In a kayak, the danger is a capsize you can’t get back in from, far enough out that nobody sees. Wear the lifejacket (in Victoria and South Australia it’s the law on all waters), carry a light after dark and a way to call for help, and give someone ashore a live link. VesselSOS does that last part: a live browser link, and an SOS screen that dials Triple Zero (000) with your position ready to read.
Victoria and South Australia: worn on all waters. NSW: worn when you’re alone or after dark on enclosed waters, and at all times on alpine and open waters (Level 50S or higher). Queensland: worn when crossing a designated coastal bar in a sea or surf kayak. Tasmania: worn, except when riding waves in a surf zone. WA: more than 400 m from shore in unprotected waters, Level 50S or higher, plus a GPS EPIRB or worn GPS PLB and flares. The full table is in lifejacket rules by state. Rules change, so check with your state’s marine safety agency.
Kayak fishing takes you further out than most paddlers go, sitting still with your hands full, often on your own. Wear a lifejacket you can fish in all day, keep the phone on you rather than in the hatch, and carry a PLB if you go wide. In the Top End, rivers and estuaries are saltwater crocodile country: Marine Safety NT publishes crocodile safety advice for boaters, so read it before you launch.
Tell someone where you’re going, or log on with Marine Rescue if you’re heading out on the coast (how logging on works). A live link shows your actual position, speed and battery in any browser, with no app for the person watching. Set a return time too: if you’re late, the app asks you whether you’re OK. It doesn’t alert anyone else yet, so the person ashore still needs to know when to worry.
From a swamped cockpit you won’t use a radio you don’t carry. The SOS screen opens on your coordinates, spelled out so you can read them to the 000 operator, with a script that starts with “Police”. The pre-written text to your people (one tap to open, then Send) gets through on coverage too weak for data. GPS itself needs no signal at all.
Skills come first: a lifejacket you actually wear, a re-entry you’ve practised, and good judgement about the forecast. VesselSOS is an aid, not a rescue service: in immediate danger, call Triple Zero (000), or use VHF channel 16 if you carry a radio.
Your position, the Mayday text and your boat details work fully offline. Calls and texts need a mobile signal; a text often gets through where data has already dropped. Positions recorded without signal are sent when coverage returns.
Yes. Each paddler shares their own link, and the shore contact sees the whole group side by side in browser tabs.
Tracking runs only during a trip. At the default 30-second interval we estimate about 4% battery an hour; choose 1 or 5 minutes for long days, and below 20% it drops to every 5 minutes on its own. The watcher sees your battery level.