Long Island mariners urged to follow safety rules as boating season gets underway

Statistics show that boating is safer in New York than it’s been in more than four decades, and recently released state data shows a significant drop in related fatalities last year, with none on Long Island. But as the summer season gets underway, mariners are reminded to keep basic safety tips in mind.

Last year, the state had nine boating deaths or an average of about two fatalities per 100,000 registered vessels, according to a 2024 report released by the New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. That’s the lowest boating fatality rate since the 1970s, when there were about 21 deaths per 100,000 registered vessels, according to the agency report, which began recording the data then. The fatality rate includes people on paddle crafts, defined as rowboats, canoes, kayaks, paddleboards and crew shells.

Increased education and life jacket use as well as tougher boating-while-intoxicated laws have contributed to the drop in boating fatalities, according to the report.

Heightened law enforcement on the waters also has helped drive down the number of boating deaths, according to the report. There were over 3,000 boating citations and arrests on Long Island last year, with the most in the state issued in Southampton, an area overseen by multiple agencies. There were 1,589 boating-related citations and arrests in Southampton. The Nassau County Police Department recorded 706 citations and arrests, according to the report and a state parks department spokesman. 

Richard Franks, senior marine patrol officer at the Southampton Town Marine Patrol, which conducts joint enforcement on the water with other agencies, said most violations are for equipment and vessel operations. He urged people to pay attention to speed signs and swim areas, while noting that increased enforcement and education are helping to reduce accidents.

In 2023, 18 people died in boating incidents across the state, including five on Long Island, according to the state report. Not wearing a personal flotation device was the leading cause of death and incidents, according to the report. Intoxication was a main contributing factor in 20% of all boating fatalities between 2005 and 2024, according to the recent report. On Long Island, there were also 39 boating accidents and 12 injuries in 2024.

Officials and experts stressed that boaters must keep safety equipment handy, including a marine radio, in case of an emergency.

Franks said it's critical for boat operators to affix the emergency engine-cutoff switch lanyard to themselves while steering the vessel. "This prevents, if anybody ever falls overboard, that the boat doesn't continue operating on its own, unmanned," Franks said. 

While U.S. Coast Guard-approved personal flotation devices are typically required to be worn only by children under 12 and by anyone riding or operating a personal watercraft, officials urged everyone to wear one. Lt. James Meehan, at marine patrol with the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office, said most fatalities involved people without life jackets. He said some paddleboarders believe the paddleboard can double as a flotation device, creating what he said is a "false sense of security because ... what happens is they fall off and they can't grab back onto it."

Meehan and other officials also pointed to a lack of overall boater safety awareness. Everyone who operates a motorized boat or personal watercraft is now mandated to take a state-approved safety course under Brianna’s Law. Enacted in 2020, the legislation was named or 11-year-old Brianna Lieneck, of St. James, who died when a large vessel crashed into her family’s boat while they were returning from Fire Island in 2005. The course, which was gradually phased in, typically runs eight hours, and can be taken online or in person.

"What we're seeing this year is a significant increase in boaters who have been on the water for many years that are now required to have the certification that did not have it," said Alan Alterman, owner of New York Boating Safety in East Meadow, which offers the course.

Alterman, who is also a member of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, said he’s had one boater as old as 92 take the course and several others in their 80s. 

"They all feel that they have learned something," Alterman said, adding that a VHF (Very High Frequency) marine radio is a critical emergency tool for all boaters because it is monitored by other vessels and emergency services. 

The weather is another element people need to be mindful of, officials said. 

Investigator Brandon Clark, with the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, said the Island's shifting weather patterns have been known to cause trouble. "That plays a big factor in a lot of the rescue cases that we have, just the rapid change in weather conditions," Clark said.

Lt. Jonathan Roth, a spokesman at the U.S. Coast Guard for the area that includes the South Shore of Long Island, said the agency's auxiliary unit offers safety courses as well as a free vessel safety check. 

"A lot of mariners are kind of dusting off the cobwebs, literally and figuratively, on some of their boats and some of their equipment. ... We recommend that they do a thorough inspection of their vessels and their equipment," he said.