Water Safety in Alaska

In Alaska, the biggest water danger is cold. Wear a life jacket every time you are on a boat, raft or paddleboard, because a sudden fall into cold water can make even a strong swimmer gasp, inhale water and drown within minutes. Alaska's drowning death rate is the highest of any state on CDC's map.

That is not a reason to stay off the water. It is a reason to dress for the water, carry a way to call for help, and make the life jacket part of the outfit.

Alaska drowning and boating numbers

4.40 per 100,000

• Drowning: CDC puts Alaska's average annual drowning death rate for 2018-2021 at 4.40 per 100,000 people (opens in a new tab), the top of its highest band.
• Boating: The U.S. Coast Guard counted 22 reportable recreational boating incidents in Alaska in 2024, with 20 deaths and 13 injuries (opens in a new tab). Half of those incidents (11 of 22) involved a death.
• Boating deaths by year: 24 in 2020, 14 in 2021, 10 in 2022, 21 in 2023 and 20 in 2024.
• Per registered boat: the Coast Guard's 2024 rate for Alaska was 46.0 deaths per 100,000 registered vessels, against 4.8 nationally. Alaska registers motorized boats only, so this rate is not strictly comparable with other states. It still points the same way.

CDC counts drowning deaths of Alaska residents. The Coast Guard counts all deaths in reported boating incidents, including hypothermia and injury. They are different measures. See our Alaska data page for more.

Cold water is the main danger

Alaska has more coast than any other state. NOAA lists 33,904 miles of shoreline (opens in a new tab), 31,383 on the Pacific and 2,521 on the Arctic. Add rivers and lakes fed by snow and glaciers, and most Alaska water is cold all year.

The governor's 2026 Safe Boating Week proclamation says most boating fatalities in Alaska result from sudden and unexpected cold-water immersion following a capsize, ejection, or fall overboard (opens in a new tab), and that boaters face a higher risk of drowning in that moment regardless of swimming ability (opens in a new tab).

Here is why. The National Weather Service explains that a sudden plunge triggers gasping and rapid breathing during the first 2-3 minutes or more (opens in a new tab). If your head goes under while you gasp, you can breathe in water. A life jacket keeps your head up through those first minutes. Learn more in cold water shock and what to do if you fall into cold water.

The state's proclamation encourages every boater to:

• wear a life jacket;
• carry emergency communication and distress signaling devices on your person, not just in the boat;
• attach the engine cutoff device;
• take a boating safety course;
• never use alcohol or other substances that could impair judgment on the water.

In winter, the same cold water sits under lake and river ice. Read what to do if you fall through ice before you head out.

Kids Don't Float: free loaner life jackets

Kids Don't Float began in Homer in early 1996, when the fire department and partners set up 15 life jacket loaner stations in communities around Kachemak Bay (opens in a new tab). The state's Office of Boating Safety says the program was developed to address Alaska's high child and youth drowning rate (opens in a new tab).

Today loaner boards are set up at harbors and public boat access areas across Alaska (opens in a new tab). You can borrow a life jacket for free and return it after use. The program also offers boating safety classes and pool sessions for schools and groups through the Kids Don't Float Education Program (opens in a new tab).

CDC reports that American Indian and Alaska Native people under 30 have the highest drowning death rates in natural water, 2.7 times the rate for White people (opens in a new tab). Loaner boards near village harbors and launches put a life jacket within reach of every family.

Alaska boating rules

• Children: the Office of Boating Safety says persons under 13 years old must wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket when on an open boat, on an open deck, or when being towed (opens in a new tab) on water skis or other devices.
• Everyone: a Coast Guard-approved life jacket must be carried on board for each person and be readily accessible. Adult sizes do not count for children.
• Education: Alaska does not require a boating course. The state offers free, approved online courses (opens in a new tab) and encourages everyone to take one.

This is a summary, not legal advice. Check the Office of Boating Safety before your trip.

Official Alaska resources

• Kids Don't Float program and loaner boards (opens in a new tab)
• Free online boating courses (Office of Boating Safety) (opens in a new tab)
• National Weather Service cold water safety (opens in a new tab)

What you can do today

• Put a life jacket on every person before the boat leaves the harbor, and keep it on.
• Carry a phone in a waterproof case, or a radio or signaling device, on your body.
• Find the Kids Don't Float loaner board nearest your launch.
• Take a free Alaska boating course this season.
• Dress for the water temperature, not the air.
• Learn the rescue rule: reach or throw, don't go.