Coast Guard Auxiliary asks Arizonans to be safe on the water this holiday weekend

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PEORIA, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) — The lakes will be filled for the holiday long weekend, and Coast Guard Auxiliary volunteers want people to be prepared.

The first thing you will notice is how hot the next few days will be. With temperatures well above 100 degrees, Kimijo Mareska of the Coast Guard Auxiliary is asking people to hydrate before heading out. “It’s really fun, there will be a lot of people, a lot of boats. A lot of fun things are happening. Just drink lots of water. Drink water all day, it’s just something you have to do.

Mareska says eight people drowned in Lake Pleasant this summer. She says six of them would have survived if they had been wearing life jackets or someone had thrown a flotation device at them. They can make the difference between life and death. “Don’t be afraid to use them and think you look like a geek wearing them,” she said.

You can also expect to see more people on kayaks, jet skis and boats in the water this long weekend. This means there will likely be more inexperienced boaters. Captain Matt Finney of Lake Pleasant Cruises says you have to pay attention to what’s going on around you.

“Unfortunately in Arizona there are no regulations requiring you to have a license to drive boats here, so people come here with no experience, so it can get a little crazy. but you’re asking everyone else to do the same,” Finney said.

If you have an emergency on the water, you can call 911. Officers will be patrolling Lake Saguaro and Lake Pleasant this weekend and they can help you.

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