Mayday Calls

Only make a Mayday call on your VHF radio if you are in imminent danger and need immediate help. You don’t need to hold a VHF license to make a Mayday call. Anyone onboard can!

The procedure for making a Mayday call is: ‐

Turn your VHF radio to channel 16

Say the following:

• “MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY”
• “This is [vessel name]” three times
• “Callsign [of the vessel]” once
• "MAYDAY [vessel name and callsign]".
• "[bearing and distance from known landmark]".
• (use your GPS coordinates, if available)
• "[nature of distress and assistance required]".
• "[any other information, e.g., number of persons onboard]."
• “Over”

Allow a short time. If no reply is forthcoming, repeat your Mayday.