The dos and dont’s of water safety

AS MORE people head to their holiday destinations over the festive season, the South African Maritime Safety Association (Samsa) has issued a set of dos and don’ts to ensure water safety.

Calling on parents not to allow underage and uncertified minors to navigate boats or other sailing vessels, Samsa said that children navigating vessels as well as people navigating under the influence of alcohol or drugs were the main causes of boating mishaps on South Africa’s dams and seas.

While sailing accidents were not as common as road accidents, everyone should abide by the rules and regulations for water safety, said Samsa safety inspector, Imraan Davis.

“Respect water and the water will respect you.”

He said the blood alcohol level for operating a vessel was the same as for road users – 0.05g per 100ml.

Davis said that boat owners should ensure that their vessels were licensed and that their skipper certificates were in good order, adding that they should verify with local authorities what water activities were allowed on the dams they were visiting. “You can only waterski if the local authority allows it,” Davis said. Although there was no speed limit for sailors, Davis said skippers should be responsible.

“The rules are in place to ensure the safety of everyone on the water,” he said.

Other safety tips included making sure there were the right number of approved life jackets on the vessels, ensuring vessels were in good working condition, ensuring there was proper ventilation, checking weather forecasts and having an observer on board to monitor those involved in waterskiing, he said.

He also urged those operating vessels to use the water space with consideration for others and to report bad behaviour on the water.

Davis added that it was important to inform local authorities, family and boat clubs of any trips, of any vessel that seems lost or abandoned, stranded or damaged, or which had caused serious damage to another vessel. |