When do lifejackets actually have to be worn (not just carried)?

Question

Accepted Answer

Carrying a lifejacket and being required to wear one are different things, and the wear rules turn on water type, vessel size, time of day, whether you’re alone, and age, all of which vary by state.

A few examples: in NSW, a small craft (4.8 m or under) must have lifejackets worn on enclosed waters when you’re alone or at night, and at all times on alpine and open waters; on a PWC everyone wears a Level 50S or above at all times. In Victoria, lifejackets must be worn on vessels up to and including 4.8 m; on powerboats over 4.8 m and up to 12 m they must be worn at times of heightened risk, such as when alone, from one hour after sunset to one hour before sunrise, or in restricted visibility. The same heightened-risk wear applies to yachts, in an open area while the yacht is underway. Port Phillip Heads, the waters within a radius of three nautical miles from Point Lonsdale, is a designated hazardous area, and lifejackets must be worn there on all vessels under 12 m. On powerboats over 12 m wearing is not compulsory, but one must still be carried for everyone aboard. Children under 12 must wear one at all times, as must anyone being towed. In Queensland, wearing is compulsory when you’re alone (or only with under-12s) in an open boat under 4.8 m underway, between sunset and sunrise in an open boat under 4.8 m underway, and when crossing a designated coastal bar in an open boat, in an open area of a boat of any length, and on certain craft. Children over one year and under 12 must wear a lifejacket on an open boat, or in an open area of a boat of any length, while it is underway.

Children are treated separately and more strictly in most states. So the safe answer is to check your exact situation. The Bosun pins it to your state, vessel and water.

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