SAPOL is urging members of the public to stay safe on South Australian waters during tomorrow's public holiday. SAPOL expects thousands to flock to coastal and river waters, however is pleading with water users to do so safely.
Operation Riversafe which commenced on 1 January, will continue to be in place with additional SAPOL resources patrolling the Murray River and Coastal areas to ensure the safety of all water users. Member of SAPOL's Water Operations Unit will be ensuring that those operating vessels are not under the influence of drugs or alcohol and will be checking that all water craft are operating safely.
For those enjoying the fantastic water areas that our state has to offer, please remember the following safety advice:
* Stop, look and plan - make sure your capabilities match the environment and make sure you let a relative or friend know your plans.
* Life jackets are vital - they buy you time and increase your chance of survival in the case of an emergency. Make sure you are wearing the right one!
* Do not consume alcohol or drugs if you are going to be in and around waterways. For vessel operators, observers and skiers that means, as on land, a blood alcohol limit of 0.05 applies.
* If in doubt about the rules, the South Australian recreational boating safety handbook is published by the Department for Infrastructure and Transport and is available online.
For those on our beaches, SAPOL will have trail bikes and our All-Terrain Vehicles (ATV) actively patrolling our beaches. Members on the trail bikes and ATV will be monitoring behaviour at the beach, road safety, traffic use and congestion on the beaches. In addition to regular proactive patrols, the ATV offers a new platform for ensuring COVID-19 compliance as well as being a rapid response vehicle in the event of an emergency or incident on our beaches.
SAPOL is encouraging members of the public to make sure that the beach has not been closed due to reaching capacity or due to an incident particularly at the following locations: Moana, Sellicks, Silver Sands and Aldinga. Motorists should pay attention to signage up along the Southern Expressway and other nearby main roads which will advise whether the beach is closed. Members of the public can also find out if a beach is closed by visiting https://traffic.sa.gov.au/ SAPOL also reminds all beach users to ensure that they adhere to any dry zone conditions in place.
