New Mexico State Parks launches recreational boating season by recognizing National Safe Boating Week, May 18-24
SANTA FE, NM – Your New Mexico State Parks are embarking on the summer recreational boating season with an important and timely message – Life jackets save lives! Wear it!/Chalecos Salvavidas Salvan Vidas, Usalos!
“Annually our State Park Rangers are faced with tragedies on the water involving people who died because they were not wearing a life jacket or were participating in unsafe activities on or near the water,” said Toby Velasquez, State Parks Director. “National Safe Boating Week is an important reminder before the Memorial Day weekend that wearing your life jacket should always be a top priority on New Mexico’s waterways.”
This year, National Safe Boating Week is May 21–27. The National Safe Boating Council (NSBC) sponsors the water safety campaign, which focuses on drawing attention to the number of people who die in boating-related accidents. United States Coast Guard statistics show that each year, approximately 75 percent of boaters who drowned were not wearing life jackets.
“There were ten boating-related fatalities in New Mexico in 2023,” said Manuel Overby, Chief of Law Enforcement and Boating Safety. “It doesn’t matter how old you are or how well you think you can swim. Accidents happen quickly, and if you’re not already wearing a life jacket you won’t have time to put one on.”
Make sure you, your family, and your friends are ready to have the best day on the water by being prepared during National Safe Boating Week, and throughout boating season. Practicing the following steps can save your life and the lives of the people boating with and around you:
- Always wear a life jacket.
- Designate a sober boat operator.
- Dress appropriately for the weather. Wear layers, bring extra sets of clothes in case you get wet, and remember to dress for the water temperature.
- File a float plan and always tell someone where you will be boating.
- All motorboat, personal watercraft, and sailboat operators born on or after January 1, 1989, must successfully complete a boating safety course to boat in New Mexico.
- You must wear a lifejacket while on a canoe, kayak, or stand-up paddleboard.
- All children 12 years old and younger must wear a life jacket while on the deck of a moving vessel.
- Take a FREE boating safety course and get a FREE vessel check. Call 1-888-NMPARKS (1-888-667-2757) or visit www.emnrd.nm.gov/spd/ for details.
Your 35 State Parks are located in 25 of New Mexico’s 33 counties, and 23 of these destinations have a source of water varying from ponds and streams to lakes and rivers. To learn more and to make a reservation, please visit emnrd.nm.com.
New Mexico State Park rangers teach boaters the rules of the water and can help you choose the right life jacket. Photo: NM State Parks
New Mexico State Parks is a division of the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department. Our mission is to protect and enhance natural and cultural resources, provide first-class recreational and education facilities and opportunities, and promote public safety to benefit and enrich the lives of visitors.
