New boating safety regulations in effect

WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, NC (WWAY) — It used to be that pretty much anybody and everybody could get out on the water and operate a boat. That’s no longer the case.

New state regulations effective May 1 require boaters under the age of 26 to attend and pass a boating safety course before getting out on the water. They must carry a certificate of completion as well as their ID on their boat at all times.

“By the time most of us are 16 years old, we’ve spent hundreds of hours operating a car. That’s not true with a boat,” said Lt. Todd Radabaugh of the NC Wildlife Resources Commission. “There’s many older folks that just don’t have the experience with boating, so this course will give them a lot of information that they can use to their benefit.”

The Wildlife Resources Commission offer courses for free. For a list of times and availability you can follow this link to their website: http://ncpaws.org/boatingsafety/coursesearch.asp