First Aid Kits for boats

When an accident or injury happens while you’re on the water, what you do before help arrives can make all the difference. Arm yourself with a well-stocked first aid kit and the skills, knowledge and confidence to be your patient’s first responder.

Your first aid kit should contain the necessary medical supplies to stabilise a patient until you can get medical help, and to remedy minor afflictions such as cuts, stings and bites, seasickness, and exposure to sun, heat or cold.

When stocking a first-aid kit for your vessel, consider the remoteness and style of your boating adventures, the number of people aboard, and crew members who have health conditions and might need specific medications.

To gain skills and confidence, it’s advisable to take a marine first-aid course that will teach you to treat the most common on-water ailments, perform CPR, dress wounds, and deal with stings, shock, bone breaks, sprains, seasickness and more.

Build your boat’s first-aid kit around the following items

• Antiseptic, cleansing wipes, saline tubes and antibacterial cream 
• Wound and burn dressings 
• Compression and conforming bandages 
• Triangular bandage 
• Cotton swabs/gauzes 
• Wound closures/glue 
• Surgical tape 
• Eye pads and cleaning solution

• Paracetamol/ibuprofen tablets 
• Anaesthetic and hydrocortisone creams 
• Antacid tablets 
• Seasickness tablets/remedies 
• Diarrhoea tablets/capsules 
• Vinegar (for some jellyfish stings) 
• Hydration salts/icy poles 
• Aloe vera and burns gel 
• Instant ice packs 
• Broad-spectrum antibiotics

• First aid manual
• Tweezers, splinter probe, scissors, side-cutting pliers (for removing fish hooks)
• Emergency blanket (for hypothermia)
• Fever scan strip (or thermometer)
• Nitrile gloves, resuscitation shield

1. Store first-aid items in a sturdy waterproof container 
2. Clearly label your first-aid kit and its storage locker 
3. Tape emergency contact phone numbers to the outside of your kit: local hospital, family doctor, local volunteer marine rescue or Coast Guard 
4. Regularly check expiry dates and replace items as needed 
5. Freeze hydration icy poles (to combat vomiting) and icepacks (to relieve headaches, stings and bruises, and to reduce swelling).