The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission conducted their Operation Dry Water campaign this past holiday weekend.

Sergeant John Beardsley with District 1 Area 2 explained that Operation Dry Water is intended to encourage people to be safe on water by refraining from drinking alcohol in excess and by always wearing a life jacket while boating or partaking in water activities.

Beardsley said that the campaign focuses on educating the public through media releases and one-on-one interactions while enforcing the laws put in place to protect boaters.

“If we could turn the switch today, we wouldn’t have anyone crashing boats or losing their life; that’s the ultimate goal,” said Beardsley. He relayed that this campaign is ongoing to ensure safety throughout the waters of North Carolina.

Two reportable boating incidents occurred in Dare County this past weekend.

The first was an incident involving two personal watercraft, which took place in Hatteras. Beardsley reported that the Jet Skis collided, with one running into the back of another. No one was injured. The incident occurred on July 3.

The second reportable incident happened on July 5 around 3:30 p.m. at Pirate’s Cove. Beardsley explained that this incident involved an 80 ft. private sportfishing vessel which entered the marina at a speed greater than the no wake speed. The vessel impacted pilings moored to the dock while also ripping a cleat up out of the dock. Again, no one was injured during the incident.

Beardsley said the most common violation over the weekend was children under the age of 13 not wearing a life jacket.

The commission’s “Preserve Your Life” campaign reminds all boaters to put on a life jacket before boarding a vessel. “Wearing a life jacket is a simple safety precaution that can prevent tragedy from happening in the event of an accident.”

In District 1, which includes the counties of Camden, Currituck, Dare, Hyde, Tyrell, Washington, Martin, Bertie, Hertford, Chowan, Gates, Perquimans and Pasquotank, there were 39 boating citations issued, 55 boating warning issued and 14 non-boating violations.

Boating at night typically increases during holiday weekends, so the WRC urges boaters to practice caution and be on high alert due to reduced visibility. Inland lighting rules are in effect and water skiing is prohibited between one hour after sunset and one hour before sunrise. Personal watercraft are prohibited on state waters between sunset and sunrise.

For more information, visit www.ncwildlife.org/boating.

READ MORE IN OUR ON THE WATER SECTION HERE.

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