A Boating Safety Course Can Save Your Life

You’re probably aware that a boating safety course can save you 5 percent, and sometimes more, on your boat insurance costs. The course can also save your life. Boating safety courses cover an extensive array of essential information for anyone spending time on the water, including the type of safety equipment you should carry on board.

Boating safety courses encompasses a wide variety of information that helps keep you, passengers and your watercraft safe. Statistics show that a full 85 percent of boating fatalities in Florida involved boaters that had never taken a boating safety course. Advanced courses are also offered that addresses topics ranging from engine maintenance to navigation.

Rules of the Waterways

Piloting a boat isn’t like driving a car on the roadways where there are road signs that tell you what to do and when. For safe piloting of a vessel, you must rely on knowing rules of the waterways to prevent crashes with other watercraft, maneuver the vessel when entering and exiting channels, and in busy marina situations.

Tides and Weather

An understanding of tides and weather is critical. You can listen to weather reports, but being able to accurately read the signs of an incoming storm is critical. In South Florida, squalls can develop quickly and the storms will affect you far differently on a boat than on dry land. Tides ebb and flow and knowing their rhythm will prevent you from being stuck due to low tides.

Safety Equipment

You’ll also learn about the essential supplies that should always be stocked on any craft to ensure the safety of all who sail on her. Adult life jackets, also known as personal flotational devices (PFDs), are essential and required by law. They’re fitted according to your chest size at the broadest point, not your weight. If a dangerous situation does occur, it’s important for the PFD to fit its wearer appropriately. Conversely, a PFD for children is determined by weight. Don’t forget a PFD for any pets that will be on board.

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The Sena Group
6501 Congress Ave., Ste. 100
Boca Raton, FL 33487