Canadian Safe Boating Council Annual Symposium 2025

A Partnership in Boating Safety:

PFDs and PLBs

Sept 24, 2025

Kerri Ann Ennis, PhD(c)

Robert Brown, PhD

Kimberley Cullen, PhD

Sept 24, 2025

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• Over 11,000 miles of coastline in the Atlantic Ocean.
• Plus inland waterways
• More than 70,000 people participate in the recreational food fishery
• A lot of small open boats
• Plus paddle boat and pleasure craft activity

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Boating Activity in NL

Canadian Safe Boating Council Annual Symposium 2025

Canadian Safe Boating Council Annual Symposium 2025

Sept 24, 2025

Boating Activity in NL

(Lifesaving Society, 2025)

+

27%

21%

Canadian Safe Boating Council Annual Symposium 2025

Sept 24, 2025

Factors in Boating Fatalities

(Lifesaving Society, 2025)

Canadian Safe Boating Council Annual Symposium 2025

Sept 24, 2025

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• Water temperature ranges from -1 to +14^oC in Newfoundland and Labrador

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Harsh Environments

Canadian Safe Boating Council Annual Symposium 2025

Sept 24, 2025

• Cold shock response
• Swim failure
• Hypothermia

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Cold Water and Survival Time

Canadian Safe Boating Council Annual Symposium 2025

Sept 24, 2025

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• Nautical Legacy (2007)
• Emergency distress call was sent
• 5 had immersion suits
• 1 was wearing t-shirt and shorts
• More than 90 minutes in the cold water
• All survived

Survival Story

Canadian Safe Boating Council Annual Symposium 2025

Sept 24, 2025

Float First

Canadian Safe Boating Council Annual Symposium 2025

Sept 24, 2025

What is a PLB?

• A PLB (Personal Locator Beacon) – emergency distress radio transmitter
• Initiates the SAR response
• Locates the incident

• Taking the “Search” out of “Search and Rescue

• Assisting in saving lives

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Canadian Safe Boating Council Annual Symposium 2025

Sept 24, 2025

What is a PLB?

• Handheld devices that can fit in your pocket or on your PFD
• Used at sea, on land, and in air
• No subscription
• Need to buy, register, familiarize, wear it, and maintain it

How does it work?

Canadian Safe Boating Council Annual Symposium 2025

Sept 24, 2025

Cospas-Sarsat System

September 1982 – December 2021

Assisted in saving 57,413 persons in 17,663 SAR events

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Canadian Safe Boating Council Annual Symposium 2025

Sept 24, 2025

PFD and PLB Research

• Are recreational boaters using PFDs and PLBs?

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• What are the factors associated with the use of them?

Canadian Safe Boating Council Annual Symposium 2025

Sept 24, 2025

PFD and PLB Research

• 5 databases were searched
• (PFD or PLB) and BOATING
• 689 articles
• Inception to April 2024
• Inclusion and exclusion criteria:
• Factors related to PFD and PLB use by recreational boaters
• Excluded occupational use of PFDs and PLBs
• Excluded swimming use of PFDs

Sept 24, 2025

Systematic Review

Canadian Safe Boating Council Annual Symposium 2025

Canadian Safe Boating Council Annual Symposium 2025

Sept 24, 2025

Systematic Review

Barriers to PFD Use

• Discomfort
• Cost
• Accessibility
• Confidence in equipment
• Fit/Sizing
• Style

Facilitators to PFD Use

• Legislation
• Perceived risk
• Social norms / normalize
• Children present / Role modeling
• More experienced boaters

21 studies on factors associated with PFD use by recreational boaters

• 1 study on PLB use
• 2022 survey on distress beacon use in New Zealand
• Do New Zealanders know what a distress beacon is, and are they using them?
• Majority (76%) know what it is
• 11% always take it
• 14% sometimes take it

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Sept 24, 2025

Systematic Review

Canadian Safe Boating Council Annual Symposium 2025

Canadian Safe Boating Council Annual Symposium 2025

Sept 24, 2025

Observational Study

• Recreational Groundfish Fishery
• July 30 – Sept 3, 2023
• 19 Port
• 207 Boats
• 549 Boaters
• 370 Males / 129 Females / 50 Youth

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Canadian Safe Boating Council Annual Symposium 2025

Sept 24, 2025

Observational Study

• Males: 43.8% with PFD 56.2% without PFD
• Females: 56.2% with PFD 31.8% without PFD

• Adults: 50.1% with PFD 48.9% without PFD
• Youth: 88% with PFD 12% without PFD

Canadian Safe Boating Council Annual Symposium 2025

Sept 24, 2025

Survey

• Qualtrics online survey
• Demographics; boating activity; PFD and PLB use and intentions; personal, social, and environmental factors
• NL recreational boaters 18 + years old
• Interdisciplinary Committee on Ethics in Human Research approval
• 413 interactions with the survey
• 378 responses after data cleaning

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Canadian Safe Boating Council Annual Symposium 2025

Sept 24, 2025

Participant Demographics

Canadian Safe Boating Council Annual Symposium 2025

Sept 24, 2025

Boat Characteristics

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Canadian Safe Boating Council Annual Symposium 2025

Sept 24, 2025

PFD and PLB Use

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• 82.5% of boaters reported always wearing a PFD (85.7% of females and 80.2% of males)
• 93.6% of boaters reported never wearing a PLB and 3.2% reported always

Canadian Safe Boating Council Annual Symposium 2025

Sept 24, 2025

Stages of Change

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• Stages of change (Transtheoretical Model) is a behavior change theory that outlines a person’s readiness to change (Prochaska et al., 1992)
• Frequency of use and intention to wear were used to determine the stage of change of PFD and PLB use
• How often do you wear a PFD / PLB?
• What is your intention to wear a PFD / PLB in the future?

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Canadian Safe Boating Council Annual Symposium 2025

Sept 24, 2025

Stage of Change

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• 87% are in the maintenance stage for PFD use
• 60% are in the precontemplation stage for PLB use

Canadian Safe Boating Council Annual Symposium 2025

Sept 24, 2025

Factors associated with PFD use

• 23% disagree that PFDs are affordable and only 8% believe they are hard to find for purchase
• 16% reported that PFDs interfere with boating activities
• 8% think that PFDs are a display of inexperience
• 80% say that PFDs are somewhat to very comfortable and 91% agree that they are available in appropriate sizes
• 79% agree that PFDs are very effective
• 88% agree that PFDs should be required

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Canadian Safe Boating Council Annual Symposium 2025

Sept 24, 2025

Factors associated with PLB use

• 77% disagree that PLBs are affordable and 67% believe they are hard to find for purchase
• 16% reported that PLBs interfere with boating activities
• Only 5% think that PLBs are a display of inexperience
• 47% agree that PLBs are very effective with 33% agreeing that they are fairly effective, and 21% indicating that PLBs are not at all or somewhat effective.
• Majority (53%) disagree that PLBs should be required

Canadian Safe Boating Council Annual Symposium 2025

Sept 24, 2025

What’s the likelihood you will survive a boating accident where you end up in the water with the following equipment?

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Canadian Safe Boating Council Annual Symposium 2025

Sept 24, 2025

Summary

• More recreational boaters indicate that they are always using PFDs and are in the maintenance stage.
• 88% agree that PFDs should be required
• The majority are not using PLBs and are in the precontemplation, contemplation, or preparation stage.
• Cost and knowledge about PLB effectiveness may be barriers to PLB use
• Next step is the design of an intervention to target those in the precontemplation, contemplation, and preparation stage of PLB use
• Future study – Would an intervention that promotes PFD and PLB use be more effective than an intervention that promotes PFDs or PLBs alone?

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Canadian Safe Boating Council Annual Symposium 2025

Sept 24, 2025

Acknowledgements

Funders

• Transport Canada, Boating Safety Contribution Program (BSCP)

Researchers and collaborators

• John Cullen
• Dorcas Habila

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Boating-community organizations

• Canadian Coast Guard
• NL Harbour Authorities
• Small Craft Harbours
• Paddle NL
• NL Yacht Clubs and Marinas

Canadian Safe Boating Council Annual Symposium 2025

Sept 24, 2025

Thank You

Kerri Ann Ennis

Marine Institute,

Memorial University of Newfoundland

+1-709-778-0433

Kerri-Ann.Ennis@mi.mun.ca

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