PANAMA CITY BEACH — A serene day on the water can turn tragic in a moment's notice unless boat operators are alert and sober, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) officials warn.
So as the summer recreational boating season gets into full swing, the FWC is ramping up its efforts the weekend before the Fourth of July as part of a national campaign to stop boating under the influence. While snorkelers swirled in the waters and hundreds of boats amassed off the coast of Shell Island in St. Andrew Bay, FWC officers set out to spread awareness of boating under the influence and prevent as many boating accidents as possible.
FWC spokeswoman Bekah Nelson said FWC’s main tool in doing so would be an additional presence in the bay to look for signs of inebriation.
“We’re making people aware because we want to deter people from boating under the influence,” she said. “Alcohol is the leading factor in boating fatalities, and by cracking down on boating under the influence, we hope to prevent boating fatalities.”
FWC has participated in Operation Dry Bay, a nationwide effort to curb drunken boating, for several years. Officer Travis Basford said almost every year drunken boating leads to a tragedy for all parties involved.
“It’s bad all around,” he said. “Everybody involved loses.”
While Basford said he hasn’t responded to a boating fatality in Bay County, on his previous beat in Palm Beach one incident stuck out as particularly tragic. A family outing took a horrible turn when the father, who Basford said was intoxicated, decided to jump off a moving vessel at about 40 or 45 mph. The mother and children were still on the boat as authorities searched for signs of his body in the water, Basford said.
Lifeless, he emerged the next day, he said.
“Nobody in their right mind would do that,” Basford said. “But that’s what alcohol can do to your decision-making faculties.
Basford and several other FWC officers will be on the water in the coming weeks to spot anyone displaying drunken characteristics, he said.
On the water it can be tricky without lanes to tell whether someone is swerving, but anyone speeding or not obeying navigation guidelines could be subject to an FWC stop. Officers also have the option to stop anyone at any time to perform a safety check, and being caught while boating under the influence can result in jail time and a possible restriction of boating privileges.
Florida has the most registered boaters in the country and the most boating crashes. In 2014, FWC officers reported 685 crashes, exceeding even California, which reported 426 crashes. Bay County has 18,057 registered boats and 2,286 personal watercrafts, according to FWC reports.
While Bay County did not rank on the statewide boating accident charts, it did make it on the board as one of the top 12 counties with personal watercraft crashes in 2014, FWC reported.
Florida also held the record for most boating-related fatalities in the country.
“We want to reduce that number,” Basford said. “We want to reduce all boating accidents, period. But we really want to reduce boating injuries and fatalities.”
The best way to do so, officers say, is don’t drink and boat. Always have someone sober on board to operate the boat and know the navigation rules. Maintain a safe speed, keep a proper lookout for others at all times and take action to avoid collisions, Basford said.
“You have to multitask on a boat,” he added. “If your reaction time is slowed, that’s dangerous.”