Paddling Tips

• Wear your life jacket. Some 80 percent of all recreational boating fatalities happen to people who are not wearing a life jacket.
• Expect to get wet and dress properly. Even the best paddlers sometimes capsize or swamp their boats.
• Be prepared to swim. If the water looks too hazardous to swim in, don't go paddling.
• If you capsize, hold on to your boat, unless it presents a life-threatening situation.
• Scout ahead whenever possible. Know the river. Avoid surprises.
• Be prepared for the weather. Get a forecast before you go.
• Wear wading shoes or tennis shoes with wool, polypropylene, pile or neoprene socks.
• Never take your boat over a low-head dam.
• Portage (carry) your boat around any section of water about which you feel uncertain.
• Never boat alone. Boating safety increases with numbers.
• Keep painter lines (ropes tied to the bow) and any other ropes coiled and secured.
• Never tie a rope to yourself or to another paddler, especially a child.
• Kneel to increase your stability before entering rougher water, like a rapid.
• If you collide with an obstruction, lean toward it.
• File a float plan with a reliable person, indicating where you are going and when you will return. Remember to contact the person when you have returned safely.

Additional Paddling Safety Links

• A SMART Start for Safe Paddling
• Float Plan

Recreational Boating Safety Program Report (Coast Guard Grant) 2009 [prior years]