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Published on 4 Sep 2026

Wind warning for skippers

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News article

Wind has been highlighted as factor in a third of serious boating incidents in WA.

To combat this concerning statistic, DTMI has launched the second year of its safety campaign ‘Check weather or not you should be on the water’ with a focus on wind conditions.

The campaign reinforces the importance of checking and understanding the weather forecast. Similar to the first year of the campaign, which focused on waves seas and swell, it promotes a simple guide showing the size of craft needed to be safe in different wind conditions.

Safe wind conditions vary by vessel size. For 3‑metre boats, safe winds of up to 8 knots are acceptable. While winds over 20 knots are unsafe.

It shows that a gentle breeze up to 8 knots in generally safe for boating, a gentle  to fresh breeze up to 18 knots is usually safe if you have a vessel larger than 5 metres long while above 20 knots wind conditions are too uncomfortable and unsafe to be on the water unless your vessel is more than10 metres in length.

Common boating incidents caused by wind include capsize, collision, sinking, flooding, swamping or grounding.

More than $250,000 is being invested in the 'Weather or not' campaign over five years and incident data will continue to determine future focuses and timely weather-related safety messaging. 

To find out more about the campaign visit www.transport.wa.gov.au/weatherornot

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