Keeping safe on and off the water

As police call for a fatal free weekend on the roads this Labour Weekend, people are also being reminded to be safe on the water.

Tauranga Coastguard operations manager Simon Barker. Photo: Tracy Hardy.

Tauranga Coastguard operations manager Simon Barker says this long weekend is traditionally the start of the summer boating season, particularly when there's good weather.

But Simon has a few messages for boaties before they hit the water.

His three main messages are to remember the lifejackets, check the weather forecast and sea conditions before heading out to sea and to remind skippers of their responsibilities.

'Whoever the skipper is, he's got a responsibility for the vessel and also making sure all of the people on the boat are safe.

'That [a skipper's responsibility] is something they must take very seriously.”

Simon says the most common mistakes people make when out on the water are getting flat batteries and running out of fuel.

'There's a rule to make sure you've got a third of your fuel for going out, a third of it for coming back and a third of it for a safety margin. But we still get people running out of fuel early.”

He says it's very important to check the weather and sea conditions.

'It might be nice and sunny but it could still be quite bad weather out at sea. So it's always worth just checking the actual sea conditions, as well as the weather forecast and take care.”

While Simon is reminding people to have a good time when out on the water this long weekend, he's also encouraging them to think before they go.

'If people think before they go, they should always have an enjoyable time on the water.”

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