Summer is quickly approaching. The weather is getting to be perfect for those weekend adventures on the water! When you’re new to water sports, it’s easy to miss boating safety details that you just haven’t learned about yet. If you’re an experienced boater, it’s easy to overlook the “small” things that you don’t necessarily experience firsthand.
Do you watch YouTube? Ever watched Broncos Guru or Fail Army?
Do you spend any time on Facebook? Check out your local Game Warden’s page for local news. You might be surprised by the number of boating accidents that occur.
Why is this important?
The number of boating accidents that occur every year are increasing. More importantly, the rate of death associated with those accidents is increasing more quickly than the rate of accidents.
How do you make your boating adventures safe without killing the fun? These 5 simple steps will drastically improve your continued quests for water adventures.
Step 1: Take a boater’s safety course
Different states have different rules and regulations for what is required to be on public waters. Here in Texas, “Boater Education training is recommended for all boat operators and required for those born on or after September 1, 1993.” Even if you’re not using a powerful motor on your watercraft, you can benefit from the information these classes offer. There’s even a free kayak, canoe, paddleboard class to get your feet wet!
![Boater Safety class for Kayaks, Canoes, and other small watercraft [FREE]](https://theoutdoorsquest.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/KayakClass-1-1024x262.jpg)
These are 3 of the best sights to start learning about how you can be safe without damaging the fun of being out on the water.
Step 2: Get your boating safety gear together.
Every type of watercraft has a different set of rules based on your chosen adventure and your location. Your fun and games will be cut short if a ranger stops you for not following the law. That’s a quick and easy situation to avoid. All you have to do is check your local regulations. It’s the gray areas where you may or may not be within the laws that makes for more difficult decisions.
We’ve made a list of the basic safety gear that every boater should have. Now this isn’t a comprehensive list. This is just the bare minimum of what you should have.
Depending on what kind of watersports activities you’re participating in, you may want to add some other supplies. But to start the process, download this simple PDF and start preparing for your fun.
Step 3. Have situational awareness
According to FEMA, Situational awareness is “the ability to identify, process, and comprehend the critical information about an incident. More simply, it is knowing what is going on around you. Situational Awareness requires continuous monitoring of relevant sources of information regarding actual incidents and developing hazards.” How does this apply to your safety on a boat, kayak, or other watercraft? Undercurrents change unpredictably. Weather patterns can change suddenly leaving you in the middle of a windstorm, lightning, or other drastic storms. There are repeated stories of people enjoying a relaxing day on the water. Maybe doing a bit of fishing or wakeboarding. It can feel as though you blinked and the weather changes from a single cloud in the sky to 40 mph winds with black skys and hale. Many of these stories have ended in capsized boats, unaccounted for kids, and parents loosing their lives trying to save their kids.
The entire circumstance can be avoided by watching 3 basic influencers:
- Weather (even a simple app like weatherbug can save you headaches and heartaches),
- Water (currents speed up, levels rise, dams are opened at unscheduled times which can be well mitigated by consciously choosing to look at the surrounding water every half hour),
- Communication (making sure someone knows where you’ll be ane when you’ll be back, making sure you can reach someone while you’re out on the water be it a ship-to-shore radio or a cell phone, and making sure everyone participating in your adventure is at least within voice range at all times ensures anyone needing help can get it asap).
Step 4. Keep your cognitive abilities sound
When it comes to being safe on the water, this is where the division seriously begins. Anglers are notorious for putting away a six-pack or two while fishing from the bank or on the boat. Skiers and wakeboarders frequently chug a few drinks as they rest from that last adrenalin boosting ride. As adults, it’s up to each of us to decide what we can responsibly handle and what our limits must be. Scientifically, it’s known that the more alcohol in your system, the slower your responses will be. In the changes of modern society, alcohol is not the only influencer that can reduce your situational awareness. The choice is yours.
Step 5. Routine maintenance
Once you’ve downloaded the list provided above, look it over. You’ll see some things require routine maintenance. Many of the modern PFDs require inspections. Emergency lights and radios require batteries. Rodents can chew through ropes and lines that are left stored in the boats. And most important: Check your boat! It doesn’t matter if you’re in a $40,000 pontoon or a $100 kayak. Boats develop cracks, sealants deteriorate, motors begin to leak. And drain plugs are routinely left at home. A quick once over before putting that vessel in the water can save you investment and your chance for fun.
If you want suggestions for other waterway adventures, check out
