Safe Boating Resources
Lots of great stuff to keep kids safe! Click on each title below to access helpful information.
Life Vest and Boating Safety
U.S. Coast Guard: Life Jacket Wear/Wearing Your Life Jacket 🛟 A U.S. Coast Guard Boating Safety Division page exclusively dedicated to life jacket regulation and information.
U.S. Coast Guard: How to Choose the Right Life Jacket Guide 🛟 A handy, colorful visual guide on how to choose the correct life jacket. It also includes a section on children’s life jackets.
BoatUS Foundation 🛟 A colorful visual on how to complete the “Life Vest Fit Test.”
Boat US Minimum Equipment 🛟 This is a great display of the USCG minimum safety equipment requirements based on boat size. To get your list, just click on your size boat.
Into the Outdoors – Into Boating Safety: How Life Jackets Save You 🛟 A “kids teaching kids” YouTube approach that combines science and adventure to take kids on a learning journey about the outdoors. This is one of many engaging videos on boating safety for kids (and adults too 😊)
California Boaters Card
California Boater Card 🛟 A California State Parks website dedicated to obtaining a California Boater Card. Currently, the law states that everyone 50 years of age or younger (by 2025, all persons) who can legally operate a boat on California waters must have a California Boater Card. On this site, you can apply for the card and get an extensive list of approved* boating safety courses.
Boat U.S. Foundation (FREE COURSE) 🛟 Online boating safety course per state. Although the course is free, they do ask for a donation of $10.00. This can be zeroed through if you do not want to donate. The California Course includes six lessons, each with a 10-question quiz and a 60-question final exam with 10 state-specific questions, all with an 80% passing requirement.
America’s U.S. Boating Club/US Power Squadrons (PAID COURSE) 🛟 This is the course both my husband and I took. It is available as an online course, and the current cost is $34.95 in most states. The cost includes a full-color downloadable color manual entitled America’s Boating Course. This has been a resource I go to regularly! And it is approved by the State of California and The National Association of State Boating Law Administrators.
Get Involved - Safe Boating Campaigns
BoatUS Foundation 🛟 A national nonprofit 501(c)3 organization funded by grants and individual donations whose mission is to promote safe, clean, and responsible boating by providing educational outreach.
National Safe Boating Council’s Safe Boating Campaign 🛟 An effort to encourage boating enthusiasts to share with their local community about responsible boating via social media, launch point reminders, outreach events, vessel safety checks, and more.
Statistics
U.S. Coast Guard 2023 Recreational Boating Statistics 🛟 In 2023, 564 deaths were caused by recreational boating accidents. Where cause of death was known, 75% of fatal boating accident victims drowned. Of those drowning victims with reported life jacket usage, 87% were not wearing a life jacket. Of the 564 tragic deaths, 11 of those victims were younger than 13 years old.