A float plan gives a trusted person ashore information to share if you are overdue or in trouble. It can support a response, but it does not guarantee when a search starts, when help arrives or survival. A favorable app verdict does not change that.
Agree on the plan and the response
Before launching, confirm that your contact has received the plan, can read it and is available to act. Include the information below in a message or your route and contact notes.
- Who is paddling, how many people are with you and how to contact you.
- Your launch, intended route, destination and possible exits.
- Departure and expected return times, with an agreed overdue response.
- Your board or kayak description and relevant equipment or medical information.
Tell your contact when you return and update them if your plan changes. If you are overdue, they should follow the response you agreed and share your plan with emergency responders when seeking help. A sign of immediate danger is a reason to seek emergency help immediately, without waiting for the return time or a buffer.
Emergency communication in Florida and U.S. waters
For an emergency in the United States, telephone 911 if you have cellular coverage. With a marine VHF radio, use channel 16 for a distress call according to U.S. Coast Guard radio guidance. Channel 16 is a radio channel, not a telephone number. NOAA emergency guidance identifies these U.S. options.
Give responders your location, the nature of the emergency, the number of people and your craft description. Plan communication for your route before leaving; neither a phone nor a radio has guaranteed coverage. Emergency numbers and procedures differ outside the United States.
Choose times for the actual forecast and route
Morning calm or a planned noon return does not establish a safe storm window. Thunderstorms can develop quickly with shifting gusts, waves and lightning. NWS guidance recommends not going out when thunderstorms are a possibility. Plan how to reach safe shelter before storms arrive, rather than relying on a fixed clock time.
If you hear thunder, get out of the water and seek a substantial building with electricity or plumbing, or an enclosed metal-topped vehicle with its windows up. Open shelters and isolated trees do not provide lightning protection. NOAA lightning guidance says to remain sheltered at least 30 minutes after the last thunder; that wait alone does not make a paddling trip safe from other hazards.
How the app fills a draft
Open the float-plan form from a selected launch or planner window. A fresh draft uses that launch. Without an explicit planner window, the time defaults are now and two hours later. An explicit selected window supplies its start and end. These defaults are not recommended safe trip times or a forecast-derived safety window. Review and edit them for your actual plan.
The form preserves an authored or restored draft when you select another launch or window. Use its explicit replace-draft control if you want to apply that new launch and time selection. Your name, route notes and contact text stay yours to review. The form displays times in your device timezone, so confirm the date, timezone and return time with your contact.
Generate the link after checking the required fields and times, then send it yourself and confirm receipt. The app encodes the plan in the link; it does not monitor your return, notify your contact automatically or dispatch emergency help. Choosing a launch alone does not send a plan.
Equipment and route checks still matter
Wear a properly fitted U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket appropriate for your activity and follow its label. Florida carriage and wear requirements depend on the craft, age and operating area, including the SUP exception in swimming, surfing or bathing areas. Consult FWC paddlecraft requirements and life-jacket selection guidance; a blanket statement about a stowed PFD being accessible is not a complete compliance check.
For SUP, leash choice depends on the water and activity. A leash can snag and trap you in moving water. ACA guidance distinguishes surf and flat-water setups and calls for an informed decision and a waist-mounted quick release reachable with both hands if using a leash in whitewater or moving-water rivers. Get qualified instruction on the appropriate setup and practice releasing it. This is not blanket kayak-leash advice.
Keep your communication equipment secured on your person in suitable waterproof protection. Confirm access, exits, conditions and your group's ability. Read the grade and its restrictions and offshore-wind guidance without treating a favorable letter or a sent plan as a safety guarantee.
Build and review your float plan before you launch. Share it with the person you agreed on, and stay ashore if the route or conditions are beyond your group's ability.