Australian Sailing Safety and Sea Survival Course

The Safety and Sea Survival course (often called SSS) is Australian Sailing's hands-on course in what to do when things go badly wrong offshore. It combines classroom sessions with practical pool exercises using liferafts, inflatable lifejackets and distress flares. On completion you receive the Safety and Sea Survival Qualification Certificate, which Australian Sailing lists as required for Category 1 and Category 2 races. The certificate is valid for five years.

Who it suits

• Crew and skippers entering offshore races. Check the notice of race and the current Special Regulations for exactly who on board needs the certificate.
• Coastal and bluewater cruisers who want to know their safety gear properly
• Anyone who has never jumped in the water wearing a lifejacket or climbed into a liferaft
• Sailors whose certificate is expiring (Australian Sailing also runs a shorter refresher course)

There are no prerequisites.

What you'll actually do

The course runs for 16 hours, usually over two full days. The classroom part covers emergency planning, safety equipment and how to use it, through presentations and group activities. The practical part takes place in a heated pool or clean, sheltered water. You'll enter the water in an inflatable lifejacket, float and swim in groups, right a capsized liferaft, board it from the water and help others in. You'll also handle distress flares under supervision. Bring swimwear and expect to get cold and tired. That's part of the lesson.

Key ideas explained

• Cold-water shock: sudden immersion triggers an involuntary gasp and rapid breathing for roughly the first minute. This is when people inhale water. Don't swim hard straight away. Float on your back, protect your airway and let your breathing settle before you act. A lifejacket makes this possible.
• Lifejacket fit and crotch straps: an inflatable lifejacket should be snug around the chest. Without crotch or thigh straps it can ride up over your face once it inflates. Use the straps every time, fit a spray hood to keep breaking water off your face, and check the gas cylinder, auto-inflation unit and service date regularly.
• Liferaft boarding: the old saying "step up into the liferaft" means leave the yacht only when it is truly no longer the safer option. If possible, board directly from the boat to stay dry. From the water, use the boarding ladder and handles. The strongest person goes in first to help others. Once everyone is in, cut the painter, stream the drogue, keep the raft ventilated and bail out any water.
• Flares: red handheld flares mark your position to nearby vessels and aircraft, day or night. Orange smoke works in daylight, especially for aircraft. Red parachute rockets are for long range, to raise the alarm when help may be over the horizon. Fire flares downwind and hold them over the side. Never fire a parachute rocket when a helicopter is close by. Check expiry dates.
• EPIRBs and PLBs: both are 406 MHz distress beacons that alert search and rescue authorities by satellite, and GPS-equipped models also send your position. An EPIRB belongs to the vessel. A PLB is carried by a person, and is especially valuable if you go overboard. Register your beacon with AMSA, keep the details current, and once activated leave it switched on.

Where it fits

Its content is broadly comparable to offshore sea survival courses run elsewhere, such as the RYA's Sea Survival course. Whether a certificate is accepted for a particular race is up to the race organisers.

Getting ready

• Bring swimwear, a towel, warm clothes for afterwards, and old sailing gear to wear in the pool if the school asks for it.
• If you own an inflatable lifejacket, ask whether you can bring it. Learning your own gear is useful, but the school will tell you what's allowed in the pool.
• Look through your boat's safety gear before you go, and note questions about your own liferaft, beacon and flares.
• Tell the instructors about any medical conditions, or if you're not comfortable in deep water. Support is available.
• Get a good night's sleep. Both days are long and physically demanding.

Good to know in Australia

Distress beacons in Australia should be registered with AMSA (the Australian Maritime Safety Authority). State maritime authorities set the safety equipment requirements for recreational vessels, including lifejackets, flares and EPIRBs, and these vary by state and distance offshore. Check your state's maritime authority before heading out.