With Independence Day comes increased use of Utah’s many waterways, including several recreational areas within Wasatch and Summit County. And with that increased use, program manager for Utah’s division of outdoor recreation Ty Hunter explained, can come increased numbers of legal infractions, tragedies and largely preventable accidents. He gave a few reminders for individuals planning to take to the water, hoping his advice can help achieve an “incident-free weekend.”
Life jackets
One suggestion he offered to those who board water craft is simple — wear a Coast Guard-approved life jacket, even if someone is over 12, when they only legally need a life jacket with them in the boat.
Regardless of age, anyone on a river, on personal water craft such as a jet ski or participating in towed sports like wake surfing is legally required to have a life jacket.
“Wearing a life jacket is critical,” Hunter said. “A lot of times, those are the people when somebody’s in trouble, they jump off the boat with no life jacket, and then they either become a second victim or they help that person in the water and then become the victim.”
The problem extends beyond those in motorized boats. Hunter said his organization sees many people operating personal watercraft and paddle crafts far from shore without a life jacket.
“We would prefer that they wear them because if they ever became separated from their boards or their craft as a whole, they have something to help them keep afloat instead of trying to tread water until help comes,” he said.
He emphasized that life jackets must be approved by the U.S. Coast Guard in order to meet the state’s legal requirements.
“We’re seeing a tremendous amount of people that are actually buying non-approved jackets and taking them out and using them,” he said. “It’ll end up in a citation.”
Life jackets that are Coast Guard approved, he explained, state so. They are available at a variety of prices, though he said they are somewhat like shoes; if they’re inexpensive and thus uncomfortable, they’re less likely to be worn. Spending the extra money on a piece of safety equipment you’ll use, he said, is worth it.
“About 80-85% of our boating-relating drownings could have been prevented by just simply putting the life jacket on,” he said. He added that only 6% of those who legally have an option to wear a life jacket do so.
Driving a boat
Several of the topics Hunter considered noteworthy pertain to the operation of a motorized vessel.
While it is legal to have alcohol on boats, Hunter said, it’s not legal to operate motorized boats or personal water craft while impaired. So if you drink while boating, you need a sober driver.
Another thing to keep in mind is Utah’s speed and proximity law, which according to Hunter dictates that when a water craft is traveling above a wakeless speed, typically about 5 mph, it must maintain at least 150 feet of distance from other vessels.
“If this law was adhered to all the time,” he estimated, “I would say 99% of the collisions that occur would not happen.”
Designated watcher
Though some waters have slowed since water run-off began flowing from the mountains, Hunter said, there are still plenty of Utah waterways with swift-water conditions people should be aware of.
This is part of the reason he recommends groups establish a designated watcher — someone to ensure children and pets are safe while playing near water. “Take that designation in intervals,” he said. “That person, in essence, is watching like a lifeguard those people in your party.”
If someone falls into water, he cited an old adage explaining what to do — reach, throw, row and then go — so long as a rescuer has a life jacket and can do so safely.
In swift-water conditions, the steps slightly shift. Rather than going in after someone, their party should seek professional help. Otherwise, he said, it can be like someone jumping off a cliff to save someone who’s jumped off a cliff.