Boating emergencies in Queensland: capsize, person overboard, sinking and breakdown

Who to call in a boating emergency in Queensland: 000 or VHF 16

Call Triple Zero (000) or radio VHF channel 16. That's the instruction from Marine Rescue Queensland, the state-wide volunteer marine rescue service, which is part of the Queensland Police Service. It's bringing the old Coast Guard and Volunteer Marine Rescue units together under one name, with the change expected to finish by the end of 2026. To find your local unit, call 131 MRQ (131 677).

A radio beats a phone out there. MSQ calls mobile phones a back-up, not a substitute, for marine radio. A phone can lose signal, run out of battery or be ruined by water, and it connects you to a single number. A call on VHF 16 can be heard by other boats and rescue stations listening in range. Queensland Police put it plainly: don't rely on a mobile phone to get help, because phones often don't have the range to be reliable at sea.

MSQ says it runs a 24 hour listening watch on VHF channels 16 and 67 for distress and urgency calls, covering most coastal waters from Cooktown to the New South Wales border. You need an operating certificate to use a VHF radio.

If your boat capsizes: count heads and stay with the boat

Stay with the boat. The BoatSafe Workbook, the official guide for Queensland's recreational marine licence, says that if your boat capsizes you should take a head count to make sure everyone's there, check for injuries and stay with the boat. Its plainest line: never swim away from a capsized boat.

There's good reason for it. A boat can be seen better than a person in the water, and a part-sunk hull still gives you something to hold. Distances over water usually look shorter than they really are, so the workbook says to stay put unless you're sure land is within swimming distance. Huddle together to cut heat loss. Skip hard effort like swimming, which drains body heat faster.

If you can, turn the boat upright and bail it out, then climb back in once most of the water's gone. Small dinghy-type boats have enough flotation to float upside down. To right one, grab the keel and roll the boat toward you, then grab the gunwale and keep rolling until it's right side up. Climb back in over the stern, never over the side.

If you haven't called for help yet, call 000 or VHF 16.

Why boats capsize: overloading, poor weight spread and waves

To reduce the risk of capsizing or swamping your boat, don't overload it, spread people and gear to balance it, point the bow into waves, check the weather before and during your trip, and use a boat with built-in flotation, ideally level flotation. The BoatSafe Workbook names three causes of capsize, alone or together: overloading, poor weight distribution and waves. Overloading slows the boat and cuts its freeboard, the height of hull above the waterline. Less freeboard lets water in more easily, which slows the boat even more. Badly placed people and gear make it less stable, so spread the load to balance the boat and keep water out. Waves are the third cause, especially ones you don't see coming, so watch for every wave.

The workbook calls capsize a major contributor to boating fatalities. Its fix starts before you leave: use a boat that suits the conditions and has built-in flotation, ideally level flotation. Level flotation keeps a swamped boat floating level and stops it capsizing in still water. Basic flotation only keeps a swamped boat afloat in some form; if it capsizes, you may be able to cling to the upturned hull.

Lifejackets are the other half. The workbook notes that most boating deaths happen in small boats, and that more than 80% of drowning victims weren't wearing one. Our Queensland life jacket rules guide covers who has to wear one and when.

Person overboard: don't jump in, keep them in sight and turn toward them

If someone falls overboard, don't jump in after them. The BoatSafe Workbook says that's the worst thing you can do, because the number of people who might drown instantly doubles. It also notes that most boating fatalities happen when people fall overboard, even close to shore in flat water. Fast action and constant watching come first.

Whoever sees or hears someone go over alerts the skipper and keeps the person in sight until they're alongside. The skipper turns the bow quickly toward the side they fell from and stops the boat. Turning toward the person swings the stern and propeller away from them. Throw a life-saving device to them straight away. At night, switch on a floating torch, throw it near them and light the area with any other light you've got.

Fix your position fast, using shore marks or GPS. If the search needs outside help, that position is what rescuers will work from, so call 000 or VHF 16 as soon as you can't get them back quickly.

Getting someone back aboard is hard if they're hurt, cold or worn out. A rope ladder or a loop of rope helps. Nobody else goes in unless it's absolutely necessary, and anyone who does wears a lifejacket and is tied to the boat with a line.

If your boat is sinking: lifejackets on, call mayday, stay aboard

Get everyone into a lifejacket, then call for help. The BoatSafe Workbook's basic emergency steps start with staying as composed as you can, having your safety gear ready and lifejackets on, and checking there's no danger of fire or explosion. If the hull is holed, block it with anything that'll slow the water coming in. If you've got a VHF radio, use it to call for help. If you carry a V sheet, spread it on top of the boat and tie it down.

A sinking boat is exactly what a mayday is for. MSQ says the distress call may only be used when a boat is in grave or imminent danger and needs help immediately, and gives sinking or fire as its examples.

If it comes to abandoning the boat, the workbook's order is: lifejackets on before anyone goes over the side, send a distress call if you've got a radio, fire flares only if they're likely to be seen, and set off your EPIRB if you carry one. Unless there's a fire you can't control, don't leave the boat. The workbook points out that most boats involved in accidents don't sink, and a boat is easier for rescuers to spot than a swimmer.

Engine failure: anchor first, then call before you drift into danger

Drop the anchor. The BoatSafe Workbook says to use an anchor to check your drift before trying any repairs on the water, and to face the bow into the sea to keep water off the engine. Work under a waterproof cover big enough to keep spray off, since a wet ignition often stops a restart. The workbook also suggests carrying an auxiliary motor kept ready for use.

A breakdown turns urgent fast if you're drifting toward rocks or a shore. That's what the pan pan call is for. MSQ says to use pan pan when a mayday can't be justified but a very urgent message about the safety of your boat or someone aboard has to go out, and its example is a disabled boat drifting onto a lee shore. If anyone's life is in danger, it's a mayday or a 000 call.

You can head off plenty of breakdowns before you leave. The workbook lists fuel shortage or contamination, mechanical failure and battery failure as the major causes of breakdown at sea, so check fuel, engine and battery every trip. MSQ also strongly encourages logging on and off with your local marine rescue station by radio, with any change of location or plans. That way the station knows where you are and what you plan to do.

How to make a mayday call on VHF channel 16

Select channel 16 and follow MSQ's distress call order. Say "mayday, mayday, mayday". Then "this is", followed by your boat's name and radio call sign, three times. Say "mayday" again, then your boat's name and call sign once more. Give your position. Say what's wrong and what help you need. Add other details, including how many people are on board, a description of the boat and what you plan to do. Finish with "over", then wait for a response.

Mayday is only for grave or imminent danger where you need help right now, and it takes priority over every other call. When a mayday can't be justified but you have a very urgent safety message, such as a disabled boat drifting onto a lee shore or a seriously ill crew member, use the urgency call instead: "pan pan" three times, "hello all stations" three times, your boat's name and call sign three times, your position, then what help you need.

MSQ lists the distress frequencies as VHF 16, 27.88 MHz and HF 4125, 6215 and 8291 kHz, with VHF 67 as a supplementary VHF channel. No radio, or no answer? Call 000.

When to set off an EPIRB: grave danger and no other way to reach help

Set off a distress beacon when you're facing a life-threatening situation and can't reach help by radio or phone. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) says two-way communication by radio or phone is the most effective way to communicate in a distress situation. Rescuers can confirm they've got your call, learn your position and what's wrong, size their response and keep you updated. If that isn't possible, AMSA says to activate a beacon in situations of grave and imminent danger. Once it's on, the signal can be picked up by satellite.

Groups have their own rule. Don't set off more than two beacons. If the group splits up, activate a beacon in each group, and if people drift apart, activate the beacons each person is carrying.

Activated a beacon by mistake? Turn it off immediately and ring AMSA on 1800 641 792. AMSA doesn't penalise accidental activations, so tell them. The BoatSafe Workbook puts activating your EPIRB, if you carry one, on its list of steps for abandoning a boat.

After the emergency: report a marine incident to MSQ within 48 hours

Once everyone's safe, there's a report to make. MSQ says a marine incident involving a Queensland regulated ship, which includes recreational boats, must be reported to a Shipping Inspector at the earliest opportunity and within 48 hours. If you're the owner or master, you report it on the approved F3071 Marine Incident Report form. The 48 hours runs from the incident, or from when you became aware of it, unless you have a reasonable excuse. Penalties apply to owners and masters who don't report.

Under the Transport Operations (Marine Safety) Act 1994, marine incidents include the loss of a person from a boat, a death or grievous bodily harm caused by a boat's operations, a boat lost, presumed lost or abandoned, a collision, a stranding, significant damage to a boat, and danger to a person caused by a boat's operations. Not sure whether yours counts? MSQ asks you to contact it for help.

Shipping Inspectors work from MSQ regional offices, Water Police offices and Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol offices. MSQ recommends lodging the form online. It also notes that some insurers may need a marine incident report to back a claim.

Be ready before you leave: emergencies are part of BoatSafe training

The BoatSafe Workbook covers boating from pre-departure checks through to carrying out emergency procedures, and it's written to go with Queensland's BoatSafe licensing scheme. Its emergency response chapter covers engine failure, abandoning the boat, fire, capsize, person overboard, grounding, personal survival and first aid. Reading it once at home is a start. Practising it on the water is better.

For first aid, the workbook says expert help probably won't be close by on a small boat, and points to courses run by Red Cross, St John Ambulance, Queensland Ambulance and other providers. In a medical emergency on the water, call 000 or VHF 16.

Our Boat Licence course is priced from $329: one day, all equipment provided and online theory included, on sheltered water at Golden Beach in Caloundra, on the Maroochy River at Maroochydore, or on the Noosa River at Noosaville. Check course dates for the next session. For the rules you'll be tested on, start with our Queensland boating rules guide.