Water Safety !

Last weekend three men lost their lives off La Perouse when their fishing boat overturned in moderate sea conditions.  The alarm was quickly raised and the event happened close to where a rescue helicopter is based.   It was in the air in minutes and a recue crew winched the men out of the water but the sea had claimed their lives.

Their boat was washed onto an onshore rock shelf and their fishing gear scattered nearby.  What was apparent to the rescuers was that this was a well equipped fishing boat that met all legal requirements.  It carried safety vests for each on the people aboard and these were clearly visible beside the upturned boat.   The tragedy is that these deaths could - and probably would - have been prevented had the men been wearing these safety devices.

The law is very clear.  When a boat ventures to sea it is the job of the water police to regulary check that it meets the legal safety requirements regarding safety vests, flares and other life saving equipment.  That same safety law now requires rock fisherpeople to have a safety vest but the law falls short of requiring that it be actually worn.

That law does require children carried in a boat to wear a flotation device when on the water but the legislation does not apply to adults.  The sea is an unforgiving enemy or a best friend, depending on its mood and how mariners are prepared.  There is strong opposition from many boat people to a law change to make a safety device a compulsory item of wear on the water.   Some claim they are uncomfortable and restrict movements but the modern version inflates automatically once it comes in contact with water.

Rock fishing is a known water hazard.  Even on the calmest day the sea delivers the odd wave that is much bigger than the rest and this is likely to sweep fisherfolk well above wave level into the water.  The drowning statistics from rock fishing tell an ongoing story of death and people enjoying that sport are warned to never take their eyes off the sea.   That dangerously big wave arrives without warning.

Most deaths by drowning woud be prevetable if the law required safety devices to be worn whenever people ventured aboard boats or engaged in rock fishing.  We regularly hear of miracle events where someone has stayed afloat for days clinging to debris but this is counterbalanced by events where even the quick action of a rescue helipcopter fails to save lives.

It is time the politicians became courageous and passed a law that the water police could implement. Its time we put on a safety vest automatically whenever we ventured onto the water, or decide to fish from the rocky shore.