What to Do If You Fall Off a Boat

If you fall off a boat, expect a gasp, get your head above water, keep your life jacket on, stay calm and stay where the boat can find you. If someone else falls in, shout and point, stop the boat, throw them something that floats, and circle back slowly going forward, never in reverse.

Falls overboard happen fast, and they are among the deadliest boating incidents.

Why falls overboard are dangerous

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The Coast Guard counted 239 "person falls overboard" incidents in 2024, which killed 138 people and injured 104 (Recreational Boating Statistics 2024, Table 1 (opens in a new tab)). That's more deaths than any of the other top five incident types, including collisions.

Three things make a fall so dangerous:

• No life jacket. In 2024, where life jacket use was known, 87% of people who drowned (opens in a new tab) in boating incidents were not wearing one.
• Cold water. The National Weather Service says sudden immersion can cause involuntary gasping, rapid breathing or hyperventilating (opens in a new tab), and that this can quickly become a drowning emergency if you inhale water.
• The propeller. The Coast Guard says a typical three-blade propeller running at 3,200 rpm can inflict 160 impacts in one second (opens in a new tab). In 2024, 169 incidents involved someone struck by a propeller, causing 30 deaths and 158 injuries.

Alcohol makes falls more likely. The Coast Guard says that in boating deaths involving alcohol, over half the victims capsized their boats and/or fell overboard (opens in a new tab). See boating under the influence.

If you fall in

1. Expect the gasp. If the water is cold, your body will gasp and breathe fast for the first minutes. The National Center for Cold Water Safety says most people find it impossible to get their breathing under control (opens in a new tab) during the first several minutes of cold shock. Try to keep your face out of the water, and don't try to swim hard yet: the center says swimming as short a distance as 6- 10 feet while hyperventilating is often impossible (opens in a new tab), even for good swimmers. A life jacket holds your head up for you.

2. Keep your life jacket on and stay calm. The Coast Guard's advice for staying afloat is to remain calm: do not thrash about or try to remove clothing or footwear (opens in a new tab). It says air trapped in clothing helps you float, and that thrashing leads to exhaustion. If you are wearing a life jacket, keep it on. Keep your knees bent, float on your back and paddle slowly.

3. Signal and stay visible. Wave an arm and shout. Use the whistle on your life jacket if you have one.

4. Stay with the boat if it capsized. The Coast Guard says a capsized boat will likely float, and in cold water to get in or on the boat (opens in a new tab) and get as much of your body out of the water as possible.

5. In cold water, conserve heat. If you can't get out and rescue isn't close, the NWS describes the H.E.L.P. position: knees to chin, legs together, arms pressed to your sides, head out of the water. With others, huddle. More in falling into cold water.

If someone else falls in

The Coast Guard's propeller safety advice says: if someone falls overboard, STOP the boat; once clear begin recovery procedures (opens in a new tab).

1. Shout "person overboard!" and point at them. Ask one person to do nothing but keep pointing and watching.
2. Stop the boat and get the propeller away from them.
3. Throw something that floats. The Coast Guard says boats 16 feet and longer, except canoes and kayaks, must carry a throwable device, and that throwables must be immediately available for use (opens in a new tab). Throw the cushion or ring buoy so it lands within their reach. See reach or throw, don't go for how to throw a ring buoy.
4. Circle back, going forward. The Coast Guard warns: never put your boat in reverse to pick someone up out of the water, always circle around going forward (opens in a new tab) while keeping the person in the water visible to the operator at all times.
5. Shut off the engine before the person is close to the boat, so the propeller can't strike them, then help them aboard by a ladder or the swim platform.
6. Call for help if you can't reach them or get them aboard: 911, or the Coast Guard on VHF Channel 16. The Coast Guard says Channel 16 is the primary VHF-FM marine radio calling and distress channel (opens in a new tab).

Don't jump in. The Red Cross teaches reach or throw, don't go (opens in a new tab), and to rescue without putting yourself in danger. A second person in the water makes the rescue harder.

After a rescue, the person may need medical care, especially after a long time in cold water or if they swallowed water. The NWS says that even after escaping cold water, a victim's core temperature can continue to drop (opens in a new tab). Get them warm and dry, and call 911 if you're worried.

Engine cut-off switches

An engine cut-off switch (ECOS) stops the engine if the operator is thrown from the helm. The link is usually a coiled lanyard clipped to the operator's body, life jacket or clothing, though wireless versions exist.

The federal law, as the Coast Guard explains it:

• Since April 1, 2021 (opens in a new tab), the operator of a boat with an installed ECOS must use the link.
• It applies to "covered recreational vessels": motorized boats with 3 or more horsepower that is less than 26 feet in length (opens in a new tab).
• The operator must use it while operating on plane or above displacement speed (opens in a new tab).
• The law applies on all navigable waters of the U.S.

Why it matters: the Coast Guard says the shutdown may prevent the operator from impacting the vessel's spinning propeller (opens in a new tab), and may help the operator get back to the drifting boat.

This is general safety information, not legal advice. Check your state's rules too.

Prevent falls in the first place

From the Coast Guard's propeller safety list:

• Never permit riding on the bow, gunwale, transom, seatbacks (opens in a new tab), or other places where someone could fall overboard.
• Watch children carefully at all times. The Coast Guard says it only takes a second to fall overboard, and suggests you childproof your boat the way you would your home.
• Set rules for the swim platform, boarding ladders and seating.
• Account for everyone aboard before starting the engine.
• Be alert near swimming areas and towed water sports.

And from the rest of this hub: everyone wears a life jacket, the operator stays sober, and someone on shore has your float plan.

Practice before you need it

The Coast Guard asks every boater: are you sure you can climb back into the boat when you fall out. With all your gear on? Have you practiced? (opens in a new tab)

• Practice a person-overboard drill with a floating cushion or fender: shout, point, stop, throw, circle back going forward.
• Make sure a second adult can drive the boat and stop the engine.
• Try getting back aboard from the water, wearing your life jacket, in warm, calm water near shore.
• Take a course. A boating safety course is a good place to learn and practice. See boating safety courses in New York.

What you can do today

1. Put the cut-off switch lanyard where the operator will clip it on every time.
2. Check the throwable device on your boat: is it within arm's reach on deck?
3. Run a person-overboard drill on your next trip.
4. Print the Boating Safety Checklist and go through it before you leave the dock.
5. Read our boating safety checklist and our guide to falling into cold water.