BOATING SAFETY APP · LIVE TRACKING + 000 SCRIPT · FREE iPHONE BETA

The worst day on the water, already handled.

The people at home watch you move with just a link. And if something goes wrong, your position, your boat and a one-tap Triple Zero (000) call are already on one screen.

Get the free beta Safety gear by boat

Boating somewhere else? AustraliaNew ZealandUSAEurope

Boat tracking app live link: your boat's position, speed and phone battery on a map, shared with family ashore · VesselSOSBoating trip tracking: trip under way with return time and who can see you live · VesselSOSCall 000 from a boat: the call script says “Police. Boat emergency, I’m on the water” and reads your position out in words · VesselSOSWaiting for marine rescue: checklist until help arrives and an SMS with your live location link · VesselSOSBoat breakdown help: engine failure, out of fuel or flat battery: position and boat details ready for your call · VesselSOS
SAFETY GEAR · BY BOAT

What do you take out?

Lifejacket rules by state →

Estuary, river mouth, the ramp at first light. Someone at home knows exactly where you are.

LIFEJACKET
Lifejacket REQUIRED · EVERY STATE
One for everyone aboard, the right size and level for your waters. In small open boats many states make you wear it: alone, at night, on open water or crossing a bar. Only AS 4758 now counts in Queensland, SA and Tasmania.
BAILER
Bailer or bilge pump REQUIRED IN MOST STATES
On the required list in NSW, Victoria, SA, Tasmania and the NT; recommended in Queensland and WA.
ANCHOR
Anchor and line REQUIRED IN MOST STATES
Required in most states (in Victoria on coastal and enclosed waters), recommended in Queensland and WA. It holds you off the rocks while you sort out the motor.
TORCH
Waterproof torch REQUIRED IN MOST STATES
A waterproof torch is on the list in NSW, SA and the NT, and Queensland asks for a night signalling device between sunset and sunrise.
The tinny basics What the state rules ask for, plus good practice. The list depends on your state and your waters.
Lifejacket rules by state →

Rules from Transport for NSW, Maritime Safety Queensland, Safe Transport Victoria, WA’s Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure, Marine Safety SA, MAST and the NT Marine (General) Regulations, checked Oct 2026. Every state sets its own list by type of waters, and the rules change, so check with your state’s marine safety agency before you head out. More detail: lifejacket rules by state · EPIRB rules by state.

Works offline.
GPS needs no mobile signal. Your position is always on screen.
Coast, bay, river or dam.
One-tap 000 in every state and territory, with JRCC Australia listed for offshore.
Nothing to install ashore.
Your people open a link. That’s it.
LIVE TRACKING

Ashore, they see you. Live.

Tap “Going to sea” and text your chosen people a link. It opens in any browser and shows position, speed, course and battery, until you tap “I’m ashore”.

→ Nothing to install, no account on their end→ You decide who sees it, and the link expires on its own

On the water, where are you, exactly?

The Triple Zero operator asks which service you need, then where you are, and “off the point” isn’t a location. If you carry a marine radio, VHF channel 16 is still your first call. When all you have is a mobile, the first minute decides how fast help finds you.

WITHOUT THE APP
1
You call 000
“Police, fire or ambulance?” Then: where are you? You’re somewhere off a shoreline you can barely see.
2
You describe the scenery
A headland, a channel marker, a bit of beach, in the wind, with a wet phone in one hand.
3
They work out who responds
Water Police, the local Marine Rescue unit or, far offshore, JRCC Australia, depending on where you are.
4
Meanwhile, you drift
Every minute spent on “where” is a minute nobody is on the way.
WITH VESSELSOS
1
Your position, ready to read
Latitude and longitude spelled out in words, ready to read to the operator.
2
One question, then it dials 000
Is a life in danger? Yes, and the app calls Triple Zero at once. Offshore it also lists JRCC Australia, AMSA’s 24-hour rescue line.
3
The words are already written
“Police. Boat emergency, I’m on the water,” then where, what happened and how many on board, line by line.
BY POSITION, NOT SIM CARD EVERY STATE · COAST, RIVERS, LAKES

Life at risk, or just a dead motor?

THE APP ROUTES YOU TO
000 · VHF channel 16

With a radio, a Mayday on VHF 16 reaches the nearest coast station and every boat listening, and the app shows the script. By phone, it dials Triple Zero (000) with your position and a word-for-word script on screen, starting with “Police”. It never gets between you and help; it makes the call faster.

Boating safety app: SOS button with Triple Zero (000) for Australian waters · VesselSOSMarine SOS in Australia: is anyone's life in danger? Yes dials 000, no opens breakdown help · VesselSOSVHF channel 16 MAYDAY: distress call script filled in with your boat's name, call sign and position · VesselSOS
THREE STEPS

Nobody remembers coordinates in a panic.

01
Press SOS

One big red button, on every screen. Your coordinates are ready, no mobile signal needed.

02
Answer one question

Is anyone’s life in danger? Yes dials Triple Zero (000) at once. No keeps 000 free for someone who needs it.

03
Read it out

Step by step: “Police”, then who you are, where, what happened. On the radio, the official Mayday with your call sign in the NATO alphabet.

The SOS screen is free. Forever.

Calling for help never sits behind a paywall. Plus adds live tracking and your contacts.
FREENO ACCOUNT
$0
FOREVER
SOS screen with your positionOne-tap 000 call with a word-for-word scriptMayday script + position by text message
PLUSFREE DURING BETA
$0
IN BETA · ACCOUNT NEEDED
Text your SOS and a live link to your contactsBoat profile goes into the call scriptLive tracking, return-time check, trip history
PROCOMING LATER
Later
NO AUSTRALIAN PRICE YET
Everything in PlusFamily sharing, up to 5 peopleNot available yet, so no payment now

During the beta, Plus is free with an account, and we never ask for payment details. If paid plans come later, the price will be shown in the app before you buy anything.

What VesselSOS does not replace.

A beacon is a beacon, and a radio is a radio. This is the backup that’s always with you, and in plenty of tinnies the only thing there.
EPIRB Satellite beacon, registered with AMSA Anywhere, far offshore included Cospas-Sarsat satellites → JRCC Australia See the gear
PLB Personal beacon worn on you Anywhere with open sky Same satellites, tied to a person See the gear
VHF-DSC Marine radio with a digital distress button Within radio range of the coast and other boats Coast stations, Marine Rescue bases + boats nearby See the gear
VesselSOS The phone that’s with you anyway Wherever you have mobile coverage Triple Zero (000) and your people Get the free beta
BEFORE YOU LEAVE THE RAMP

Four minutes, once.

01
Your mobile number
An SMS code instead of a password. It also goes into the call script, so rescuers can call you back.
02
Add the boat
Name, type, length, colour, MMSI, call sign: the first things you’ll be asked.
03
Choose your people
As many as you like, each set to None, Emergency or Live.
04
Allow location
“Always”, so tracking works with the phone locked. Used only during a trip.

Questions people actually ask.

Does the app call Marine Rescue or the Water Police? +

Not directly. In Australian waters, “Yes, a life is in danger” dials Triple Zero (000), and the script opens with “Police”, because the state and territory police coordinate rescues on inland waters and within port limits, along with the volunteer rescue groups. Offshore, the app also lists JRCC Australia (1800 641 792). The app isn’t connected to Triple Zero, the police, Marine Rescue or AMSA: it dials the call and shows you the words.

Does 911 work in Australia? +

No. The Triple Zero service says it plainly: “Do not use 911 in Australia. Calls to 911 will not be redirected to 000.” The app picks the number by your position, not your SIM, so it dials 000 in Australian waters. 112 also reaches Triple Zero from a mobile, but not from a satellite phone, and you can’t text 000.

Does it log me on with Marine Rescue? +

No. It doesn’t log you on or off or file a trip with anyone, and nobody is alerted automatically if you’re late. Log on with your local Marine Rescue unit as well, by VHF or, in NSW, with the Marine Rescue NSW app: they come looking if you don’t log off. VesselSOS adds what a log-on doesn’t: a live link for your family and the call script in your pocket.

When does the Australian version arrive? +

Australian support (000, the “Police” script, JRCC Australia offshore) is in version 1.5 of the iPhone beta (October 2026). If you have an older build, update it in TestFlight first. The app is a TestFlight beta by invite: it isn’t in the App Store yet, and there’s no Android version.

Does it replace a marine radio, EPIRB or PLB? +

No. Transport for NSW: “A mobile phone does not replace a marine radio.” AMSA: “Do not rely on your mobile phone as your only means of communication on the water.” Offshore, every state requires an EPIRB, and several a marine radio as well. VesselSOS is the fast backup that’s there when the radio and beacon aren’t, and the only option in many small boats.

How much battery does it use? +

Ashore, none: the app doesn’t track you outside a trip. During a trip it reports in the background at the interval you choose (every 30 seconds by default, roughly 4% an hour by our estimate), and slows to every 5 minutes below 20% battery. The people watching see your battery level.

What if I don’t come back on time? +

Set a return time when you leave. If you haven’t ended the trip by then, your phone asks you “Are you OK?”. That’s all it does today: nobody else is alerted automatically. Automatic texts to your contacts are planned but not built yet, so also log on with Marine Rescue and tell someone ashore when you’ll be back.

Who can see my position? +

Only the people you send the link to. It stops when you tap “I’m ashore” (a quick share link lasts one hour), and we never sell or share location data.

Be aboard first.

We’re testing on iPhone now. We’ll email you the day VesselSOS opens to everyone in the App Store. Android comes later.

Launch email always included. Never shared or sold, one-click unsubscribe. Privacy notice

IMPORTANT

VesselSOS is an aid, not a rescue service. It doesn’t replace a marine radio, an EPIRB or PLB, the safety gear your state requires, or a call to Triple Zero (000), and it depends on your phone’s battery, GPS and coverage.

SUPPORT

A human answers within one business day.

support@vesselsos.com