Author: Jeff Moag

Royalty-free image - A speeding motorboat moves through the water with large text above: "YOU'RE CLOSER THAN YOU THINK." At the bottom, small text warns about distractions while boating and promotes wearing life jackets and staying vigilant.

Black Oak Creative Develops New Boating Safety Campaign for the WSF

For the first time in its 15 years managing life-saving boating safety campaigns, the Water Sports Foundation (WSF) has contracted a top-tier creative design agency. The WSF selected Black Oak Creative of Winter Haven, Florida, for its years of marine industry experience and forward-leaning creative designs. The WSF has so far debuted seven new advertisements […]

Royalty-free image - A man in a cap smiles and shows a peace sign while sitting on a boat at sea during sunset, with calm water and an orange sky in the background.

The Pocket-Sized Beacon That Could Save Your Life

Aaron Carotta’s dramatic rescue from the mid-Pacific is the best argument to carry a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) By Jeff Moag In my years as an adventure journalist I’ve written about plenty of amazing journeys. There was Aleksandr “Olek” Doba, who paddled a kayak across the Atlantic three times in his sixties and seventies. Randall […]

Royalty-free image - A bearded man wearing a baseball cap and a yellow life jacket is on the ocean with waves and blue sky behind him. The text "LOVE Y'ALL" is written across the center of the image.

Fisherman Opens Up About the Beacon That Saved His Life

Thanks to a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB), Easton Barrett and his friends survived after their boat sank in the Gulf of Mexico. By Jeff Moag The video that made Easton Barrett famous was only the beginning. His boat had just gone down in the Gulf of Mexico, leaving Easton and four friends treading water and […]

Royalty-free image - A child in a life jacket walks toward a docked boat, while two adults hold hands in the foreground. Text emphasizes the importance of safety before leaving the dock.

WSF debuts ‘The Moment That Matters’ Ad Series

The Water Sports Foundation is proud to reveal the first ad in its new The Moment That Matters boating safety campaign. The full-page print ad will debut in the April 2026 issue of Boating magazine. Design agency Black Oak Creative crafted a range of similar advertisements aimed at different boating and paddling audiences. The campaign […]

Royalty-free image - A young boy with curly hair, wearing a bright orange kid’s life jacket, smiles brightly while sitting on a boat. The sun is shining, and a calm body of water with a distant shoreline is visible in the background.

Boating Fatalities Fall to Lowest Level in 50 Years

The U.S. Coast Guard’s 2024 Recreational Boating Statistics Report records the fewest boating fatalities since the Service began collecting statistics more than 50 years ago. The Coast Guard released the report Tuesday, July 1, 2025. Boating fatalities were down 1.4 percent from 564 in 2023 to 556 in 2024, continuing a “This positive news reflects […]

Royalty-free image - A smiling young child wearing an orange life jacket is outdoors near water. Text on the image reads “2024 Recreational Boating Statistics,” published by the U.S. Coast Guard in July 2025.

Recreational Boating Statistics 2024

An annual compilation of recreational boating statistics in the United States, compiled by the U.S. Coast Guard using data supplied by the U.S. states and territories.

A person in an orange life jacket looks surprised while adjusting their goggles. They are holding a red object in their left hand against a plain white background.

Un Paseo En Bote

¿Por qué el papá siempre es el tonto en estos videos? En este video titulado “Un paseo en bote”, el canal de YouTube WSF Boating & Paddling Safety presenta una historia educativa sobre la seguridad en actividades acuáticas. A través de una narrativa centrada en una familia que se embarca en un paseo en bote, […]

¡Porque Los Niños No Saben Nadar!

El video titulado “¡Porque los niños no saben nadar!” del canal de YouTube WSF Boating & Paddling Safety aborda la importancia de la seguridad infantil en actividades acuáticas. A través de situaciones cotidianas, el video destaca cómo la supervisión constante y el uso de chalecos salvavidas son esenciales para prevenir accidentes en el agua. Se […]

Two children wearing life jackets joyfully raise their arms while standing on a wooden dock. The boy on the left wears an orange life jacket, and the girl on the right wears a yellow one. Boats are visible in the background.

La Nieta Sabia

Este video titulado “La Nieta Sabia” del canal de YouTube WSF Boating & Paddling Safety presenta una narrativa educativa centrada en la seguridad en actividades acuáticas. A través de la historia de una nieta y su abuelo, se destacan prácticas seguras al navegar y remar. El video enfatiza la importancia del uso de chalecos salvavidas, […]

No Intentes Esto En Casa

Este video, titulado “No intentes esto en casa”, es publicado en el canal de YouTube WSF Boating & Paddling Safety, y presenta una serie de situaciones que ilustran prácticas peligrosas en actividades acuáticas. A través de ejemplos reales y recreaciones, el video destaca la importancia de seguir las normas de seguridad al navegar o practicar […]

WSF Applauds DICK’S Paddling Safety Initiative

Retailer joins nonprofits and state agencies to promote kayaking and paddleboarding safety ORLANDO, FL, UNITED STATES, October 22, 2024 — The Water Sports Foundation, a recreational boating safety advocacy group, is coordinating a paddling safety effort including state agencies, nonprofits and retailer DICK’S Sporting Goods. The initiative seeks to engage large sporting goods chains and warehouse […]

Striper Hunt Nearly Turns Deadly For Kayak Angler

Ambrose Salmini was going through a rough patch in April 2022 and like many of us he took comfort in fishing. But that wasn’t going well either. “It was five days in a row and I did not even have a bite. I can’t really explain how strong that urge to catch a fish was,” […]

Boater’s High-Speed Ejection and Survival Swim

‘What are the odds?’ asks Jack Doty after miracle rescue from freezing lake After a close call in the frigid waters of Minnesota’s Lake Minnetonka, Jack Doty is urging fellow boaters to avoid the mistakes that nearly cost him his life. This month the lifelong boater shared his cautionary tale on The Qualified Captain podcast. […]

One-In-A-Million Ghost Boat Rescue

The quick thinking and extraordinary luck that brought a North Carolina fisherman back from the brink. Andrew Sherman and his son Jack were fishing 37 miles off the North Carolina coast when they spotted a boat coming straight at them. Andrew directed a few choice words toward the 23-foot Parker cuddy cabin rumbling along on […]

License-free image A young girl with an excited smile holds a fishing pole. She is wearing a life vest and is on a boat. Another person, also in a life vest, is taking her photo. The background is a blurred water scene.

When A Life Jacket Is Not a Life Jacket

Ordering a kid’s life jacket online is no guarantee you’ll get a U.S. Coast Guard approved device that will protect your child Looking forward to another season of boating with her young family, Allie Wojciak went online and bought a new life jacket for her son. At least, she thought she did. Wojciak typed “toddler […]

ACA’s Largest-Ever Training Event

On May 18, in what may have been the largest ACA led safety training event in ACA history, the ACA Regional Activity Council rallied the paddlesports community across seven states to train 471 people in one day to kick off National Safe Boating Week. This year marked a significant expansion of an already successful volunteer-led […]

Record Decline In Boating Deaths Has One Exception

ORLANDO, FL – The Coast Guard last week reported the largest year-over-year drop in recreational boating fatalities in more than a decade, but that encouraging news was tempered by an increase in paddling deaths. According to the agency’s Recreational Boating Safety Statistics for 2023, overall boating fatalities fell a whopping 11.3 percent, from 636 in […]

Recreational Boating Statistics 2023

An annual compilation of recreational boating statistics in the United States, compiled by the U.S. Coast Guard using data supplied by the U.S. states and territories.