Keep yourself and your family safe this summer with these boating safety tips:

Print/view these tips here.

• Take a boating safety course, such as the Minnesota Boating Safety Course and Exam, which is available online.
  
• Have a float plan before boating. Know your route and make sure someone knows when to expect you home.
  
• Learn to swim.
  
• Learn CPR.

Prior to boating:

• Check equipment, fuel level, and the weather.
  

• Make sure you have:
  

  • Working fire extinguisher and CO detector
    
  • Throwable life preserver on a rope
    
  • Life jackets for each passenger
    
  • Sunscreen
    
  • Bucket to bail out water
    
  • Noise making device should you get in trouble and need to alert someone

While boating:

• Wear your lifejacket.
  
• Don't swim within 10 feet of the back of a boat for at least 10-15 minutes after the engine has been shut off.
  
• Be aware of the exhaust exposure of other boats when you are parked near them. The Carbon Monoxide from the exhaust on a boat can equal the exhaust from 166 cars.
  
• Be aware of the symptoms of Carbon Monoxide toxicity- headaches, fatigue, nausea, dizziness, confusion or unresponsiveness. Many of the symptoms can be mistaken for a long day in sun, being on rocky water and intoxication.
  
• Avoid prolonged exposure to the exhaust area of the boat.
  
• Avoid swimming or diving under the swim platforms of the boat or near the motor.
  
• Don't dive off a boat until you know the depth of the water.
  
• Towed passengers (tubers, skiers) should be at least 20 feet from the back of the boat.
  
• Don't drink and drive a boat, and don't drink and watch children. Inattentiveness can result in a child drowning.

Just as on the roadways....be aware of other boats that may have inattentive boat drivers, drunk boat drivers, and inexperienced boat drivers!