Watch Out for Cold Waters

BOATERS SHOULD PREPARE FOR FALLING WATER TEMPERATURES
Inexperienced boaters at risk when on the water to hunt or fish

Boating is usually considered a warm-weather sport but, as waterfowl hunters and anglers know, fall can be the best time of the year to participate in boating activities. It can also be a dangerous time of year for avid sportsmen and women who don’t consider themselves boaters but want to use a boat to get to their desired hunting or fishing spot. More single-boat accidents take place during this time of the year, and with water temperature on the decline, these accidents can prove deadly.

Overloading a small boat with equipment is a quick way to end up in frigid water by capsizing or falling overboard. Either can turn fatal quickly. Sudden immersion into cold water delivers a brutal shock to the body, triggering a spontaneous inhalation reflex. The simple act of wearing a life jacket can be enough to keep one's head above water when this involuntary gasping happens, keeping lungs from filling with water. By keeping capsized boaters afloat, life jackets also enable them to conserve energy and get out of the water.