Coast Guard shares a boater's holiday wish list

SAN PEDRO, Calif. – As the winter holidays draw near and shoppers search for gift ideas, the Coast Guard would like to recommend a few gifts that could save a loved one’s life.

If you know someone who spends time on the water, either in motor boats or paddle boats, some great gift ideas are safety gear.

A boater’s wish list should contain the following gifts to be in compliance with California boating laws:

Lifejackets: Every person on any boat or kayak must wear a Coast Guard-approved lifejacket. For motor boats over 16 feet, the law requires an extra throwable floatation device.
Sound Producing Devices: Every motor boat or paddle boat must have some means of producing an effective sound signal.
EPIRB: An Electronic Position Indicating Radio Beacon’s are a tool that sends out a signal so the Coast Guard can pinpoint the location of a boat in trouble, drastically reducing search time.
Marine Radio: Buying a marine radio for someone will allow us to communicate with them if they are ever in trouble in the water.
GPS: A GPS will allow boaters to find their way safely at sea and in the case of an emergency it will let them accurately tell us where they are.
Signaling Devices: Flare guns, pencil flares, mirrors, parachute flares are all great ways for your loved one to get the attention of other boaters or the Coast Guard if they run into trouble on the water. These devices are only required by law in boat’s less than 16 feet and paddle boats when operating between sunrise and sunset.
Fire Extinguishers: the old ones expire; make sure they’re up to date to fight a fire.

For more information on boating safety, please visit http://www.uscgboating.org/

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