PHOENIX — Spring and summer isn’t far off and Arizona’s waterways will soon be teeming with activity. To make sure you’re ready for another great boating and paddling season, the Arizona Game and Fish Department recommends all water users to take a boating safety course.
- 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Feb. 20, Apex Arms Facility, Green Building, Lake Havasu City
- 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Feb. 20, Arizona Game and Fish Headquarters, Phoenix
Arizona Paddlesports Education Course
- 10 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Feb. 13, Biscuit Tank at Ben Avery Shooting Facility, Phoenix.
Department's courses include instruction on the basic skills needed to safely operate a boat or personal watercraft, trailering your vessel, navigational rules, buoys, anchoring, legal requirements, boating emergencies, watersports and paddling. In addition, most insurance companies offer a discount on boat or watercraft insurance rates for completing a course.
The department also reminds all watercraft users that boats in Arizona must have a life jacket aboard for every passenger aboard and those 12 years old and younger must wear a life jacket at all times, under state law. Users should also check to make sure a life jacket fits properly by ensuring there is no excess room above the openings of the jacket and that it does not ride up over the chin or face.
For more information on boating in Arizona or to sign up for a safety course, visit www.azgfd.gov/boating.