Okanagan boating safety a high priority on Canada Day long weekend

You can consider the Canada Day long weekend as the kick-off to boating season in the Okanagan.

And with the influx of boats hitting the water, it’s important to make sure you and your crew are up to date on safety protocol to ensure everyone can ring in Canada’s 157th birthday safely.

“Lots of folks haven’t been out on the water this year. Lots of people are going to be out there, it’s going to be very busy and we want people to be safe out there,” said Bruce Hayne, Boating BC Association executive director.

That’s why rental companies like Kelowna Boat Rentals always brief their customers before they head out on the water.

“Safety is our number one concern,” said Kelowna Boat Rentals manager Tom Entwistle.

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“We show them all the controls, show them how to dock safely, we give them a hand at the docks here and there’s safety equipment in there so there are smaller boats they just need a bailing bucket, paddle, a fire extinguisher and the boats are obviously registered and we make sure they know their right of way on the water.”

The call for safety from the Boating BC Association comes on the heels of two fatal drownings in the past two weeks— in a report, the B.C. Coroners Service says that in 2023 101 people drowned in B.C., and 18 of those people died in July.

“They are preventable and that is really the frustrating and sad part,” said Hayne.

“Most of these accidents are preventable. So out of those 101 fatalities 20 per cent of them were on boats …. 40 per cent of drowning deaths included alcohol.”

Hayne says that boats also include Sea-Doos as well as paddle boards and kayaks.

Other good boating practices include wearing a personal flotation device (PFD), acquiring your pleasure craft operator card online, and keeping your distance from other boaters.