Staying safe on the water: Warm temps are here, but the water remains cold

It’s going to be a hot weekend in Western Washington and that means people will be flocking to local beaches, lakes, rivers and waterways. Although the air temperatures will be the warmest this year, that doesn’t mean the water temperatures are as well.

“You hit that water it’s 50 degrees the first thing you’re going to do is go ooh!” Russ Baker, of Candere Cruising, said. Candere Cruising provides sightseeing tours around the Puget Sound and Lake Union.

If you’re not wearing a life jacket or have one on board, things can turn from a good time to an emergency situation quickly. Seattle Fire says if someone is struggling in the water, do not jump in after them.

“They’re likely to grab you and pull you down under and you know whoever responds has to find two victims rather than one,” Kaila Lafferty, of SFD, said. “Don’t jump in after them, that can cause a way bigger situation.” She said the best thing you can do is call 911 and wait for rescuers to arrive. SFD always has rescue swimmers on shift so they can respond at a moment’s notice.

“Make sure you keep your eye on that person until emergency responders are able to arrive,” she said. “Water moves right so someone could drift a different direction and if you’re standing in that same spot and keeping your eyes on them when those first responders arrive, you’re able to tell them exactly where that person is.” If the person is more than an arm’s length away, you can also throw them a floatable.

“We have the life ring back here and we use seat cushions that are floatables in the event someone ends up in the water there’s something available to get to them quickly,” Baker said. King County Public Health said there were 30 preventable drownings in 2023, that means they could have been avoided if people had responded differently or prepared ahead.

“Even at low speeds having someone sit at the front of the boat with their legs dangling over the front of the boat is incredibly dangerous, if a wave comes up and catches them or a squirmy kid, and you’re driving, I don’t need to describe what happens,” Dylan McCoy, also of Candere Cruising, said. McCoy also said to make sure you’re respecting the environment and waterways when you’re recreating.

“It’s actually federal law absolutely nothing in these waters, whether out on the lakes or in the Puget Sound can leave your boat whether it’s a piece of plastic or a plastic bottle or an aluminum can or beer bottle, anything oily,” he said. “Nothing can go overboard, it’s the law and the environment and we all want to take care of it.”