Labor Day tends to end casual summer boating but for 65 people on board ill-fated boats in Florida waters last year such entertainment marked the end of their lives.
Katie Purcell of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said boaters need to use extra caution over busy holiday times and sometimes that's not enough.
With nearly 1 million registered vessels, Florida recorded 65 boating fatalities in 2009. About 70 percent of the victims drowned. Florida is four ahead of that pace already this year.
"There are more people out on the water so it's definitely a growing concern," Purcell said. "There are more fatalities this year."
Typically, deaths result from falling overboard or from vessels capsizing or flooding. An inflatable life jacket would have saved more than a few lives, Purcell said.
Other common boating accidents involve collisions with another boat, a fixed object, a person in the water or a submerged object such as a manatee.
Statistics were still being compiled on the holiday weekend fatalities and were not immediately available.
"We wanted to mark the end of the summer on a high note," said Capt. Carol Keyser of the FWC Boating and Waterways Section. "We urged boaters to operate vessels with caution, know the navigation rules, have all the necessary safety equipment on board and to wear life jackets.
