If a life is at risk, or could be soon, it’s an emergency: a Mayday on VHF channel 16 if you have a radio, and Triple Zero (000) by phone, asking for Police. If nobody’s in danger and the problem is mechanical (dead motor, out of fuel, flat battery, gently aground), it’s a tow: call your local Marine Rescue unit, or 131 MRQ in Queensland. There’s no national tow service, and each volunteer group sets its own membership and towing terms.
Someone in the water, an injury, fire, taking on water, drifting onto rocks or toward a breaking bar, darkness or a southerly coming through. Yes → Mayday on VHF channel 16, and Triple Zero (000): ask for Police. Don’t downgrade a maybe: rescuers would rather stand down than start late.
That’s a tow, not a rescue. Call your local Marine Rescue unit on its radio channel or by phone. In Queensland the statewide assistance line is 131 MRQ (131 677). In South Australia, SA Police on 131 444 handles marine rescue that isn’t life-threatening. In WA, call your local sea rescue group (Fremantle, for example: 1800 273 728). If you logged on, they already know where you were headed.
Drop the pick if it’s safe, get lifejackets on everyone, and let someone know. On the radio, that’s what a PAN-PAN on channel 16 is for: urgent, but nobody in immediate danger. Then start your tracking link so the people ashore see you drift. If it gets worse, it’s a Mayday and 000.
Australia has no national tow service. Volunteer marine rescue groups handle most breakdowns, and each sets its own terms. Here is what the groups themselves publish:
Sources: Marine Rescue NSW, Marine Rescue Queensland, Fremantle Marine Rescue and SA Sea Rescue Squadron, checked 3 Oct 2026. Terms differ from unit to unit and change, so ask yours before you need it.
The app asks you this exact question: is anyone’s life in danger? Yes: it dials Triple Zero (000) and shows you what to say, starting with “Police”, with a Mayday form for your VHF. No: it keeps 000 free. It doesn’t list an Australian tow service yet, so save your local unit’s number in your phone before you head out. VesselSOS doesn’t sell towing, isn’t affiliated with any rescue group and isn’t a rescue service.