ALAMEDA, Calif. — The Coast Guard celebrates National Safe Boating Week, May 17 to May 23, urging all mariners and beachgoers to practice safe recreational boating ahead of the upcoming Memorial Day weekend.
National Safe Boating Week, leading up to the Memorial Day weekend, is recognized as the unofficial start for the boating season.
In 2023 there were 3,844 incidents involving 564 deaths, 2,126 injuries and $63 million dollars of property damage due to recreational boating incidents.
The Coast Guard strongly encourages all boaters to adhere to the following recommendations to help ensure safe recreational boating:
Wear Coast Guard-approved life jackets underway.
87% of drowning victims were not wearing a life jacket in 2023.
Make sure your life jacket is properly fitted. Check the warning label to make sure it is the right size.
Make sure your life jacket is properly secured.
Make a VHF radio your first means of communication in an emergency.
Use an engine cut-off switch. Click here for the federal law.
Keep a locator beacon nearby to help us find you faster. Take the search out of search and rescue, always keep an emergency position-indicating radio beacon and personal location beacon on your boat and life jacket.
Check weather, swell and tide conditions before and during your time underway.
Dress for the water temperature, not for the weather.
Do not drink and boat. Alcohol use is the leading known contributing factor in fatal boating accidents. Water and weather conditions can significantly increase the effects of alcohol and other substance impairment.
Take a free boating safety course to learn your navigation rules. Click here to register for a free boating safety course.
Get a free vessel safety check. Click here to schedule a free vessel safety check.
File a float plan. Tell someone where you are going and when you will be back. Float plans provide a starting point to help find you if something happens.
Check out the free Coast Guard Boating Safety app. This app download is free of charge and allows you to file a float plan, request assistance, request a vessel safety check, and report pollution and hazards to navigation. Click here to download the Coast Guard Boating Safety app.
Label kayaks and paddle craft for free. Label your kayaks, canoes, and paddle crafts with an "IF FOUND" sticker to help the Coast Guard determine if a boater is in distress. Click here for free “IF Found” stickers.
Additionally, beachgoers throughout California should be aware of the dangers along the coast such as cool water, dangerous surf, rip currents and sneaker waves. It is highly recommended that beachgoers look at the surf report to show hazardous water conditions before visiting beaches.
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