Confusion On The Water
Over the past 18 months, SUP VIC worked with the Department of Transport and Transport Safety Victoria to usher in the new Marine Safety Regulations, which were brought in to effect on July 1st 2012. In short, we as stand-up paddlers, are exempt from wearing PFDs unless we venture more than 400 metres from shore (this does not include children under the age of 10 who are required to wear PFDs at all times when paddling on the water).Very recently, one of our members was stopped by an enforcement officer on the Maribyrnong River without a PFD and threatened with a fine despite the fact that he was not required to wear a PFD on the river. It would appear the enforcement officer was not aware of the new regulations. I have clarified the regulations with Transport Safety Victoria, and their representative responded:
As you correctly state in your correspondence, regulation 100 (4) of the Marine Safety Regulations 2012 (Vic) provides an exemption for the operator of a SUP from the requirement to wear a PFD as long as the person is no more than 400 metres from the shore. Without knowing where the enforcement officer was from, it’s difficult to take this further, but I can assure you that both Parks Victoria and the Victoria Water Police have been made aware of the new provisions in the Marine Safety Act. I will contact both organisations to remind them of the new requirements, in particular, those that relate to SUPs. Please inform your members that they are exempt from PFD wearing so long as they are no more than 400 metres from shore. Notwithstanding this requirement, in the interests of safety, TSV advises the operators of all watercraft to consider wearing a PFD at all times whilst on the water. This is a message that I encourage you to convey to your members.I will leave that thought with you to make up your own minds, but if you should encounter an enforcement officer who insists you must wear a PFD by law, please ask the officer politely what department he or she is from and where he or she is stationed and then email us, and Club President, Paul Harrington, will follow up. For more information on safety, click here…