Drinking and Boating Crackdown Behind 'Operation Dry Water' Campaign

Ron Matz can tell you, it’s not a minor problem, drinking and boating on Tampa Bay waterways.

“It’s a big issue,” said Matz, who for 17 years has been a member of the  U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 74, which meets in Brandon off  Kings Avenue, just north of Kingswood Elementary School. “You can go out to Fort de Soto and ‘Beer Can Island’ and see it for yourself. A good percentage of the accidents are with alcohol, leading to carelessness.”

That’s the purpose behind the nationwide “Operation Dry Water” campaign set for June 24-25, to educate recreational boaters about the dangers of boating under the influence (BUI) of alcohol or drugs.

Locally, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office is joining forces with state and federal boating agencies  to raise awareness with a campaign that focuses on the detection and enforcement of boating under the influence.

In a release announcing the campaign, Hillsborough County Sheriff David Gee said there will be "zero tolerance" for BUI.

“We want to get the message out there to operate boats in a sober and safe manner,” said Paul Shute, a marine deputy with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. “People can boat all year round in Florida but with the nicer weather we see a lot more boats out there so we want to educate people, especially with the Fourth of July holiday coming up.”

Shute, who has been working the waters of Hillsborough County since 2004, said boaters are becoming more aware of the dangers.

“We are not just about enforcement, we are also trying to educate,” he said. “When we see a large amount of people on the water we get into that mix and educate.”

Operating a recreational vessel with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or higher is against federal and most state laws. Boaters caught operating under the influence will find their voyage terminated and their vessel impounded. Additionally, penalties can include arrest, fines, loss of boating privileges or even loss of driving privileges.

It is illegal in every state and territory to operate a boat while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. BUI laws pertain to all boats, from canoes and rowboats to the largest ships.

Part of a national effort, Operation Dry Water is a multi-agency education and enforcement initiative launched by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) in 2009, in partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard. It puts thousands of local, state and federal marine law enforcement officers on the water the weekend before the Fourth of July weekend to remind boaters of the dangers of drinking and boating.

“We want recreational boaters to have fun on the water, but we intend to exercise zero tolerance for BUI," Gee said in the news release. "With field sobriety tests for use on the water now validated, we hope to be even more effective at stopping intoxicated boaters and to impress upon everyone that operating a recreational vessel while under the influence is too great a risk, to themselves, to their boat and especially to others."

The release notes several facts about BUI:

• U.S. Coast Guard 2009 data reveal that alcohol was a primary contributing factor in 16 percent of fatalities from recreational boating accidents.
• Alcohol can impair a boater's judgment, balance, vision, and reaction time. It can also increase fatigue and susceptibility to the effects of cold-water immersion. Sun, wind, noise, vibration, and motion, all common toe the boating experience, intensify the side effects of alcohol, drugs and some medications.
• Alcohol consumption can result in an inner-ear disturbance that can make it impossible for a person suddenly immersed in water to distinguish up from down.
• Impairment can be even more dangerous for boaters than for drivers, since most boaters have less experience and confidence operating a boat than they do driving a car.  Boaters average only about 110 hours of boating per year.
• Alcohol also is dangerous for passengers. Intoxication can lead to slips, falls overboard and other dangerous accidents.