{"id":6027,"date":"2019-05-03T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-05-03T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prd-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/?p=6027"},"modified":"2026-04-23T23:48:58","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T23:48:58","slug":"water-and-boating-safety-101","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/water-and-boating-safety-101\/","title":{"rendered":"Water and boating safety 101","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Boating season kicks off this weekend with the Seattle Yacht Club\u2019s Opening Day parade and festivities.<\/p>\n<p>That means it\u2019s a good time to refresh your boating and water safety knowledge \u2014 and consider getting a Washington state boater\u2019s education card.<\/p>\n<p>In Washington, drowning is the second-leading cause of fatal injury for children and teens ages 1 to 17 and number-one cause for ages 1 to 4. But it\u2019s also preventable.<\/p>\n<p>Here are some general water safety tips\u00a0for anyone planning to paddle, boat, swim or play in the water this summer.<\/p>\n<h2>1. Obtain a boater safety education card.<\/h2>\n<p>Washington State law requires operators of power-driven vessels with 15 horsepower or greater \u2014 so, basically, all power boats and personal watercraft \u2014 to take a safety education course and obtain a Washington state boater education card.<\/p>\n<p>Even if you don\u2019t plan on operating a boat, a boater education card is still useful, says Erin Summa, Health Promotion Coordinator for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marybridge.org\/patients-visitors\/patient-family-support-services\/childhood-safety\/safety-information\/practice-water-safety\/\">Mary Bridge Children&#8217;s Center for Childhood Safety.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you can envision any scenario where you might drive a friend\u2019s boat \u2014 maybe take the wheel so they get a turn waterskiing or wakeboarding, or even just operate a jet-ski \u2014 you need a boater education card,\u201d Summa says. \u201cYes, it is the law, but it is also a smart thing to do. It could save your life, or someone else\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Boaters age 12 and older\u00a0can take the education course in a classroom, online or at home. You can learn more at the <a href=\"http:\/\/boat.wa.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Washington State Recreation and\u00a0Conservation\u00a0Office&#8217;s\u00a0boating safety and education\u00a0website<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>2. Always wear life jackets.<\/h2>\n<p>Life jackets may feel like a chore to wear, but they could save your life. According to the U.S. Coast Guard, 85 to 90 percent of boaters who drowned were not wearing life jackets.<\/p>\n<p>You may be thinking \u201cI know how to swim. Why do I need a life jacket?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But being able to swim won\u2019t necessarily help in chilly Washington waters, which average 50\u201355 degrees year-round. Water this cold can dangerously lower body temperature, making your limbs numb and swimming difficult.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can be an excellent swimmer, but if you can\u2019t move your muscles, you can sink like a stone,\u201d Summa says.<\/p>\n<p>Cold shock response, or the body\u2019s automatic reflex when immersed in cold water, may trigger a deep inhalation of air. If you\u2019re underwater when this happens, you may end up with water in your lungs, making the situation worse.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou don\u2019t drown because you can\u2019t swim, you drown because you can\u2019t breathe,\u201d says Summa.<\/p>\n<p>Life jackets keep you afloat and help your core stay warm.<\/p>\n<p>Children should always wear a life jacket near open water, whether swimming or boating. Washington state law requires children 12 years old and younger to wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket at all times when underway in a vessel less than 19 feet in length.<\/p>\n<p>Even in a &#8220;controlled&#8221; setting, such as at a swimming pool, or when there&#8217;s no plan to get in the water, such as fishing off a dock, Summa advises parents to put life jackets on children.<\/p>\n<p>Be sure to check the fit, too. Fasten all zippers and straps and pull them snug. To test whether it\u2019s fitted properly, pull up on the shoulders. Your child\u2019s ears and chin should not slip through the life jacket.<\/p>\n<p>Water wings, rescue rings and boat cushions are not a replacement for life jackets, and life jackets shouldn\u2019t be a substitute for a designated \u201cwater watcher\u201d keeping an active eye on children in the water.<\/p>\n<h2>3. Enroll your children in swimming lessons.<\/h2>\n<p>Swimming doesn\u2019t drown-proof a person, but it\u2019s an important skill to have \u2014 and the only sport that could potentially save your life, Summa says.<\/p>\n<p>Enroll your children in swimming lessons every summer to maintain and grow their skills, she suggests.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s not a box you check \u2014 it\u2019s ongoing education,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ymcapkc.org\/programs-classes\/swim-programs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Y of Pierce and Kitsap Counties<\/a> offers a variety of youth and adult swim lessons at multiple locations.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.metroparkstacoma.org\/pools-spraygrounds\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Metro Parks Tacoma<\/a> offers swim lessons as well, plus outdoor and indoor pools open to the public.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.marybridge.org\/patients-visitors\/patient-family-support-services\/childhood-safety\/safety-information\/practice-water-safety\/\">More water safety tips from Mary Bridge Center for Childhood Safety<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Boating season kicks off this weekend with the Seattle Yacht Club\u2019s Opening Day parade and festivities.<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"author":123,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[127,67],"tags":[170],"class_list":["post-6027","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-healthy-living","category-kids-health","tag-summer-safety"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.6 (Yoast SEO v27.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Water &amp; Boating Safety Tips - MultiCare Vitals<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Stay safe on the water with expert boating safety tips from MultiCare. 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