Contact: 

Dave White, Coastal Recreation and Tourism Specialist, New York Sea Grant, E: dgw9@cornell.edu, P: 315-312-3042

— By Carlin Feck, TV 9 Bridge Street

Syracuse, NY, June 22, 2022 - Boating season has arrived but staying safe on the water is key to enjoying our summer months here in Central New York. New York Sea Grant Coastal Recreation Specialist Dave White discusses the importance of boating safety this summer.

With the change of the season from spring to summer comes the change in boating regulations. Every year, boaters can expect to see new safety regulations come into effect and must take note of them. This year, fire extinguishers on board must be within 12 years of their manufacturing dates. This is to make sure the fire extinguisher will be guaranteed to work in the event of an emergency.

According to Dave White, taking that extra fifteen minutes to prepare before a boating outing will guarantee a great, safe time. This year, gas prices are part of that preparation because of their alarmingly high rates. However, Dave says gas prices shouldn’t stop you from getting out on the water this summer.

When it comes to essentials, life jackets aren’t the only must-have on board. Flares, an SOS flag and any sound-producing device (even a whistle) are key safety tools that should be on board and readily accessible.

Dave also reminds us that this is a great time to hop online and take a boating safety course.

There are a plethora of rental boats available in CNY this summer. According to Dave, safety on a rental boat is a mutual responsibility. The vessel will be equipped with emergency equipment, and customers will be shown where the emergency equipment is as well as how to use it. Renting a boat is a great opportunity to try out boating this summer, from pontoon boats to canoes and kayaks.

For more information on boating safety and Sea Grant, visit www.nyseagrant.org. For more information on the US Coast Guard, visit uscgboating.org.

NYSG's White frequently appears as a boating safety specialist on "Bridge Street," a locally-produced daily talk show of News Channel 9 WSYR-TV, the ABC affiliate covering Syracuse and Central New York.

More Info: New York Sea Grant

New York Sea Grant (NYSG), a cooperative program of Cornell University and the State University of New York (SUNY), is one of 34 university-based programs under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Sea Grant College Program.

Since 1971, NYSG has represented a statewide network of integrated research, education and extension services promoting coastal community economic vitality, environmental sustainability and citizen awareness and understanding about the State’s marine and Great Lakes resources.

Through NYSG’s efforts, the combined talents of university scientists and extension specialists help develop and transfer science-based information to many coastal user groups—businesses and industries, federal, state and local government decision-makers and agency managers, educators, the media and the interested public.

The program maintains Great Lakes offices at Cornell University, SUNY Buffalo, SUNY Oswego and the Wayne County Cooperative Extension office in Newark. In the State's marine waters, NYSG has offices at Stony Brook University in Long Island, Brooklyn College and Cornell Cooperative Extension in NYC and Kingston in the Hudson Valley.

For updates on Sea Grant activities: www.nyseagrant.org has RSS, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube links. NYSG offers a free e-list sign up via www.nyseagrant.org/nycoastlines for its flagship publication, NY Coastlines/Currents, which is published quarterly.