Proposed changes to NSW lifejacket laws

and while filling up the survey highlight the danger from jetskys

So in NSW we will have drones checking boating & life jacket compliance.

Done, even though I'm not NSW I do still want to sail up there without dying cos I'm forced to wear a life jacket. Imagine having to wear one at Primbee in knee deep water. I'll stick with my helmet and wetty thanks and good luck with the drone patrol

Sent to TfNSW Maritime today

Hi Anthony,
On behalf of Windsurfing NSW, I wish to make a submission in relation to the initiatives proposed by Transport for NSW for the Maritime Safety Plan 2026. Windsurfing NSW is the overarching body that represents windsurfers in this state. There are a range of windsurfing classes, from course racing sailboards to wavesailing. Windsurfing NSW fully supports the commitment to reduce fatalities and serious injuries on our waterways. However, we are concerned that one of the proposed changes to the lifejacket legislation may have the opposite effect. The caveat that a lifejacket is only required when more than 400m from the shore was added to the legislation for a specific purpose. It is to protect the windsurfers who participate in the discipline of wavesailing, which has far more commonalities with surfing than boating. All windsurfers who participate in disciplines that race sailboards already wear lifejackets. This is enforced in any event run under the auspices of WNSW, apart from wavesailing competitions, which take place in the surf close to shore. Just as surfers aren't required to wear lifejackets in the surf for safety reasons, wavesailors are currently not required to wear PFDs as they need to be able to dive under waves, dive out from under their equipment, and avoid dumpers and white water. We are happy to see the rule reformulated to enforce lifejacket wearing close to shore apart from in the surf. It is appealing to try to find a simplified, easy to digest rule to allow messaging to be made more effective. Unfortunately the world is more complicated than that, and the blunt instrument of a one-size-fits-all approach cannot be successfully applied. Windsurfing NSW is happy to work with you in refining these initiatives to allow for our members and other water users to be kept safe.
Lissa McMillan
President WNSW0409044581
www.windsurfingnsw.com

Keep in mind, Maritime are approaching this from the perspective of saving the majority of human lives related too all boating incidents, not saving equipment. However I do realise there are safety concerns specific to wave sailors that need to be considered separately. While swimming after your equipment with a life jacket isn't as quick or as easy as without one, have you ever tried swimming after your gear after you've been injured from a fall or when suffering a cramp. These are the kinds of things a healthy normally strong swimmer doesn't even consider when looking at such regulations, but they are things Maritime would be looking at from an overall safety review.

Think of the number of boating users as a whole (not just windsurfers) who don't wear or carry a PFD when within 400m of shore. The number of wave sailors that fall into this category is so small in the bigger picture that they probably weren't originally considered. I can't even remember the last time I saw a wave sailor sailing at any beach in NSW. Windsurfing NSW is addressing these concerns with Maritime which is the fundamental reason these are proposed changes open for comment.

Let's hope Maritime in conjunction with Windsurfing NSW can define a suitable solution to exclude wave sailors from these changes.

Done, seriously why do govt organisation have to ask the question "Are you of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin?*" struggling to see why this question was necessary for this survey.

Jethrow, you're right. It's pathetic. Apparently, we've lost the ability to measure distance.