Expect the lake to be extra crowded because of the July 4 holiday weekend. The party atmosphere usually leads to more incidents with unfortunate consequences.
The U.S. Coast Guard says Lake of the Ozarks is one of the top five most dangerous bodies of water, even more so than the Pacific or Atlantic Ocean. Part of their mission is to keep boaters safe.
U.S. Coast Guard Boarding Officer Matt Marler said, “We see people who don't have the right safety gear, for one. We also see BUIs or boating under the influence … People boating under the influence are three times as likely to have a casualty just by having a couple of beers while they're boating. And it's really, really unsafe."
That’s why Jeremy Haggard, a frequent fisherman at Lake of the Ozarks, recently took a boating safety course. He said, "You can drown. There's so many options that can happen out here that you just don't realize until you're out here. And I didn't realize it until I actually started doing more fishing and angling out here."
Another reason the Coast Guard will terminate a voyage is if boaters don’t have the proper safety equipment.
Boat safety tips
So before your next boating trip, remember these rules:
First, check your safety gear on board.
Marler says, “Everyone on board must have a life jacket on. Ninety percent of fatalities that are due to drownings could have possibly been saved if they had a life jacket on."
Also, check to see if you have enough fire extinguishers.
Marler adds, “Make sure all of their sound-producing devices, their horns, their electronics, are being maintained. Make sure that you're checking the weather. You know the weather out here in the Midwest can change on a dime." He goes on to say, "We're here to make sure that they're being safe and have the proper equipment on board because nobody ever prepares for a disaster or casualty on their boat. That's why we're out here. We're out here to help them. So if they see us, it's a good thing."
For information on a boating safety course, click here.
The Coast Guard will also conduct free safety inspections. You can find out more information here.
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Jane Monreal can be reached at JANE.MONREAL@KSHB.com.
