By Dominic Abassi

Unsafe boating declining, despite increase in traffic

Jun 6, 2016 | 4:34 PM

The RCMP’s annual presence on the ocean and lakes on the mid-island has picked up.

Nanaimo RCMP Const. Gary O’Brien says their marine patrols started May long weekend and continue through the summer, with a focus on weekends and special events.

He says one of the main things they’re looking for from boaters is documentation.

“To make sure they’re qualified to operate that boat. And the basic paraphernalia, life jackets, flashlights, throw lines, bail buckets, that type of thing,” said O’Brien.

O’Brien says unsafe and impaired boating incidents have dropped in recent years, even in a time when it appears boating traffic is up.

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“The feedback that we get is a lot of people are very thankful we’re on the water, because we have that extra set of eyes and ears, and some information is always provided to us.”

Meantime, the RCMP’s West Coast RCMP Marine Service, which is based in Nanaimo, oversees the entire coast, which includes assisting police investigations in remote communities.