With summer now finally in full swing, enthusiastic outdoor recreationists undoubtedly have their sights set on spending time enjoying the weather.
On the hot days sure to come, that might well for many people involve a trip somewhere along the Red Deer River or Burnstick Lake.
June 30 to July 8 marks National Fishing Week in Canada, and the Canadian Safe Boating Council as well as the Alberta Fish & Game Association encourage anglers to remember that sporting a life-jacket is more important than donning their lucky fishing hats.
“According to the Canadian Safe Boating Council and the Lifesaving Society, 80 per cent of recreational boaters who drown each and every year in Canada were not wearing a life-jacket or personal flotation device. Most of these drownings occur in small, open power boats, accounting for 60 per cent of these preventable deaths,” reads a press release.
“A majority of these victims were males between the ages of 19 and 35, out for a day of fishing.”
People who fail to put on a life-jacket tend to be overconfident in their ability to swim, and they assume that having the flotation device within easy reach is sufficient. However, a life vest stored under a seat or in another nearby compartment will be — forgive the pun — as useless as water to someone who is drowning in the event something unexpected happens. Whether a sudden loss of balance while reaching overboard to net a catch or waves from the wake of another passing motorboat, anyone spending time on the water should always be prepared for the unpredictable.
“The Canadian Safe Boating Council would like to remind all anglers not only to have their life-jacket on board their boat, but to look after it and wear it,” says John Gullick, chair of the Canadian Safe Boating Council.
“If you happen to fall overboard, it will give you the time you need to calm down, catch your breath, assess your situation and effect, or help effect, a rescue. In two out of three drownings related to boating, the victims were less than 15 metres from some form of safety.”
That last statistic is nothing short of sobering — complacency literally costs lives. Potentially making matters more dangerous is the water in the West Country’s lakes and rivers, which is extremely cold and takes a person’s breath away, drastically reducing his or her ability to breathe and compose themselves without succumbing to panic.
Besides, modern life-jacket designs are not necessarily burdensome garments that restrict movement. Some even boast features such as additional pockets to accommodate an angler’s needs.
However, boaters and fishermen are not the only ones who should keep safety front and centre when enjoying the water.
According to the Canadian Red Cross, 57 children — 43 male and 14 female — drown every year on average. Although 98 per cent of parents say kids must wear a life-jacket when boating, the majority of youth who drown while boating were not wearing one. One-third of children who drown were not even expected to be in the water. Perhaps that’s a result of only 50 per cent of parents saying they always supervise their children around water.
By and large, drownings are totally preventable, provided some forethought to safety is taken seriously.
So while I hope those who enjoy spending time on the water get many opportunities to do so this summer, I would echo the sentiments shared by the fish and game association as well as the safe boating council.
Because no one in the event of a sudden emergency will regret the decision to don a life-jacket.
But in a worst-case scenario, they might not live to regret taking the risk of not wearing one.
