National Public Relations Outreach Campaign

The Water Sports Foundation’s National Public Relations Outreach Campaign produced the largest online repository of boating safety content, using materials provided by the United States Coast Guard, the Water Sports Foundation, and other boating safety nonprofits, organizations and stakeholders. The purpose of the National Boating Safety Media Center was to create a comprehensive, one-stop resource featuring relevant boating safety content and statistical data, still and video images, and expert contacts available for media interviews.

The campaign created a curated database of national and regional media that cover boating and boating safety, including television, magazines, newspapers, radio, podcasts and social media. This database was developed and used during the project’s funding period in 2020 – 2021, resulting in 641 news stories and more than 1 billion potential media impressions. The database and media center continue to be a valuable resource for journalists and recreational boating safety advocates.

Video: Shared Waterways – Safely Using America’s Resources

This video reminds boaters of all types, both commercial and recreational, from kayakers to shipping freighters that our nation’s waterways are a shared resource and that a certain level of responsibility to safely share our waterways is the duty of all boaters. See if the scenarios in this video remind you of your local waterway!

Video: Life Jackets and Seat Belts, It’s Your Choice

This creative video contrasts the societal norms of seat belt usage in cars against life jacket wear rates in boats but, it doesn’t matter which mode of transportation, once you’ve realized that you’re about to be in an accident, there’s no time to buckle up in a car or a boat. Watch how these two scenarios unfold.

Video: Phyllis Kopytko Accident/Engine Cut Off Switch

Boating accident survivor, Phyllis Kopytko, tells her harrowing story of how she and her husband were ejected from a speeding boat and then suddenly fighting for their lives as the boat circled them with no one on board. This real-life video re-enactment reminds boaters about basic boating safety such as always wearing an engine cutoff device and a U.S. Coast Guard approved life jacket.

Video: Lake of the Ozarks Impairment

Watch for the first time as we see the lasting effects that impaired boating has on first responders as Lake of the Ozarks Missouri Highway Patrolmen share their insights on years of impaired boater accident investigations. Corporal Stacey Mosher (25 years with Missouri water patrol) reports that alcohol was involved in every fatal incident she’s investigated, so it’s important for boaters, just like drivers, to always designate a sober skipper.

Video: Balancing Act BUI PSA

This short, but very clever video depiction is an important reminder for boaters that operating a boat while impaired is dangerous and could be costly. It’s just not worth the risk!

Video: Super Hero Life Jacket

Life jackets save lives. Boaters should be reminded that accidents are not predictable and therefore a life jacket should be worn at all times while boating. Watch this humorous interaction between a father and a son while choosing their favorite life jacket before a day on the water.

Video: New Life Jacket Labels Explained

This informative video explains the Coast Guard’s new life jacket labeling system showing boaters exactly what the new label’s icons mean and how to choose a new life jacket.

Video: Properly Sizing Children’s Life Jacket

This creative animated video reminds boaters of how important it is to have a child’s life jacket fit properly. The U. S. Coast Guard approved video shows examples of life jackets that are too big and how they may slip off the child during an emergency.

Boating Magazine Wins Video Awards

At the annual and prestigious Boating Writer’s International Awards, BOATING took away six awards, most notably completely sweeping the ”Boating Video” category.

Video: Life Jacket Proper Fit

Watch this informative video to learn how important a properly fitting a life jacket truly is. Improperly fitting life jackets can be dangerous so, in this video, you’ll also learn the critical steps to determining a properly fitting life jacket.

NSBC BoatBeat Blog: Alcohol and Boating Don’t Mix

Drunken passengers can easily fall overboard, swim near the propeller, lean over the side, or stand up in small vessels, causing vessels to capsize. Sun, wind, boat and wave action intensify the effects of alcohol.

NSBC BoatBeat Blog: Carriage of Fire Extinguishers

All extinguishers must be Coast Guard approved marine type extinguishers, and have a UL rating of 5-B or higher, which can be found on their label.

NSBC BoatBeat Blog: The Rules of the Road

The Navigation Rules are much like the rules of the road on the highway. They establish a consistent way to navigate safely and avoid collisions when two boats are crossing paths, are on course to meet head-on, or when one boat wishes to overtake another.

NSBC BoatBeat Blog: Carbon Monoxide

Exposure to carbon monoxide (CO) in large amounts or even small amounts for a long duration often results in death. CO is an odorless, colorless and tasteless gas in the exhaust produced in gasoline engines.

NSBC BoatBeat Blog: Search and Rescue Process

If a boater is in distress, they should contact search and rescue assets via VHF-DSC marine band radio, or with an EPIRB or PLB. It is the boater’s responsibility to contact search and rescue assets.

NSBC BoatBeat Blog: EPIRB and PLB

An Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon, or EPIRB, is used to alert Search and Rescue forces in the event of an emergency.

NSBC BoatBeat Blog: Emergency Engine/Propulsion Cut-Off Devices FAQ

Emergency engine/propulsion cut-off devices, sometimes referred to as an engine cut-off switch or kill switch, are a time-proven safety device used to stop the boats engines should the driver unexpectedly fall overboard.

NSBC BoatBeat Blog: VHF Radio with Digital Selective Calling (DSC)

The VHF radio with DSC is the most common emergency marine communications device, and with good reason: It’s simple to operate, communications go both ways, and when a boater hits the panic button, the U.S. Coast Guard will automatically know who the boater is.