What to do
in an emergency

A distress/Mayday call is used to indicate that a boat or person is threatened by grave and imminent danger and requires immediate assistance - for example, a boat taking on water, a vessel on fire, a person overboard or a serious medical emergency such as a heart attack. 

You can either call 111 and Police will task Coastguard with responding, or you can use Channel 16 (the international maritime distress channel) to contact Coastguard directly. Other boaties nearby will also hear your distress call if they're listening to channel 16 at the time.

It’s a great idea to have a Maritime NZ Mayday message format sticker close to where your Marine VHF radio is situated. 

Example of a MAYDAY call on VHF: 

Mayday. Mayday. Mayday. 
This is Achiever, Achiever, Achiever ZMW3545. 
Mayday, Achiever ZMW3545. 
We are at (state your general geographical position) in position (latitude & longitude). 
We have (state what is wrong, the nature of your distress). 
We require immediate assistance. 
We have (state how many people on-board). 
Any other helpful information. 
Over. 

Wait for a response from either Coastguard Radio or Maritime Radio (or a nearby vessel). They will then ask for more information and confirm assistance is being sent to you as soon as possible. In addition, relay calls will be issued to alert any nearby vessels to your position - this is the benefit of making your Mayday call on the VHF. 

If you're sinking, make sure everyone is wearing lifejackets and you've raised the alarm (MAYDAY), then:

• Locate the source of the leak if it’s safe to do so, try to plug it 
• Bail the water as best as you can with a bailer  

If the boat submerges and you have to go in the water, stay with the vessel – your chances of being found are much higher this way. 

Capsized vessel in NZ waters. 

An onboard fire can be a boatie’s worst nightmare. Control it if you can by: 

• Putting on lifejackets if you’re not already wearing them 

• Raising the alarm (MAYDAY) 

• Controlling the fire if you can do so safely by removing either: 

• Fuel – Shut down the engine and fuel supply if it is an engine fire; Turn off the power supply if it is an electrical fire. 
  Note: This may affect communication, so make sure you’ve raised the alarm first. 

• Heat – applying cold water 

• Oxygen – smothering the fire with a fire blanket or extinguisher 

• Preparing to abandon ship 

Coastguard putting out a fire. 

There are four steps to remember if someone goes overboard: 

• Shout loudly, to make sure everyone knows that someone’s gone overboard 

• Throw a life buoy, line or lifejacket as close as you can to the person, not only to help them stay afloat but also to mark their position 

• Watch the person carefully – it’s easy to lose sight of someone in the water, so don’t take your eyes off them! 

• Stop the boat and turn back as soon as you’re able. 

Remember that the prop is always a danger to anyone in the water, so take care as you approach them. 

Man overboard. 

If you’ve been evacuated from your boat, but it’s still seaworthy and can be towed, Coastguard will make every effort to remove it to a safe area. But it’s important to note that Coastguard is a search-and-rescue charity, so your life comes first. Sometimes a vessel will have to be left for recovery later. 

If your vessel has sunk, you’ll need to contact your local Harbourmaster to inform them. They’ll be able to assess any environmental impact, determine whether your vessel is a navigational hazard, and advise you about salvage options. 

In many cases, you’ll also need to arrange to remove your boat. Salvage agents across the country can assist with this. 

Understanding the reasons behind accidents is important, so that lessons learned can benefit other boaties. You’ll need to contact Maritime NZ to report any accident.