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Ada County Sheriff's Office Marine Patrol educate people on boat safety

Posted at 10:05 PM, May 25, 2019
and last updated 2019-05-26 00:41:23-04

BOISE — Heading out on the lake is a summertime staple in Idaho and the Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial start of the season.

The weather may not have been ideal for it Saturday, but if you're hitting the water this summer, it's important to stay safe while you're having fun in the sun.

Hyrum Jones with the Ada County Sheriff's Office marine patrol says every summer they expect thousands on the water.

Unfortunately, he says they've seen accidents.

"We've had people out here unfortunately lose their life for things like riding on the bow of the boat when the boat when was moving and falling off. We've had instances where kids got thrown off a tube into a wall just because boaters weren't taking the precautions to give themselves proper distances from objects," said Jones.

They'll be out enforcing no wake zones, safety while pulling people, equipment, and proximity to other boats.

"Obviously some alcohol enforcement," said Jones. "It is still .08. You can't be over .08. Obviously, we encourage voters to boaters to drink responsibly."

He recommends wearing your life jacket at all times when you're on a boat.

He says all occupants of the boat have to have a life jacket available to them.

Jones says their number one goal is working to prevent people from getting hurt by educating them.

"I love boating. I like being with the public. I like being in this platform where it's more of the talking to people, educating and be able to let them enjoy their time and have that kind of interaction with them," said Jones.

If you'd like to learn more about water safety and boating classes or the marine patrol head to Idaho Parks & Recreation boating