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I agree that all boaters should get instruction in water safety. I just don't like having our sport so tightly regulated that we are going to start having to carry our kayaking liscenses with us.
A few years ago while my family was vacationing at Atlantic Beach, NC , I had the operatunity to rescue 4 swimmers who got caught in the mother of all rip tides. The Life Gaurd, as it turned out, was just a beach monitor and had no life saver training. By the time I got the first two back on shore, the rescue squad arrived. I was relieved when I saw them. Paddling through the surf with two swimmers holding onto my boat sucked. The first thing I said was "Who's the I C ?" They had no idea what I was talking about. I then realized that these guys had no intention of getting in the water, nor did they have anything to go into the water with. I had to got back out and get the other two, one at a time. The last guy said that he would have drowned if he had had to wait any longer. Everything was cool and I was hero for a day, but the rescue squad was ineffective. They need extra training and the must have money in the budget for that training, but it shouldn't be paid for by paddlers alone.
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More government regulations. Big brother will ticket your ass. New 
BoaterTalk 
