STAY SAFE AT SEA
Make sure you are wearing the correct safety device
Guide to buoyancy aids and lifejackets.
It’s encouraging to see most sea anglers fishing offshore today accept that wearing a suitable safety device at all times makes good sense. You will note that I have used the word ‘suitable’ – and it is this essential point that I am going to clarify.
Wearing the incorrect type of safety device or Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) is usually better than wearing nothing, but the time to find out that you are inadequately protected is not when you end up in the water.
FLOTATION SUITS
Many boat anglers wear flotation suits when fishing offshore, especially during the winter, and these are perfect for keeping you both warm and dry – but what about keeping you afloat? Most flotation suits designed for angling are classified as buoyancy aids, not lifejackets, which offer a very different level of protection.
You can buy one-piece offshore survival suits that do provide a lifejacket level of protection, but these cost many hundreds of pounds and are rarely seen on angling boats.
As the vast majority of flotation suits fall under the classification of a buoyancy suit, if you fish offshore you really do need to carry a lifejacket as well for adequate protection.
Many of the fish camps in Norway supply flotation suits, and where this is the case, it is essential you confirm exactly what level of buoyancy they provide.
BOUYANCY AIDS
Buoyancy aids are designed to help you swim, should you inadvertently end up in the water. A lifejacket is designed to keep a person afloat without the need to swim, and will turn an unconscious person from face down to face up allowing them to breathe. A key design feature is a collar designed to keep the person’s face clear of the water.
Lifejackets have much more buoyancy than buoyancy aids or Personal Flotation Devices (PFD), and must be red, yellow or orange with a whistle attached.
NEWTON RATINGS
The level of protection provided by different buoyancy aids and lifejackets is rated in Newtons, and ranges from 50N to 275N.
A 50N jacket or vest is not a lifejacket, it is a buoyancy aid, and ‘should only be worn by good swimmers in sheltered waters where help is at hand’ – although it does depend on the activity and age.
A basic lifejacket is rated at 100N and is designed to keep a person afloat in sheltered waters, but it isn’t buoyant enough to keep a person afloat wearing foul-weather clothing, which is something anglers should remember.
Always use the Newton range to select a lifejacket suitable for your planned activity. If you are going offshore and are likely to encounter rough weather, then you need to wear a 150N lifejacket, which should keep a person afloat even if they are wearing foul-weather gear.
The highest level of buoyancy is 275N and is recommended when an angler is going offshore and likely to encounter extreme
weather conditions, and will be wearing extreme weather gear. Boat angling again?
When buying a lifejacket, you must have a crotch strap to avoid it riding up in the water – almost all new lifejackets will be supplied with such straps. Always choose a lifejacket appropriate for the weight of the person wearing it.
MAKE THE CHOICE
Buoyancy aids are typically designed for sports such as kayaking or dinghy sailing, activities where you need a jacket that doesn’t restrict arm movement and offers freedom of movement.
You do not necessarily need a crotch strap, though it can help prevent the aid rising up when in the water, but a well-fitted buoyancy aid should not do this too much. As with lifejackets, it is important to always choose a buoyancy aid that is appropriate for the weight of the person.
There are generally two different types of design – those that pull over your head, or those that zip up at the front. Most anglers prefer the latter.
If you are sea kayaking in poor conditions then a lifejacket would be more appropriate, and in very cold water you should be wearing a winter-rated wetsuit as well, otherwise hypothermia will soon set in, and some wetsuits can help with buoyancy.
Traditional lifejackets are bulky and cumbersome, so are unlikely to be worn unless conditions deteriorate, which is of no help should you fall over the side or are unable to get at them in a hurry, such as in cases of rapid sinking.
Most boat anglers today, plus an increasing number of shore anglers, opt for automatic lifejackets that self-inflate if immersed in water. These can be comfortably worn all day when fishing. Indeed, if correctly adjusted, you’ll soon forget you are wearing one. Although these lifejackets will not inflate if splashed with water, they are not suitable for dinghy sailing or kayaking where you are more likely to end up in the water.