The recent tragedy involving two Langley teens in Nicola Lake reminds us all how dangerous and deadly lakes and rivers can be.
With Safe Boating Week running May 18-24 throughout Canada, local conservation officers are reminding residents to be extra cautious when taking to the water.
Paul Pike, conservation officer, South Okanagan zone, Ministry of Environment, said they are busy checking water craft not just during Safe Boating Week, but every week.
“Anglers are usually the most common people we see. We are on the water looking for people who are fishing and in a lot of cases, these people are also using pleasure craft,” he said. “So when we do our compliance checks with regards to boating, we want to make sure there is a life jacket or personal flotation device (PFD) for each person on the boat.”
In order to operate a pleasure craft with an engine, you need a boater competency card, or equivalent, Pike said.
“You are also required to have a bailing bucket, a bouyant heaving line that’s 15 metres, a sound signaling device such as a whistle or air horn, and a water-tight flashlight. These are the kinds of things that you might think you don’t need for a quick trip, but it’s for those times when you might get caught over-night. You can use the flashlight and the whistle to aid in rescue.”
Pike notes that as you get into bigger boats, there are more requirements for safety equipment. He also says that boaters need to be aware that the temperatures in the area lakes are quite cold.
“The temperature of the water doesn’t change a whole lot from winter to summer,” said Pike. “The effects of hypothermia can set in very quickly. That’s why we really recommend that people wear lifejackets or PFDs even though the requirement is just to have it in your boat. We’ve had two fatalities up in Logan Lake last August and last September. Those guys had life jackets in their boat, but by the time they went into the water and people got to them, they had passed away.”
Pike said the conservation officers will be busy patrolling area lakes and reminding people of the dangers of boating and how quickly a situation can turn deadly.
“When I encounter people out in the field, whether they’re fishing or recreating, I mention about the four fatalities that we’ve had in this zone in the last 10 months,” he said. “We want to bring people to the understanding of how things happen fairly fast and rapidly. We want to get them on board with knowing that there is more people recreating and boating and there are more potential issues that could happen.”
