Lessons For Life

Our Lessons for Life program uses true-life stories of boating accidents and near escapes to deliver unforgettable lessons. The campaign includes videos and written narratives and map graphics to describe how boaters and paddlers get into trouble. These stories originally appeared in outlets including Boating magazine, Men’s Journal, Paddling magazine and Reader’s Digest.

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 […]

Heroic Boating Rescue

Sgt. Brian Parkton knew the situation could turn bad in a heartbeat. The veteran marine patrol officer was responding to reports of a boat in trouble with nine people, including three children, still on board. The 21-foot open motorboat had filled with water and lost power at the mouth of Destin Pass, a northwest Florida […]

Heroes Rescue Kids From Epic Boating Smackdown

By Jeff Moag Shane McDonald couldn’t look away. He and his son Jake were on stand-up jet skis, following a 30-foot center console out of Boynton Beach Inlet. Under certain conditions, the south Florida pass opens into a line of breaking surf, and on that particular day the waves just beyond the breakwater looked like […]

Incredible Boating Rescue Caught On Camera

‘This Could Have Killed Him!’ fishing guide says, and that’s no hype You never know when a slow day fishing will turn into a story you’ll be telling for years. Take Ty Southerland and his new neighbor Chris Pace. Ty is a well-known fishing guide out of Rockport Texas, and host of the “30 Miles […]

Lifeline

Adrift on a capsized boat 16 miles offshore, a palm-sized personal locator beacon was their best last chance. By Jeff Moag The situation went bad in a hurry. Tan Boriboune joined a group of five friends for a day of spearfishing off Virginia Beach on August 16, 2020. A heavy swell was running that Sunday […]

The Rest of the Story

What happened after this viral smash-up at the mouth of the Columbia is just as scary as the crash itself. By Jeff Moag If you’ve been on the Internet in the last four years, you’ve probably seen the video. It starts with three salmon fishermen waving and shouting as a 31-foot powerboat bears down on […]

Bass Boat Hero Coralls Runaway Boat

Getting thrown from a bass boat at 60 mph is one way to learn about the importance of Engine Cutoff Switches.

A Whistle in the Wind

Mark Wheeler went overboard in pitch darkness and a 40-knot squall. This is the remarkable story of how his friends got him back. By Jeff Moag Mark Wheeler went overboard a few minutes before midnight. He was in the middle of Lake Michigan, 30 miles offshore in 40 knots of wind. As he fumbled for […]

Rescue at Pictured Rocks: Reader’s Digest Version

It was meant to be another boys’ trip, the latest in a tradition that stretched back more than two decades. It soon became an epic fight for survival.

Teen Boaters Rescue Five From Capsized Boat

The radio made all the difference, Evan Kamoen says. Evan, then 18, was heading to a favorite fishing spot on Long Island Sound with friends Ryan Kelly and Luke Voegeli last summer when they heard the call. “It was ‘Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Our boat is sinking!’” Evan recalls. Five men were aboard the stricken vessel, […]

Who Do You Call When Your Kayak Sinks?

Treading water three miles offshore is no place for a wrong number Christian Nelson didn’t know the trouble he was in. He was three miles out from Gulf Shores Alabama when the kayak he was trolling from developed a 9-inch crack between the scupper holes. He didn’t notice the damage until the kayak was full […]

Surfski Paddler Saves Kayaker From Freezing Lake

Five lessons from a dramatic close call caught on video Anyone who has helped a fellow paddler recover from a swim in deep water knows how difficult it can be, whether the craft you’re working from is a canoe, a sea kayak or whitewater boat. Now imagine handling such a rescue alone, with a victim […]

Lone kayaker saves two men from sinking motorboat

Unlikely hero credits kayak safety training for rescue of two non-swimmers from South Carolina Lake Allen Hutto was having one of those days. He’d loaded his sea kayak for an early morning paddle, but on the way to the lake his car picked up a nail. Repairing the flat took a couple of hours. The […]

Answering the Call

When a 17-year-old paddleboarder was swept out to sea, his survival depended on his cell phone — and the voice on the other end of the line. By Jeff Moag The emergency calls came in a flurry as the weather turned sour along the coast of North Wales. When the last one came, Andy Bolter […]

Collision on the Chesapeake

What re-enacting the unlikeliest accident on Chesapeake Bay tells us about boating safety.

Rescue at Pictured Rocks

By Jeff Moag It was meant to be another boy’s trip, the latest in a tradition that stretched back more than two decades for old friends Jim Farrington, Sean Royston and Tolan Annis. It turned into a life-and-death struggle in the chill waters of Lake Superior. Jim, 49, was an electrical lineman out of Alden, […]