This can be achieved by correctly sized and fitted internal buoyancy because it:

• minimises the occupants’ immersion in water, avoiding drowning and hypothermia
  
• provides access to the vessel’s safety equipment, such as flares, radios, EPIRB or torch
  
• provides a larger target for searchers to see (a vessel is easier to see than people in the water)
  
• provides some shelter from wind and weather.

Many vessels, if full of water, may not have sufficient buoyancy to support the crew. If your vessel does not have an Australian Builders Plate (ABP), or if the plate does not state that the vessel has level flotation, it may not have sufficient buoyancy. This can even apply to relatively new vessels as the ABP has only been required in Victoria since 2012.

Basic flotation

A vessel that is fitted with basic flotation is not designed to support passenger weight when flooded. It may float at any orientation allowing occupants to hold, or climb onto, the upturned hull.

Level flotation

Level flotation is when a boat continues to float in an upright position that allows occupants to remain in the vessel, in calm water, and possibly bail it.