Accidents can strike when you least expect them, and more often than not, about the only real defence you have in such circumstances is to be fully prepared for almost any eventuality.
Is that unrealistic ? I think not, remember, we are talking here about one's own life, or more particularly I suppose, the lives of family and friends. I don't think we should become paranoid or overly concerned or prepared for every eventuality, to such an extent that it starts to override the pleasure one is deriving from the act of going boating, but
nevertheless, it certainly pays to be mindful of situations that can occur, and have your boat and crew drilled in readiness for those situations.Basic safety needs do not necessarily relate to items you can buy or install on your boat.

Basic safety needs can be as simple as having a good boat to begin with, a mate to accompany you, and the boat fitted-out properly.It is impossible to ignore the question of experience. An experienced small boat fisherman has an obvious advantage over a person going fishing in a small boat for the first time. And the more experience one has, the less likelihood there is of anything occurring that would take you by surprise. As your experience quotient develops, it stands to reason that you'll be enjoying your boating more and minimising any potential risk factors.
A Safe Boat

It's so obvious, it almost seems facetious to mention that the basic safety requirement is a safe boat! The safest boats have sufficient foam flotation to support the weight of the crew, the motor and gear should the boat be swamped or for some reason or other fill up with water.I'm not impressed with air tanks, and although many manufacturers in Australia diligently build their boats with a series of air compartments sealed in under the floor, these are rarely of any real value.
If the worst does occur, and the boat is barrel-rolled or swamped in a bar, then the air tanks are in the worst possible placeunder the floor. This is just about the perfect way of ensuring that the boat will float, upside down !
Small open skiffs and runabouts, dinghies and the like, have an advantage, because the thwarts fitted to these boats are usually packed with foam, and even if they cannot be self-righted, these small boats are usually low enough in the water to scramble back on board.
The question of stability is another basic safety requirement and be assured, each boat is different. Some boats are a lot less stable than othersoften to an alarming extent. The
4.0 m Hook'em, for example, is easily the most stable 4.0 mfishing boat on the market and quite easily copes with three or four big blokes standing on the gunwale. If you did this in most 4.0 metre aluminium boats, the lot of you would end up in the drink! So stability is relative to the boat's type and model, and it pays to shop very carefully for a boat which is stable at rest and underway. Back on the straight and levelthe fact unfortunately remains true that it's a lot easier to tip a boat over on your own, than it is if you've got a mate with you. Even if you go to snare a fish in the net, the very act of leaning over on your own without any counter-balance, means it is obviously a lot easier to turn the boat over than if you'refishing with a mate who instinctively, leans the other way while you snare the fish.Most of us don't even think about it, but if you do fish on your own, make very sure the fuel tank is located opposite your seating position. If it happens that you lean over to fish and the fuel tank is on your side of the boat, there is an excellent chance that a roll movement will develop, having sufficient momentum to tip both you, fuel tank and net into the briny.
Tragically, it happens over and over again, in perfectly calm waterways all around this great country of ours.