DVD Color Copyrihgt 2008. Filmed in Alaska’s glacial Skilak Lake, the site of numerous cold-water drownings, this video’s core message is the importance of wearing a life jacket when boating, especially in cold water. A properly fitted life jacket increases survival time when immersed in cold water from mere minutes to possibly hours – but only if the life jacket is worn. DVD is free, shipping/handling is $5.55 (US)

Alaska Boating Safety Program

Boaters everywhere should take this message seriously.  Our hope is that if boaters understand more about the effects of sudden cold water immersion, they will take the measures necessary to prevent these potentially fatal events - and we will save lives and families as a result. - Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska

Alaska has over 33,000 miles of coastline more than the entire lower 48 states put together, over 3,000 rivers, and more than 3 million lakes. Most of the states 621,000 residents live in our 10 largest cities, but many others live miles from the road system in towns and villages spread along the coast and our interior rivers and lakes. From power boating and air boating to rafting, kayaking, and canoeing, Alaskas boating opportunities are as superlative as they are diverse. We certainly use boats to enjoy our world-class outdoor recreation resources, but our residents also use boats as an important means of transportation, and to support subsistence. Alaskans are truly lifestyle boaters.

In a state where capsizing and falls overboard into cold water account for the majority of boating deaths, the State of Alaska saw an obvious need to educate boaters on how to prepare for, avoid, and how to survive a cold water immersion event. Research published within the last 10 years has revealed that there is more to cold water immersion than hypothermia.

"The hope is that if Alaskans better understand the causes and effects of cold water immersion, we can improve behaviors and save lives" said Jeff Johnson, Alaska’s Boating Law Administrator.

Jeff Johnson
Boating Law Administrator