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Canoeing & kayaking
Victoria has experienced an increase in incidents involving canoes, kayaks, row boats, surf skis and stand up paddle boards.
This page provides information to operators of human powered vessels to help you stay safe when out on the water.
Paddle Safe Paddle Smart
This new brochure contains information about safety equipment and other safety tips for people using canoes, kayaks, row boats, surf skis and stand up paddle boards.
Safety equipment
When operating canoes, kayaks, row boats, surf skis and stand up paddle boards it is mandatory to carry the minimum safety equipment. Details of what safety equipment you need to can be found on the Safety equipment for human powered vessels page of this website.
All safety equipment carried onboard must be:
- placed or located in a conspicuous and readily accessible position at all times
- kept in good order at all times
- maintained or serviced in a way that ensures it can be operated at all times in the way that it was designed to operate
- serviced on or before the date specified by the manufacturer.
Make sure you are visible
As many human powered craft sit low in the water, other boats may not see you. At all times you must ensure you:
- obey the rules of the waterway that you are operating on, be vigilant about your route and avoid shipping lanes
- fit your Personal Floatation Device (PFD) with reflective tape and wear bright coloured clothing . It is also wise to add reflective tape to your kayak and paddle.
- at night, carry a white light easily visible to approaching vessels
- stay with your vessel if you fall out. A vessel is a lot easier to spot than a swimmer.
How many people can I carry?
If the vessel is a decked canoe or kayak or is otherwise fitted with individual cockpits, the number of persons carried on the vessel must not exceed the number of individual cockpits in the vessel, irrespective of the age of the person.
Licensing and registration
You are required to hold a recreational boat operator licence and register your vessel with VicRoads if the vessel is fitted with a means of propulsion (regardless of engine size).
More information can be found on the Licensing & registration pages of this website.
Further information
Get the latest weather forecasts from the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) website and learn to interpret them.