each person on board
• one bailer with a line attached and a bilge pump
• one suitable anchor with cable
• if the boat has an engine or cooking facilities, two fire extinguishers
• if the vessel is being operated between sunset and sunrise, one waterproof and buoyant torch or lantern
• one fire bucket
• one life buoy with a line

These are waters up to two nautical miles from the low-water mark of the coast of mainland South Australia and Kangaroo Island and from the banks of Lake Alexandrina and Lake Albert (and also the Coorong).

Vessels under 8 metres

• a Lifejacket Level 50S or above for each person on board
• one suitable anchor with cable
• one bailer with a line attached, or a bilge pump
• two hand-held red flares and two hand-held orange smoke signals
• if the boat has an engine or cooking facilities, one fire extinguisher
• one waterproof and buoyant torch or lantern
• one fire bucket
• one pair of paddles or oars or other means of auxiliary propulsion (if your vessel is under 6 metres)

Vessels over 8 metres

• a Lifejacket Level 50S or above for each person on board
• two suitable anchors with cables (if less than 12 metres one anchor may be carried as a spare)
• two bailers with lines attached and a bilge pump
• two hand-held red flares and two hand-held orange smoke signals
• if the boat has an engine or cooking facilities, two fire extinguishers
• one waterproof and buoyant torch or lantern
• one fire bucket
• one life-buoy with a line

These are waters more than two nautical miles from the low-water mark of the coast and from the banks of Lake Alexandrina and Lake Albert.

Vessels under 8 metres

• a Lifejacket Level 100 or above for each person on board
• one suitable anchor with cable
• one bailer with a line attached, or a bilge pump
• if the boat has an engine or cooking facilities, one fire extinguisher
• one waterproof and buoyant torch or lantern
• a two-way marine radio capable of communication with onshore stations
• two hand-held red flares and two hand-held orange smoke signals
• four litres of freshwater
• the boat must be fitted with a compass, preferably liquid damped. A GPS is not a compass.
• one pair of paddles or oars or other means of auxiliary propulsion (if your vessel is under 6 metres)
• one fire bucket

Vessels over 8 metres

• a Lifejacket Level 100 or above for each person on board
• two suitable anchors with cables
• two bailers with lines attached and a bilge pump
• if the boat has an engine or cooking facilities, two fire extinguishers
• one waterproof and buoyant torch or lantern
• a two-way marine radio capable of communication with onshore stations
• two hand-held red flares and two hand-held orange smoke signals
• four litres of freshwater
• the boat must be fitted with a compass, preferably liquid damped. A GPS is not a compass.
• one life-buoy with line
• one fire bucket

Additional requirements for vessels in unprotected waters and offshore

All vessels regardless of length, that are in unprotected waters more than three nautical miles from shore, except in Lakes Alexandrina and Albert, or more than five nautical miles from shore in the Gulf of St Vincent or the Spencer Gulf must carry:

• one EPIRB (emergency distress beacon)
• one V distress sheet.

All vessels in unprotected waters more than ten nautical miles from shore must also carry:

• two distress rockets with parachutes
• a map or chart of the waters in which the boat will operate.

Additional requirements for recreational boats more than 15 metres in length

A recreational boat over 15 metres in length must carry all of the above, plus:

• an additional lifebuoy with line
• a life raft.

Pumps, if the vessel has more than one compartment, enough pumps must be carried to be able to drain each compartment.

If the bailer with line is suitable for use as a fire bucket, only one bucket is required, you can use the same bucket as the bailer and fire bucket. If the vessel is required to carry more than one bailer, the fire bucket can be included as one of those if it has a line attached. The fire bucket must:

• be of a kind and size suitable for the collection of water
• not distort, collapse, or break when filled with water
• be attached to a lanyard of a length and breaking strain sufficient to allow the fire bucket to be cast over the side of the boat and retrieved and filled with water
• be stowed so as to be readily accessible in case of a fire.

The fire bucket does not have to be made from metal but it must satisfy the requirements listed above.

• must comply with AS 1841 in respect of the type of fuel or fuels carried by the vessel
• is maintained in accordance with AS 1851
• must be not less than the minimum approved size for the amount of flammable liquid carried

Minimum size for fire extinguishers

The minimum size extinguisher in the following cases:

• a vessel carrying not more than 115 litres of flammable liquid - 0.9 kg
• a vessel carrying more than 115 litres but not more than 350 litres of flammable liquid - 2.0 kg
• a vessel carrying more than 350 litres but not more than 695 litres of flammable liquid - 4.5 kg
• a vessel carrying more than 695 litres of flammable liquid - 9.0 kg.

Having multiple small extinguishers does not satisfy the size requirement - ie if you are required to carry a 2.0 kg extinguisher, you must carry 1 x 2.0 kg fire extinguisher, not 2 x 1.0 kg fire extinguishers. However, if you are carrying the required size fire extinguisher, you may also carry additional smaller fire extinguishers.

Certain types of vessel are either partially or totally exempt from these requirements. Common exemptions include personal water craft (PWC) and a range of unpowered and human-powered vessels such as sailboards, kiteboards, small sailing vessels, kayaks, canoes and rowboats.

Please refer to the Harbors and Navigation Regulations 2009 for further detail.

Sailboard or kiteboard

Each person on board a sailboard or kiteboard must wear:

• a Lifejacket Level 50s or above if within 400 m from the shore
• a Lifejacket Level 100 or above if more than 400 m from the shore.

and carry a waterproof torch or lantern when operating between sunset and sunrise.

Personal watercraft

Operators and any passengers on board personal watercraft (PWC) - such as jet skis, wave-runners, wet bikes and jet boards - must wear an approved lifejacket level 50 or 50s, but are generally exempt from carrying other safety equipment.

The owner of a PWC must ensure that the PWC is not operated by any person unless the craft has the current PWC Ride Smart sticker (approved by DIT) clearly fixed to it so it is clearly visible and readable from the steering position at all times, and is not defaced, obliterated or concealed.

There is no legal requirement for safety equipment on your PWC except for the wearing of lifejackets level 50 or 50S. It is recommended that  operators carry easily transportable equipment, including  flares or a waterproof torch and a fire extinguisher if the PWC is designed to carry one.

Personal watercraft are not permitted to operate in unprotected waters without approval from the CE of DIT.

Canoe, kayak, rowboat or similar small human-powered vessel

A canoe, kayak, rowboat or similar small, human-powered vessel operating in protected waters and semi-protected waters must have:

• a Lifejacket Level 50s or above for each person on board, the lifejacket must be worn at all times except in a rowboat
• a suitable bailer unless the hull is permanently enclosed
• a waterproof torch or lantern when operating between sunset and sunrise.

A canoe, kayak, rowboat or similar small, human-powered vessel operating in unprotected waters must have:

• a Lifejacket Level 50 or above, with a whistle attached, must be worn at all times by each person on board
• a waterproof torch or lantern when operating between sunset and sunrise
• a suitable bailer, unless the hull is permanently enclosed
• a spare paddle
• a V distress sheet
• a tow line, at least 15 metres in length, of sufficient strength to allow the vessel to be towed in any conditions
• 1 litre of fresh water.

The following items must be carried, but if you are travelling in a group or with a support boat, only one of the vessels needs to have these. All vessels should stay within 50 metres of the equipped boat and must have:

• 2 hand-held red flares
• 2 hand-held orange smoke signals
• 1 compass, satellite navigation/GPS do not satisfy this requirement
• a map or chart of the area of operation
• a 406MHz EPIRB.

Where a canoe or kayak is fitted with a small electric motor, manufactured with a maximum capacity of no more than 150 newton (33.7lbs thrust) and operated by a person 16 yrs of age or more, exemptions apply from the requirement of operator licence, registration and safety equipment for a motor vessel. This exemption applies only to kayaks and canoes.

For more information go to Exemptions granted to kayaks and canoes fitted with an electric motor.

Mono-hulled sailing dinghy or similar small multi-hulled sailing vessel

A mono-hulled sailing dinghy or a similar small multi-hulled sailing vessel, less than six metres in length, while in protected or semi-protected waters, must have:

• a Lifejacket level 50s or above for each person carried on the vessel to be worn at all times
• a suitable bailer, unless the hull is permanently enclosed
• a waterproof torch or lantern, when operating between sunset and sunrise.

Tender vessels

Any vessel used in conjunction with another vessel as a 'tender vessel' must have:

• a Lifejacket Level 100 or above for each person aboard
• a bailer (or a manual or electric bilge pump able to drain each compartment of the vessel – other than an airtight void)
• a pair of paddles or oars or other means of auxiliary propulsion.

If the tender vessel is 4.8 metres or less in length and operated in Protected or Semi Protected waters, all occupants must wear a Lifejacket Level 50s or above.

If operated in Unprotected waters, all occupants must wear a Lifejacket Level 100 or above.

Safety equipment stickers

Several items of safety equipment carried on the vessel have an expiry date which serves to remind you to ensure the equipment will work when needed, which can include life-threatening circumstances. These items include fire extinguishers, distress flares, Emergency position indicating radio beacons (EPIRB) and inflatable lifejackets.

The Don't Expire – Expiry date (141.9 KB JPG) reminder sticker has been developed to enable you to write the expiry date associated with these items of safety equipment on the sticker and stick it onto your boat in a clearly visible position where it can act as a reminder whenever you are boating.

Safety equipment checklist stickers for boats under 8 metres (380.1 KB JPG), 8 metres and over (402.2 KB JPG), and kayaks and canoes (141.9 KB JPG) are also available to remind boaters of the minimum safety equipment that must be carried on your type of vessel.

For a copy of any of these stickers please contact Marine Safety SA for a free copy.