Please consider these safety suggestions:
- It’s little use to you if you’re not wearing it
- Anybody venturing out in any type of craft
- canoe/windsurfer etc should wear one
- Everybody onboard needs to wear an approved PFD when crossing a coastal bar
- Always wear one if boating alone (put a Personal Locating Beacon in your pocket as well, in case you fall overboard and the boat keeps going)
- Always wear one at night
- Always have a suitable jacket on young children. Very young children don’t float and sink immediately
- PFDs must meet the current Australian Standard
- PFDs must fit the intended wearer – eg if kids are on board, the vessel must be equipped with kid’s PFDs
- PFDs will always have a label identifying the type, body mass flotation, and Australian Standard
- If the label is illegible, the PFD is not suitable
- PFD 1s, always have reflective tape, and also a whistle, which doubles as a sound signal device
- Don’t wear a PFD 1 when water skiing, as their neck support might cause neck damage in a fall
- Comfortable yoke-style PFD 1s are now available which use a CO² cartridge to inflate. These must be serviced as per manufacturer recommendations
- Don’t leave the PFD in the plastic wrapper you bought them in. Have them readily accessible and ready for use in case of an emergency
- Instruct all persons coming on your boat where the PFDs are, and how to put one on
- Don’t use the pillow style PFDs as a seat cushion, as this reduces the life span of the stitching
- The Water Police check life jacket conditions when they do vessel checks. If they find split seams, faded labels, etc, you will be warned/fined
