Many Provincial parks openend this weekend, people are anxious to get out on the lake.
Dr. Christopher Love, Water Smart and Safety management coordinator for Life Society Manitoba has Some critical tips to enjoy the Lakes safely.
"5 key points we want everybody to be thinking about. #1. Wear your life jacket, #2. Boat Sober, #3. Be Prepared, #4. take a boating course, and #5 is Be cold water safe or cold water aware.
Being prepared is a key factor that could prevent you from becoming a statistic, as 450 drowning deaths happen annually in Canada.
Cold water shock and a lack of a life jacket can have a person drowned in a matter of seconds, as the cold water locks down your reaction and sends you deeper into the water.
Dr. Love Recommends wearing a life jacket, and properly too.
"If you're wearing one that's ill-fitted or not done up properly, the worst case scenario, it's going to fail, it's not going to support you. I suppose in a really worst case scenario, you get tangled up in it because you're not wearing it properly and you cant do anything. you can't swim, you can't float."
May 18th- the 24th is Safe Boating Awareness week, so keep these tips in mind before you hop in a boat, lest you find yourself in an emergancy.
