Boating Safety

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After the long, cold winter we had, many are anxious to swim, boat or jet ski out on our lakes, but that comes with a reminder to stay safe.

Over 16 million people are expected to head out onto Canadian waters this boating season.

The weather kept many boaters off the water on the start of the long-weekend, but the Hamilton Police Marine unit was still on patrol in the harbour.

Last year 23 people died on O.P.P. patrolled waterways, 20 of them were not wearing a personal flotation device.

While boaters are required to have a personal flotation device on board that properly fits every passenger, Ben Rushton with the Hamilton Police, takes it one step further.

He says you should always wear a floatation device on a boat because it’s almost impossible to put in on after your in the water.

“When you fall in the water you start to panic and start gasping and ingesting water and lose small motor skills and it gets worse from there.”

Hamilton is a commercial port and Rushton says on hot summer days there are a lot of different sized vessels out here and can become hazardous. Rushton  says smaller boats should steer clear of commercial vessels and remember commercial boats have the right of way.

More info on boat safety can be found in Transport Canada’s safe boating guide