Safety

Experience A – beginner or simple day paddlingB – done some overnight trips. Know how to do rescues, 2-boat and soloC – can roll For all paddlers, weather or bad weather, is the most important item. Of weather, wind is the most critical. Two metre swells on a calm day can be impressive but that …

ABC of Safety & Rescues Read More »

Changes to the Maritime Mobile Repeater Allocations New Zealand, along with a number of other countries, are required to change some maritime VHF repeater channels to make space for newly allocated international services for ship tracking and data services. New Zealand will be moving a few private VHF repeater services, all Coastguard VHF repeater services, …

VHF Channels Changed on 1 October 2016 Read More »

Regarding clubs and auditing and registration. None of this is required if you are a club, incorporated or non incorporated that does not employ anyone. Note the “not employ”. The applicable section is the one below from Health & Safety in Employment (Adventure Activities) Regulations 2011. Note these regulations are changing in 2015 so that …

H&S – Adventure Activity, Auditing & Clubs Exempt Read More »

Two kayaks and involving one capsize The description below shows how to do the most basic recovery. There are T, X, H rescues, dragging the rescued kayak over your deck, etc. etc. What is shown here is a BASIC method. Something anyone can do even without practising it though practise is definitely encouraged. Important – the less time anyone …

Rescues – how to Read More »

Incident Article An article about Sea Kayaking Incidents 1992 – 2005 by Iona Bailey is available from the WMS website. WEM Journal article NOTE: References 7, 10 and 11 do not exist. This link should be used for the incident severity scale – Severity Scale Incident Database As with any accidents, only by publicizing the …

Sea Kayaking Incidents and Accidents Read More »

On Thursday, 24 November, at a Gala Dinner held at Te Papa in Wellington, the Sealord New Zealand Water Safety Awards for 2011 were presented. The awards and the dinner ceremony were one of the highlights of Water Our Fatal Attraction: The New Zealand Water Safety Conference 2011. Outstanding Contribution Winner 2011Paul Caffyn, Kiwi Association of Sea …

Water Safety Champions for 2011 Celebrated Read More »

The format of verbally transmitted marine radio distress and urgency calls has changed. To align with the current ITU format (to which we are now requested by RCCNZ/MNZ to teach and assess) we need to teach the following: Distress Call the distress signal “MAYDAY” (spoken three times) the words “THIS IS” (spoken once) the identity …

Change to the Mayday and PanPan call format Read More »

MetService supports Safe Boating Week and give pointers to better understanding the reports. Understanding Sea Conditions From Marine Forecasts For more information and app download links, check out the MetService website for Weather on Your Mobile Smartphone VHF WARNING – repeater frequencies have been re-allocated See above for VHF channel changes in 2016. Forecasts are …

Weather Forecasts Read More »

In 2007 a test was done in Auckland relating to the visibility of kayakers. The report from that test is in this document Kayak Safety Equipment 2007 PDF. Those participating were Auckland Harbour Office, Environment Waikato, Maritime New Zealand, Coastguard Northern Region and Auckland Canoe Club.

Following a grim 2003/04 paddling summer, with two sea kayakers drowning, another killed in a collision with a power boat and several offshore rescues that were ever so close to joining the fatality statistics, KASK developed two major safety initiatives: Database of all kayaking incidents This started with a focus on incidents involving death, injury …

KASK Safety Initiatives Read More »