From Friday 9 October 2026, everyone in a kayak must wear a lifejacket while underway, on the sea, lakes and rivers. Take two waterproof ways to call for help, know when it’s 111 and when it’s channel 16, and give someone ashore a live link. VesselSOS does that last part: a live browser link, and an SOS screen that dials 111 with your position ready to read.
From 9 October 2026, everyone on board recreational craft 6 m or under must wear a lifejacket while underway, and that includes kayaks. Underway means you’re not at anchor, aground, or tied to a dock or the shore, so drifting counts. On any boat, the skipper must carry the right size and type for each person. Penalties for the new rule haven’t been set yet. More in lifejacket rules in NZ.
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 in a waterproof case on you rather than in the hatch, and carry a PLB if you go wide. Crossing a bar? Log a bar crossing report with Coastguard by VHF or *500 first (crossing a bar).
With a VHF, channel 16 is monitored 24/7 by Maritime NZ’s Maritime Operations Centre, and every boat listening nearby hears you too. With only a mobile, call 111 and ask for Police, and Police task Coastguard. Maritime NZ’s advice is two waterproof ways to call, so carry both if you can. More in how to call Coastguard.
Log a Coastguard trip report or tell someone where you’re going. 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.
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 111 and ask for Police, 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. Maritime NZ’s point stands: mobiles are “only helpful if kept dry and when used close to land.”
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.