Paddlers need to wear lifejackets

OLYMPIA — Paddlesports like kayaking, canoeing and stand-up paddleboarding accounted for 61% of reportable boating fatalities from 2023– 2024, and 18 out of the 22 paddlesport fatalities occurred when the individual was not wearing a life jacket, according to a news release from the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission.

“What folks might not know when getting out on the water is they are required to carry a life jacket with them by law,” Derek VanDyke, recreational safety education coordinator, said.

Children 12 years old and younger must wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket at all times on the water in a vessel less than 19 feet in length, unless in a fully enclosed area, the law says. So do jet skiers and others on motorized personal watercraft. Non-motorized watercraft such as paddleboards are not required to wear the lifejacket by law, but should, according to VanDyke.

“Having (a life jacket) with you won’t save a life in case of an emergency — you have to wear it,” he said in the news release.