Boating Safety Tips
Boating
- Take a boating safety course and get your California Boater Card:
- Even the most experienced boaters can learn from boating safety courses.
- As of Jan. 1, 2023, all operators of motorized vessels on California waterways who are 50 years of age and younger are required to carry a lifetime boater card. By 2025, all operators of motorized vessels will be required to carry one regardless of age.
- Conduct a vessel check:
- Make sure you have the right safety equipment onboard your boat such as life jackets, flares, navigation lights, a horn or whistle, and a first aid kit.
- Select this link to download the virtual safety check form or to schedule a vessel safety check.
- File a float plan: Prior to leaving, share your float plan with a loved one or friend with details of your trip in the event of an emergency.
- Check the weather: Know the latest weather forecast prior to going out and check it regularly for changing conditions.
- Wear a life jacket:
- Everyone should wear a properly fitted U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket when in or near the water. You never know when an accident may happen, and a life jacket can help save you until search-and-rescue help can arrive.
- In swift water, even the strongest swimmers may be easily overwhelmed. By the time a person is struggling in the water, a rescue is extremely unlikely and places the rescuer at risk.
- State Parks’ Division of Boating and Waterways works with water safety partners throughout the state to offer programs to help ensure boaters have access to life jackets. For example, life jackets can be borrowed for free at one of over 100 local life jacket loaner stations throughout the state.
- Avoid alcohol:
- Do not drink and boat. Alcohol continues to be the leading known contributing factor in recreational boating deaths in the United States.
- It is against the law in California to operate a boat or to water ski with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08% or more. Officers may arrest boaters with a BAC less than 0.08% if conditions are deemed unsafe.
- Boating under the influence, or BUI, convictions can result in up to six months in jail and/or fines of up to $1,000. Two convictions within seven years could add a jail term of up to one year. Boaters caught operating under the influence may also have their voyage terminated and their vessel impounded.
- Actively supervise children:
- Actively supervise children in and around open bodies of water, giving them your undivided attention. Do not assume that someone is watching them.
- Appoint a designated “water watcher,” taking turns with other adults.
- Teach children that swimming in open water is not the same as swimming in a pool: They need to be aware of uneven surfaces, river currents, ocean undertow and changing weather.
- Stow it, don’t throw it:
- Keep your trash onboard. Never throw garbage into waterways. Take advantage of shoreside facilities to recycle plastic, glass, metal and paper.
- Used fishing line can be deposited at fishing line recycling stations.
- Download helpful boating apps onto your phone: The BoatCA app is a free mobile app that provides information on boating facilities, life jacket loan stations, laws, boat registration and more.
For more water safety information, including boating laws and a boating facility locator on over 1,450 marinas and waterbody managers, please visit dbw.parks.ca.gov/BoatingSafety.
Download the what3words and OuterSpatial apps to help ensure safety and enhance your park experience!
