What safety equipment is required onboard a personal watercraft more than 2 nautical miles from the shore on coastal waters?

A personal watercraft (PWC), also commonly known as a jet ski, is a vessel with a motor that has a fully enclosed hull. It is operated by a person who either sits, stands or kneels on it.

They must be registered for use in South Australia. The following guidelines apply to affixing your registration number, which takes precedence over decorative or customised decals and striping. Your registration number must be:

a different colour to the craft
fixed on both sides
a minimum of 150 mm high if the PWC is more than 3 m long or 100 mm if the PWC is less than 3 m
affixed to the hull above the waterline and clearly readable from 50 m in fine, clear conditions.

When personal watercraft can be operated

A personal watercraft can be operated on state waters:

after 8:00 am from Monday to Saturday and after 9:00 am on a Sunday until sunset or 8:00 pm on any day
at any time between sunrise and sunset on any day, on the River Murray when towing water skiers proving all water skiing rules are complied with.

Rules specific to personal watercraft

The same rules for motorboats apply to personal watercraft with the following additions.

Personal watercraft can only be operated by people over 16 years old who hold a boat operator's licence. Special permit holders cannot operate a PWC.
The operator and any passengers onboard a personal watercraft must wear a lifejacket Level 50 or Level 50 s at all times.
A personal watercraft may tow another person.
Unless zoned otherwise a 4 knot speed limit applies to all personal watercraft within 200 metres of the metropolitan shoreline (between Outer Harbour southern breakwater and the southern end of Sellicks Beach) and the backwaters of the River Murray. There are a number of other areas within South Australia where waters with similar restrictions are marked with signs. If in doubt, check with the local council or your local marine safety officer.
They must not operate in unprotected waters, beyond two nautical miles seaward from the coast of the mainland and Kangaroo Island, or from the shores of Lakes Albert or Alexandrina, without approval from the CE of DIT.
Do not ride a personal watercraft without a code of practice (Ride Smart) sticker correctly affixed. Ride Smart stickers are available free of charge from any Service SA customer service centre. The sticker reminds the operator of rules which are specific to PWC and are a legal requirement.

Operating safely

Except for wearing a personal flotation device, there is no legal requirement to carry safety equipment on your personal watercraft.

For your own safety, you should always attach the ignition cut-out safety line to your lifejacket and consider suitable footwear, goggles and gloves. PWC are increasingly being used for waterskiing. The same rules apply to PWC operators as all powerboat operators, including the requirement to carry an observer who must face the skier at all times.

The PWC must have seating for at least two people and ideally three, in case the skier is injured. It is also advisable to use a PWC that is designed for towing.

Other sites

SA Boating Safety Handbook - Department for Infrastructure and Transport

Image of aerial freestyle device attached to a jetski

Varieties of Aerial Freestyle devices, such as jetpacks, hover-boards and fly-boards are devices which can be connected to a Personal Water Craft (PWC) and use the water pressure to propel the device to aid propulsion of a person at the surface of the water, into the air and/or underwater.

Safe use of Aerial Freestyle devices

The Department of Transport permitted the use of Aerial Freestyle devices for recreational and commercial use in Western Australian (WA) navigable waters in 2013. Marine Safety approves this activity by way of a notice made under section 66 of the Western Australian Marine Act 1982 published in the Government Gazette.

For information including where the activity may be conducted, who may participate and what conditions must be met view Western Australian Marine Act 1982: Closed Waters Order - Aerial Freestyle Devices.

Users of Aerial Freestyle devices should also be familiar with the safety advice and instructions from the device's manufacturer. Particularly regarding advice on the weather conditions which the device has been designed to operate in, such as specified swell and wind conditions. Operating the device in conditions which are not in line with the manufacturer's advice could raise the risk of injury or incident.

Commercial operation

Commercial operation of Aerial Freestyle devices is regulated by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) under the Marine Safety (Domestic Commercial Vessel) National Law Act 2012. Commercial operators with a PWC in service category Class 2C, 2D or 2E used in aerial freestyle operations may be eligible for an exemption from conditions attached to their certificate of operation under Exemption 03. For more information on requirements for commercial operators please see the AMSA website.

If you have any questions about the use of Aerial Freestyle devices in WA please contact Marine Safety.

Author: Boat Accessories Australia Date Posted: 20 June 2022

The safety equipment you need on your boat depends on the type of waterway you’re on, the vessel you’re in and distance from shore.

Equipping your boat with the correct safety equipment for your state or territory and keeping it in good working order is the best way of averting disaster when you’re out on the water. The difference between a simple mishap and a fatality could be determined by the safety equipment on board. If equipment is missing or not where it should be, the boat’s skipper and passengers can be in grave danger.

What Safety Equipment is Required on a Boat in Australia?

The rules vary in each state & territory, and there are also different requirements for boats used in enclosed waters (rivers, lakes, estuaries) vs boats used in the ocean. Some state and territory requirements vary based on the water conditions as well. Check out the requirements for your state or territory and make sure your boat is fitted out appropriately.

New South Wales (NSW)

Enclosed Waters are navigable waters enclosed by land or a port. They include inland and coastal rivers and lakes, creeks and lagoons, enclosed coastal bays, ports and harbours, estuaries, dams and all alpine waters.

Open Waters are navigable waters that are not enclosed by land or not within a river, bay, harbour or port. They include coastal and ocean waters.

On powerboats of any size, you must carry:

Equipment you must carry	Enclosed Waters	Open Waters
Lifejackets for each person on board	Level 50S+	Level 100+
Anchor and chain/line	1	1
Bailer or bucket with lanyard	1	1
Bilge pump	1	1
Chart / Map	-	1
Compass	-	1
Distress flares	-	2 orange smoke / 2 red hand
Drinking water	-	2 litres per person
EPIRB 406MHz (in date and registered with AMSA)	-	1 (if 2nm or more from the shore)
Fire extinguisher	1	1
Marine radio	-	1 (if 2nm or more from the shore)
Paddles or oars and rowlocks	1	1
Safety label	1	1
Sound signal	1	1
V sheet (min 1.8m x 1.2m)	-	1
Working waterproof buoyant torch	1	1

Other recommended equipment (for both enclosed and open waters):

First-aid kit
Kill switch lanyard (for small powerboats)
Toolkit
2 means of communication (for example, a marine radio and mobile phone in a waterproof cover.)
Navigation lights must be displayed between sunset and sunrise and during restricted visibility.

For more information, see NSW’s Transport Roads and Maritime Services Safety Equipment.

Australian Capital Territory (ACT)

Enclosed waters on Lake Burley Griffin.

The following safety recommendations are applicable to all watercrafts:

Approved Life Jacket
Navigation Lights / Visibility (between sunset and sunrise) - Waterproof torch minimum, white light recommended.

For more information, see Lake Burley Griffin Watercraft Safety.

Victoria (VIC)

Coastal Offshore: more than 2nm from coast

Coastal Inshore: less than 2nm from coast

Enclosed: Bays and estuaries

Inland: Rivers, lakes and dams

Equipment you must carry	Coastal Offshore	Coastal Inshore	Enclosed	Inland
Lifejackets for each person on board	Level 100+	Level 100+	Level 100+	Level 50S+
Anchor and chain/line	1	1	1	-
Bailer or bucket with lanyard	1	1	1	1
Bilge pump	1	1	1	1
Compass	1	-	-	-
Distress flares	2 orange smoke 2 red hand	2 orange smoke 2 red hand	2 orange smoke 2 red hand	-
EPIRB 406MHz (in date and registered with AMSA)	1	-	-	-
Fire extinguisher	1	1	1	1
Marine radio	1	-	-	-
Paddles or oars and rowlocks (if vessel length is up to & including 4.8m)	1	1	1	1
Lifebuoy (if vessel length is more than 8m but less than 12m)	1	1	1	1
Lifebuoy (if vessel length is 12m or more)	2	2	2	2
Dinghy or liferaft (if vessel length is 12m or more)	1	1	-	-
Red Star parachute distress rocket	1	-	-	-
Working waterproof buoyant torch	1	1	1	1

For more information, see Maritime Safety Victoria.

Queensland (QLD)

Smooth waters include rivers, creeks, streams and lakes, waters within breakwaters or revetments and within half a nautical mile from land within partially smooth water limits.

Click here to view Smooth and partially smooth water limits for locations around QLD.

Equipment you MUST carry	Smooth Waters	Partically Smooth Waters	Beyond Partially Smooth Waters
Lifejackets for each person on board	Level 50S+	Level 50+	Level 100+
Distress flares	-	2 orange smoke 2 red hand	2 orange smoke 2 red hand
EPIRB 406MHz (in date and registered with AMSA)	-	-	1
Fire extinguisher	1	1	1
V sheet (min 1.8m x 1.2m)	-	1	1
Working waterproof buoyant torch	1	1	1

Equipment you should carry	Smooth Waters	Partically Smooth Waters	Beyond Partially Smooth Waters
Paddles or oars and rowlocks (if vessel length is under 6m)	1	1	1
Anchor and chain/line	1	1	1
Bilge Pump, bailer or bucket with lanyard	1	1	1
Chart / Map	-	1	1
Compass	-	1	1
Drinking Water	1	1	1
Handheld electronic navigation device (if not equipped with chart and compass)	-	1	1

For more information, see Maritime Safety Queensland.

Western Australia (WA)

Protected waters are WA’s navigable waters that are contained in a lake, in a river, in an estuary, or by any breakwater.

Equipment you must carry	Protected Waters	0-2NM Offshore	2-5NM Offshore	Over 5NM Offshore
Lifejackets for each person on board	-	Level 100+	Level 100+	Level 100+
Anchor and chain/line	-	1	1	1
Bailer or bucket with lanyard (instead of Bilge Pump - only if vessel is under 7m)	1	1	1	1
Bilge pump	1	1	1	1
Distress flares		2 orange smoke 2 red hand	2 orange smoke 2 red hand	2 orange smoke 2 red hand
Parachute Flares	-	-	-	2
EPIRB 406MHz (in date and registered with AMSA)	-	-	1	1
Fire extinguisher	1	1	1	1
Marine radio	-	-	-	1

For more information, see Department of Transport WA’s Safety Equipment.

South Australia (SA)

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

Semi-protected Waters: 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).

Unprotected Waters: 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.

Equipment you must carry	Protected Waters	Semi-Protected Waters	Unprotected Waters
Lifejackets for each person on board	Level 50S+	Level 50S+	Level 100+
Anchor and chain/line	1	1 (2 if vessel length is over 8m)	1 (2 if vessel length is over 8m)
Bailer or bucket with lanyard	1	1 (2 if vessel length is over 8m)	1 (2 if vessel length is over 8m)
Bilge pump	1	1	1
Compass	-	-	1
Distress flares	-	2 orange smoke 2 red hand	2 orange smoke 2 red hand
Drinking water	-	-	4L
Fire extinguisher	1 (2 if vessel length is over 8m)	1 (2 if vessel length is over 8m)	1 (2 if vessel length is over 8m)
Marine radio	-	-	1
Paddles or oars and rowlocks (if vessel length is under 8m)	1	1	1
Lifebuoy with line (if vessel length is over 8m)	1	1	1
Working waterproof buoyant torch	1	1	1
Fire bucket (if vessel length is over 8m)	1	1	1

Additional Requirements

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
One V distress sheet

All vessels more than 10 nautical miles off from shore must also carry:

Two distress rockets with parachutes
A map or chart of the waters in which the boat will operate

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

An additional lifebuoy with line
A life raft

For more information, see the South Australian Department of Premier and Cabinet Safety Equipment.

Northern Territory (NT)

Inland Waters: Non tidal rivers, lakes, dams and billabongs.

Intermediate Waters: All tidal rivers, declared sheltered waters areas and all other coastal waters up to 2 nautical miles from the coastline.

Open Waters: Means beyond intermediate waters.

Equipment you must carry	Inland Waters	Intermediate Waters	Open Waters
Lifejackets for each person on board	Level 50S+	Level 100+	Level 100+
Anchor and chain/line	1	1 (2 if vessel length is over 10m)	1 (2 if vessel length is over 10m)
Bilge pump, bailer or bucket with lanyard (A bilge pump is required for all vessels with covered bilges.)	1	1	1
Chart / Map	-	-	1
Compass	-	-	1
Distress flares	-	2 orange smoke 2 red hand	2 orange smoke 2 red hand
Drinking water	2L per person	2L per person	2L per person
EPIRB 406MHz (in date and registered with AMSA)	-	-	1
Fire extinguisher (if vessel length is over 5m)	-	1 (2 if vessel length is over 10m)	1 (2 if vessel length is over 10m)
Paddles or oars and rowlocks (if vessel length is under 5m)	1	1	1
Lifebuoy (if vessel length is over 10m)	-	-	1
V sheet (min 1.8m x 1.2m)	-	1	1
Working waterproof buoyant torch	1	1	1
9L Fire bucket with lanyard (if vessel length is over 10m)	-	2	2

For more information see the Northern Territory’s Safety Guide for Recreational Boating.

Tasmania (TAS)

Smooth Waters: Inland lakes and rivers.

Sheltered Waters: All waters not exceeding 2 nautical miles to seaward of land on the North and East coasts unless specified in the MAST “Limits of Operational Areas”. It is recommended that vessels less than 6 metres in length should not proceed beyond sheltered waters.

Coastal Waters: All other waters beyond Sheltered Waters as well as waters on the South and West Coasts between South East Cape and Cape Grim.

Equipment you must carry	Smooth Waters	Sheltered Waters	Coastal Waters
Lifejackets for each person on board	Level 50S+	Level 100+	Level 100+
Anchor and chain/line	1	1	1
Bilge pump, bailer or bucket with lanyard	1	1	1
Distress flares	*recommended	2 orange smoke 2 red hand	2 orange smoke 2 red hand
Drinking water	*recommended	*recommended	1
EPIRB 406MHz (in date and registered with AMSA)	*recommended	*recommended	1
Marine Radio	*recommended	*recommended	1
Fire extinguisher	1	1	1
Paddles or oars and rowlocks (if vessel length is under 6m)	1	1	1
Lifebuoy	*recommended	1 (if vessel length is over 6m)	1
Heaving Line	*recommended	1 (if vessel length is over 6m)	1
Working waterproof buoyant torch	1	1	1
Radar reflector	*recommended	*recommended	1
First Aid Kit	*recommended	*recommended	1

For more information see Marine and Safety Tasmania’s Safety Equipment.

What About Other Watercraft Like Kayaks and Surf Skis?

The above safety equipment applies to motor boats. For information on safety equipment for canoes/kayaks racing shells surf boats and skis rowboats dinghies personal watercraft sailing vessels off the beach vessels tenders sailboats and kiteboards see the link above for your state or territory.

Lifejackets

The most critical piece of safety equipment is the life jacket. The design of jackets has improved over the years so they are much thinner and more comfortable to wear. Boat users are encouraged to wear their life jacket for the duration of the trip in open water. They have a far higher chance of surviving a boat capsizing or a fall overboard if they are wearing their life jacket.

EPIRBs

The technology has saved many people’s lives worldwide. When you are nautical miles offshore an EPIRB may be your only chance at rescue.

Marine Radio

Being able to communicate with boats in the area by radio allows you to call for help quickly.

Be Aware of Expiry Dates

Most flares only last three years before they expire. Make sure you keep a check on the expiry dates of flares and life jackets and replace before the expiry date. Fines can apply for having expired safety equipment on board.

If you have any queries about whether your safety equipment meets your state’s requirements call one of the experts at Boat Accessories Australia on 1300 308 161 or contact us online.