Memorial Day and Summer boating: How to stay safe on the water
PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) — On this Memorial Day, and unofficial start of summer break, yet another reminder to be safe out on the water.
Palm Beach County ranks third in the state for the number of boating accidents, according to 2021 data from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. That data shows there were four deaths and 18 injuries related to boat crashes that year. 2022 and year-to-date data from the FWC have not been released.
On Friday, Florida Fish And Wildlife and several other agencies came together to share a message ahead of the holiday weekend - be cautious on the water.
But many people already kicked off the holiday this weekend. As of Monday morning, we don’t know of any boating incidents from this weekend. But one thing’s for sure, officials want everyone to be responsible this holiday and the rest of summer.
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Palm Beach County Ocean Rescue is just one of several agencies on watch Monday. The team responds to anything from minor boater assist calls like engine failure or mechanical issues, to bigger boater emergencies such as fires, medical calls, boats hitting the jetties, and boats flipping over with people going overboard.
Ocean Rescue District Supervisor John Meskiel says those more serious boater emergency calls don’t happen that often, but Meskiel says the biggest issues they do see with boaters is inexperienced drivers and alcohol consumption, especially on holiday weekends. Inside the inlets, the intercostal, and sandbars is where they get the most calls for help.
“A lot of the boaters who aren’t used to being around other boats, they’re not maybe familiar with that area. It’s skinny water, it’s very shallow, they run aground. Often times, you’ll see a bunch of people sitting up forward on the bowel of the boat with their feet dangling in, that is the number one no no. We have more deaths and more mutilations by people with feet in the water, especially if the boat dips into a wave, you could have people get pulled overboard, and then also learning how to anchor your vessel so it’s not going to swing into other boats,” said Meskiel.
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Meskiel recommends always having a sober boat driver, buddy system, staying hydrated, practicing emergency situations before going out, being aware of the propeller in relation to objects or people, and having a first aid kit on the boat.
“So when we’re on my vessel, I always make sure that everybody that’s on the boat knows where the PFD’s are, the personal floatation device is. They also know where the fire extinguishers are, they know where the trauma bag is in case something happens on the boat. I also pick a couple of people to teach them a little bit about the boat in case something happens to me. I could have a medical emergency, I could have a traumatic injury, I could be incapacitated and not able to run the boat. Then I also go over the communication plan on the vessel, this is how you hail the Coast Guard, this is what the VFH radio is set for. We also have our phones. We’re going to call 911,” said Meskiel.
The Ocean Rescue team guards all of the inlets in Palm Beach County, with the exception of the Lake Worth Inlet.
Palm Beach County Ocean Rescue is a team of about 40 people, and they do plan to be upstaffed Monday, along with other law enforcement agencies.
Meskiel says in all of 2022, Ocean Rescue responded to four boat rescues with 19 passengers rescued, and 14 boat assists, with 23 passengers. This year through April, he says there have been seven boat rescues with 23 passengers rescued, and 11 boat assists, with 12 passengers.