Fair warning … this is not your fun, adventurous type article from The Watercraft Journal. It’s not about hole shots, throttle-pinned racing, podium spots or even sanctioning body drama. Nor is this the thrill and fun of PWC fishing, or camping, or exploring.
What it is, apparently, is necessary.
As part of keeping informed on all things PWC, I have several Google alerts set for PWC-related content, and for the last several weeks, really since weather warmed up enough for people to break their PWCs out of winter mothballs, I am seeing stories of tragedies on a daily basis – typically multiple reports daily of fatalities or serious injuries from across the country and throughout the world, all related to PWC use.
In an apropos happenstance, each year the third Saturday in May starts National Safe Boating Week, the kick-off of the annual Safe Boating Campaign. It runs through the following Friday to serve as an important boating safety reminder before the Memorial Day weekend. This year, Safe Boating Week began May 18 and runs through the 24th.
This year, the National Weather Service has partnered with the National Safe Boating Council, a NOAA Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador, to help promote safe boating practices, many of which are applicable to PWC usage. The Council offers a wealth of free resources such as infographics, videos, audio clips, fact sheets, social media and much more.
As stressed by this video from the New Jersey State Police, safe boating rules and guidelines apply equally to PWC owners/riders.
WCJ has also collected the following PWC-specific safety tips, guidelines, tools and reminders.
Please be safe out there, y’all.
The Personal Watercraft Safety Guide from Discover Boating.
PWC information, tips, facts, and safety and etiquette guidelines from Boat US Foundation.
PWC Safety Practices from Boat Ed.
United Marine Underwriters talks about Coast Guard regulations and safety guidelines for PWC, including links to each state’s specific PWC-related regulations.
Nielsen Enterprises promotes safe PWC use.
And the Personal Watercraft Industry Association’s Safety Page.
And a PWC Safety video from Boating Magazine
As well as Sea-Doo’s PWC Water Safety WebPage and PWC Water Safety Course
