{"id":1061,"date":"2018-05-16T20:43:24","date_gmt":"2018-05-16T20:43:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/?p=1061"},"modified":"2023-09-21T21:19:27","modified_gmt":"2023-09-21T21:19:27","slug":"guide-personal-boat-pwc-safety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/uncategorized\/guide-personal-boat-pwc-safety\/","title":{"rendered":"Your Guide to Personal Watercraft (PWC) Safety"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A day of surf and sand is your kind of day; especially if it\u2019s on your personal watercraft. Whether you\u2019re on a fishing boat or a private yacht, know that you\u2019re one of about 17 million or more Americans that enjoy being out on the waves on a water vessel or personal watercraft (PWC). As always, safety must come first, even on vacation days out at sea. Although the regulations for PWCs aren\u2019t nearly as stringent as they are for larger water vehicles, there are still rules that need to be followed when out at sea. PWC safety is just as important as boat safety. Whether your ride is 6 feet wide or 16 feet wide, every rider and passenger needs to follow the rules, regulations, and safety precautions that come with riding a PWC.<\/p>\n<h2>What to Wear<\/h2>\n<p>If you\u2019ve found the perfect jet ski, you may have thought about how fun it\u2019ll be riding the waves and maybe jet ski <em>safety <\/em>wasn\u2019t exactly on your mind at the time you bought it. But watercraft safety is important, especially regarding what you wear while riding. What you <em>wear<\/em> on a personal watercraft is just as important as what you <em>do<\/em> on a personal watercraft. Making sure you\u2019ve got the right gear and protection while you\u2019re out on the waves is an important part of PWC safety. Some of the items you should be wearing include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A life vest<\/li>\n<li>A pair of water shoes<\/li>\n<li>A pair of gloves<\/li>\n<li>Waterproof sunscreen with high SPF<\/li>\n<li>A pair of sunglasses<\/li>\n<li>A wet suit<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You may feel that wearing some of these items on your Sea Doo or Waverunner may make the ride less fun, but safety simply must come first. By wearing these items while riding your PWC, you minimize your safety risks, including sunburn, personal injury, drowning and more. Don\u2019t blow off these safety items; they could potentially save your life.<\/p>\n<h2>What to Bring Onboard<\/h2>\n<p>If you have a watercraft larger than a jet ski (such as a sailboat, paddle boat, or fishing boat), there are a number of items you should carry onboard for the safety of you and your passengers. Some of the items you should have onboard at all times include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A First aid kit<\/li>\n<li>An Anchor<\/li>\n<li>A Fire extinguisher<\/li>\n<li>A pair (or two pairs) of oars<\/li>\n<li>A length of mooring line<\/li>\n<li>A safety lanyard for the ignition<\/li>\n<li>A Compass<\/li>\n<li>A visual signaling device<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Some PWC Safety Don\u2019ts<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Don\u2019t ride airborne within 100 feet of another watercraft or boat<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t weave through congested waterway traffic<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t ride within 100 feet of another watercraft or boat at greater than slow\/no wake speed<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Some PWC Safety Do\u2019s<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Do read and understand the features of your watercraft within the Operations Manual<\/li>\n<li>Do ensure that your ride is compliant with Coast Guard regulations<\/li>\n<li>Do follow the weather forecast and ride with discretion<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Regardless of how you choose to ride the waves, always put safety first. Take heed to the tips and advice provided here. Make sure you also read up on your state\u2019s watercraft safety laws. The best way to have fun on your PWC is by having fun on the water with your safety intact.<\/p>\n<p><em>Insuring your watercraft is another important safety measure you can take toward PWC safety. Freeway Insurance can help you obtain affordable watercraft insurance and it only takes a few minutes. Request a free <a href=\"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/insurance-options\/boat-insurance\/\">watercraft insurance quote<\/a> online or over the phone at <strong>(800) 777-5620 <\/strong>to get started.<br \/>\n<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A day of surf and sand is your kind of day; especially if it\u2019s on your personal watercraft. Whether you\u2019re on a fishing boat or a private yacht, know that you\u2019re one of about 17 million or more Americans that enjoy being out on the waves on a water vessel or personal watercraft (PWC). As [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1002553,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[132],"importance":[],"type-content":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1061"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1002553"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1061"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1061\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9444,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1061\/revisions\/9444"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1061"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1061"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1061"},{"taxonomy":"importance","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/importance?post=1061"},{"taxonomy":"type-content","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/type-content?post=1061"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}