This week, I’ll be at the annual International Boating and Water Safety Summit in Daytona Beach, Florida, where I’ll be speaking to representatives of the National Safe Boating Council, National Water Safety Congress, Coast Guard Boating Safety Division, and state and national safe boating organizations.

Fishing for crab much of the year, and promoting The Deadliest Catch during the off-season, makes it difficult to squeeze in a quiet moment to blog.   I signed on as national spokesperson for the U.S. Coast Guard’s “Boat Responsibly” initiative.  No one survives in this business for very long without making safety at sea a priority, and life jacket use is the number one way to increase safety both in professional, and recreational boating. For me and my crew, it’s a top priority.

On board The Wizard, we have an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) mounted on the upper deck to reduce the time it takes marine Search and Rescue to locate us in an emergency. Before we leave the dock we conduct safety drills for everything from man overboard, to how to call for assistance using the marine radios, and we make certain that every person knows exactly what to do, with or without the captain. Most important, everyone wears a life jacket, either an auto-inflatable vest style or a full jacket with foam flotation. The Coast Guard estimates that 90 percent of those who drown in boating accidents might have survived had they been wearing a life jacket. That’s a sobering statistic for anyone who spends time on the water.

As fans of the show are well aware, we’ve had some close calls on board The Wizard because of the rough nature of the work we do, including some serious injuries. I take it personally when accidents happen despite our best efforts, so we make every incident a learning experience and a chance to improve our safety procedures even further.

For the Coast Guard, I’ve appeared in Public Service Announcements now being shown on television and in movie theaters around the country, and Soundings magazine published a three-page spread recently (http://www.soundingsonline.com/features/in-depth/246652-deadliest-skipper-is-on-a-safety-mission) on The Deadliest Catch and my work as safety spokesperson (January issue). But one of the things I enjoy most is having the chance to share my experience and to talk to others directly about the importance of boating responsibly. During my time ashore I talk about safety during public appearances at boat shows and water sporting events.

While in Daytona, I’ll also be talking to the Daytona Beach Sea Cadets about life jackets and demonstrating several models for children and adults at the Daytona Lagoon Water Park the morning of Sunday, March 28^th at the Wave Pool.  A thank you to Mustang Survival Corporation, which was kind enough to donate the life jackets I’ll be demonstrating at this event.

The U.S. Coast Guard’s Integrated Support Command in Kodiak, Alaska, provides critical emergency assistance to us crab boat captains, and to The Deadliest Catch production team, whenever the going gets rough out there on the Bering Sea.  I am proud therefore to take a leadership role in this important Coast Guard boating safety initiative.

After the Daytona event, however, and before Season Six of The Deadliest Catch premieres on April 13th, my wife and I are taking a little time off for a well-earned vacation and to celebrate her birthday. 

Regards, and remember to “Boat Responsibly”

Captain Keith