Life jackets and other safety equipment are essential for avoiding drowning accidents. Do paddleboarders require life jackets? Yes, to sum up, the answer. Unless you’re paddling in a swimming or surfing area, you need to have one with you. We’ll discuss paddle board safety for you in this article. Please keep reading.
What Is A Paddle Board
Paddle boards come in two different varieties. One is a “traditional” board, which requires you to lie on it and use your hands to paddle, somewhat like swimming. You must stand or kneel to use the other type of paddle board.
If you’ve never used a paddle board like this one, you’ll see that it resembles kayaks and surfboards in some ways. It resembles both in terms of its fundamental configuration.
You stand on a paddle board with an oar as opposed to trying to ride a wave while navigating with your legs, which is how they differ from surfboards. In contrast to a kayak, a paddle board requires you to paddle while standing or kneeling on the board, as opposed to sitting down.
For this reason, these are frequently referred to as stand-up paddle boards or SUPs.
Do You Need A Life Jacket On A Paddleboarder
Stand-up paddle boards have been designated as a vessel by the USCG (United States Coast Guard). For each person using the paddle board, you must carry a life jacket that has been approved by the USCG.
It must be worn if you are 12 years of age or younger. Even if you don’t think you’re a boater when you’re on a paddle board, the coast guard does.
The requirements for wearing a life jacket still apply even if your vessel is manually propelled. Your paddle board must follow all safety equipment regulations for small boats.
As a result, you must also carry a whistle or other noise-making apparatus. It is also necessary to have lights if you plan to paddleboard after sunset.
You do not require or need to wear a life jacket while standup paddling in a surf zone or swimming area.
80 to 90 percent of drowning victims weren’t wearing life jackets when they died. Most people believe they do not need a life jacket until something goes wrong. The issue is that once something goes wrong, you probably won’t be able to get a life jacket or put it in.
Wearing a life jacket is recommended if you engage in any water sports, such as paddling a canoe, paddleboard, or kayak.
Read More: Do You Need A Life Jacket To Kayak?
What Happens If You Don’t Have A Life Jacket On Your Paddle Board
Will you ever receive a citation for violating the whistle rule or this rule? I can tell you from personal experience that it happens. A few of us were out at the nearby small lake for an afternoon of sailing on Sunfish when I was younger and less intelligent. Smaller than a touring paddle board, a sunfish is a board boat.
A good 30 miles of mountain roads separate the town from this lake. As far away as you can get, that is. This lake isn’t very large—it’s only about a quarter of a mile wide and half a mile long. You wouldn’t anticipate the DNR or other water police to appear here.
What happens is that we set sail on a pleasant, hot day without bringing our life jackets. The next thing that happens is that a DNR officer appears and waits for us onshore.
He was being nice and wrote them all up for “not having a sound-making device” rather than “not having a life jacket,” so we all received tickets. The penalty was a little less expensive.
The moral of the story is that, yes, you can get a ticket for not having a life jacket with you on your paddle board. It may occur where you would not expect the DNR or water police to spend time.
The Life Jacket Or PFD
- Each paddler over the age of 12 is required, according to USCG regulations, to wear a life jacket that is “USCG-approved Type I, II, III, or appropriate Type V.” Although paddle boarders over the age of 12 are not required to wear a life jacket while on the water, it is unquestionably a wise idea to do so.
- When using or riding a stand-up paddle board, paddlers who are 12 years old or younger must always wear their USCG-approved life jackets. To ensure the best comfort and safety for those 12 years of age and younger, you should buy a children’s life jacket.
- A life jacket must be in “serviceable condition” if it is intended to be worn by a paddle boarder.” This means that you cannot use a jacket that has rips, tears, or any other signs of wear and tear that could reduce its performance and buoyancy.
- Wearing a life jacket that is the proper size and fit is required.
- So long as it is USCG-approved and made for stand-up paddle boarding, you are permitted to use a Type V jacket.
- Any inflatable personal flotation devices (PFDs) in the form of belt pouches can only comply with the requirements of a life jacket when they are worn.
The 5 PFD Classifications
The USCG permits paddlers older than 12 to wear any one of four different types or designs of life jackets or PFDs.
If you are not familiar with the terms Type I, II, III, and V, then you’ll want to take a couple of minutes to read through our brief guide to make sure your life jacket meets the USCG’s regulations before you head out to one of the best places to paddle board.
Type I — The Offshore Life Jacket
Offshore life jackets resemble those used in safety demonstrations on commercial aircraft very closely. Since they are the most buoyant PFDs, they can be used in any kind of watery environment. Their buoyancy must be at least 22 pounds.
When compared to other life jackets, they can be a little uncomfortable to wear, but they are made to turn an unconscious wearer to face up in the water. A true lifesaver in an emergency, the offshore life jacket has this design.
Type Ii — The Near-shore Buoyancy Vest
Near-shore vests are made to be worn in calm waters close to the shore, where there is little to no risk of becoming stranded in the water for an extended period of time.
In order to keep the vest on your torso, they usually have a number of plastic side-release buckles and a minimum buoyancy requirement of 15.5 pounds.
Type Iii — The Floatation Aid
Most likely, a Type III PFD comes to mind when you hear the phrase “life jacket.” These well-liked flotation devices are appropriate for calm, near-shore water activities where lengthy wait times for rescue are not anticipated.
Wearers are expected to position themselves face-up despite the fact that they are made to keep the wearer upright or vertical in the water.
They are popular for recreational water sports like wakeboarding, water skiing, jet skiing, and fishing and have a minimum buoyancy requirement of 15.5 lbs.
Type Iv — Throwable Device
Paddle boarders are not permitted to use these throwable inflatables, according to the USCG. The flotation rings, cushions, and buoys you might expect to see near a public pool or on a cruise ship make up the majority of them.
They are made to be thrown to someone who has suddenly fallen into the water and is conscious. They don’t have to be buoyant like the other kinds of PFDs.
Type V — The Specialty Use Device
Adult buoyancy ratings for special-use life jackets typically range from 15.5 to 22 lbs. The buoyancy rating for automatic inflation models, however, ranges from 22.5 to 34 lbs. A specialty use device must always be worn in order for a Type V jacket to meet the USCG’s requirements for paddle board life jackets.
Check the label of the jacket, vest, or belt to see if stand-up paddle boarding is one of the activities listed in order to determine if your Type V jacket is appropriate for this activity.
Read More: Do Life Jackets Expire: No