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safety · beginner · 5 min

water safety

Life vest, navigation plan, lightning, wind and waves, hypothermia, dehydration, first-aid kit and the paperwork the Navy requires.

always wear a life vest

Most fishing deaths are drownings of people who weren't wearing a life vest. No one can put one on after falling into the water.

tips

  • Wear a Navy-approved life vest, the right size and buckled. Pull on the shoulders: it shouldn't ride up to your ears.
  • An inflatable vest is comfortable in the heat, but needs its cylinder and trigger checked.
  • Children and non-swimmers: wear a life vest the whole time, including on the bank and the pier.
  • When driving, clip the safety lanyard (kill switch) to your wrist or vest. If you fall overboard, the engine shuts off.

common mistakes

  • Leaving the life vest stowed in the locker.

navigation plan

If something goes wrong, someone on shore needs to know where to look and when to start.

  1. Before leaving, tell someone on shore: where you're going, who's aboard, the boat's color and your expected return time.
  2. Agree on what time of delay that person should ask for help, and whom to contact.
  3. Take a phone in a waterproof case with a spare battery. Where there's no signal, take a VHF radio or a satellite communicator.
  4. Emergency: Navy 185, Bombeiros 193, SAMU 192. On VHF radio, channel 16.
  5. Fuel by the one-third rule: one third to go, one third to come back, one third in reserve.
  6. When you get back, let them know you're in.

lightning: 30/30 rule

On the water you're the highest point, and a carbon rod conducts electricity. If you've heard thunder, you're already within strike range.

  1. Count the seconds between the flash and the thunder. At 30 seconds or less (about 10 km), get out of the water and seek shelter.
  2. Only go back out 30 minutes after the last thunder.
  3. Don't shelter under a lone tree or stay on an open beach or bank.
  4. A safe shelter is a closed building or a closed vehicle with a metal body.
  5. If you can't reach the shore: lower rods and antennas, sit in the middle of the boat as low as possible, feet together and away from metal parts.

common mistakes

  • Carrying on fishing because the rain hasn't arrived yet.

wind, waves and navigation

Weather changes fast on the water. Know the limits of your boat and of yourself.

tips

  • Check wind and waves before you leave and again during the day. On large reservoirs and bays, waves build quickly in the afternoon.
  • A small aluminum boat isn't for open sea or for a reservoir with strong wind.
  • In waves, slow down and take them on the bow, slightly off-angle. Spread the weight and keep everyone seated.
  • Head back early if the weather turns.
  • In unfamiliar waters, navigate by day. Rivers have logs, rocks and sandbars that shift.
  • Alcohol and boat driving don't mix.

hypothermia and dehydration

Water pulls heat from the body much faster than air. And sun on the water dehydrates you without you noticing.

tips

  • Even in Brazil, cold water, such as winter water in the South, causes hypothermia in people who stay wet or in it for long.
  • In very cold water the 1-10-1 rule applies: 1 minute of shock, during which you must control your breathing; about 10 minutes of useful movement to save yourself; about 1 hour before losing consciousness.
  • Signs of hypothermia: strong shivering, slurred speech, confusion, poor coordination. Remove wet clothing, wrap in dry clothes and a blanket, shelter from the wind and warm gradually. Warm sweet drinks only if the person is awake and swallowing well. No alcohol, and don't rub arms and legs. Seek medical care.
  • Dehydration: drink water regularly, before you feel thirsty. Dark urine, headache, dizziness and cramps are signs. Bring plenty of water for the whole day.
  • Hat, long-sleeve UV shirt, buff, sunglasses and sunscreen.

first-aid kit and paperwork

Keep the kit aboard in a waterproof bag. The paperwork stays aboard too: Navy inspectors ask for it on rivers and at sea.

tips

  • Kit: disposable gloves, gauze, bandage, medical tape, adhesive dressings, saline solution, antiseptic, scissors, tweezers, cutting pliers, thermal blanket, the painkiller and antihistamine you already use, sunscreen, insect repellent and personal medication.
  • Boat: generally, a motorboat must be registered with the Capitania dos Portos, with a Título de Inscrição de Embarcação (TIE), and carry the mandatory equipment for the type of navigation, such as life vests for everyone aboard.
  • License: generally, whoever drives a motorboat needs a Navy amateur license. Arrais-amador covers inland navigation (rivers, lakes, reservoirs and sheltered waters). For open sea, mestre-amador or capitão-amador, depending on distance from the coast. A jet ski requires a motonauta license.
  • Hired a fishing guide or boat pilot? Check that they're licensed, that the boat is registered and that there's a life vest for everyone.
  • Rules change. Check the requirements for your boat at the nearest Navy Capitania, Delegacia or Agência.

checklist

Check off what's ready. Saved on this device.

sources and references

  1. official Marinha do Brasil/DPC — Portaria DPC/DGN/MB nº 200, de 27 de fevereiro de 2026 (aprova a NORMAM-211/DPC, Atividades de Esporte e Recreio)Approves NORMAM-211/DPC, the Navy rule for sport and recreational activities (version in force in the DOU as of Oct 13, 2026). The text of the rule is on the DPC website.
  2. official Marinha do Brasil/DPC — Portaria DPC/DGN/MB nº 201, de 27 de fevereiro de 2026 (aprova a NORMAM-212/DPC, Motos Aquáticas e Motonautas)Approves NORMAM-212/DPC; summary corrected by a rectification in the DOU of Mar 4, 2026. The text of the rule was not opened.
  3. official NOAA/National Weather Service — When a Safe Building or Vehicle is Nearby (lightning safety)'On the Water' section: get out of the water and wait 30 minutes after the last thunder. The NWS uses the rule 'if you hear thunder, you're within striking distance'.
  4. official NOAA/National Weather Service — Lightning Safety'When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors'. Safe shelter: a closed building or a closed vehicle with a metal body.

keep reading

safety

first aid while fishing

What to do about a hook stuck in the skin, stingray and catfish stings, piranha bites, line cuts, sunburn, heat exhaustion and drowning. It doesn't replace a first-aid course or medical care.

weather and moon

how weather affects fish

Pressure, cold fronts, friagem (cold spells), wind, rain and water temperature: what changes in fish behavior, and how to read the app's index, confidence and forecast horizon.

boating and travel

GPS and marking spots

Waypoints, routes, tracks, nautical charts, and how to save and share fishing spots without losing secrecy or safety.