Water Safety in Massachusetts

In Massachusetts, two things changed or matter most right now. If you drive a motorboat or personal watercraft and were born after January 1, 1989, you now need a state boater safety certificate on board, and everyone else needs one by April 1, 2028. And at Cape Cod's ocean beaches, swim only when lifeguards are on duty, because outside summer there are none. The Cape also has white sharks and sand that can collapse.

Massachusetts drowning and boating numbers

0.83 per 100,000

• Drowning: CDC puts Massachusetts's average annual drowning death rate for 2018-2021 at 0.83 per 100,000 people (opens in a new tab), in the lowest band on its map.
• Boating: The U.S. Coast Guard counted 64 reportable recreational boating incidents in Massachusetts in 2024, with 9 deaths and 39 injuries (opens in a new tab). Deaths by year: 8 in 2020, 6 in 2021, 5 in 2022, 9 in 2023 and 9 in 2024.
• Coast: NOAA lists 1,519 miles of official shoreline (opens in a new tab) for Massachusetts.

CDC counts drowning deaths of residents; the Coast Guard counts boating incidents. See our Massachusetts data page.

New: the boater safety certificate

Under the Hanson-Milone Boater Safety Act, from April 1, 2026, no one may operate a motorboat or personal watercraft in Massachusetts (opens in a new tab) without meeting the boater safety education requirements and having a valid boater safety certificate on board. The same law gives people born on or before January 1, 1989 until April 1, 2028 (opens in a new tab) to comply. There are exemptions, including operators directly supervised on board by a certified person 18 or older, certain Coast Guard-licensed mariners, and some non-residents. The law also says children under 12 may operate a motorboat only with direct on-board supervision by a certified person 18 or older. Read the law for the details, and plan to take an approved course before your first trip of the season.

This is a summary, not legal advice. Federal law also requires children under 13 to wear a life jacket on a moving boat (opens in a new tab).

Cape Cod beaches

At Cape Cod National Seashore, the National Park Service says there are no lifeguards on duty at national seashore beaches between Labor Day (first Monday in September) and the third week of June (opens in a new tab). Plan swims for the lifeguard season and the guarded beaches.

Rip currents. If you are caught, the park's advice is don't fight the current (opens in a new tab). Swim out of it parallel to the shoreline. If you can't reach shore, wave your arms and yell for help. If you see someone in trouble, get a lifeguard, or call 911 if no lifeguard is on duty. Practice with our rip current guide.

Sharks. The Park Service says Great White Sharks swim in the waters of Cape Cod (opens in a new tab), there is always some risk when you enter the water, and white sharks remain active in fall. Look for the purple shark flags, which show there has been a sighting.

Sand. Sand collapses easily (opens in a new tab). Don't climb slopes and dunes, and don't dig holes deeper than knee level.

Other park rules: no rafts, rubber tubes, or masks and snorkels on lifeguarded beaches, and know where the emergency call box is at your beach. Our beach safety checklist helps you pack and plan, and lost child at the beach covers what to do if you get separated.

Official Massachusetts resources

• The boater safety education law (M.G.L. c. 90B, s. 9E) (opens in a new tab)
• Cape Cod National Seashore beach and water safety (NPS) (opens in a new tab)

What you can do today

• Take an approved boater safety course and keep your certificate on board.
• Check lifeguard hours before a Cape beach day, and set up near a guarded area.
• Teach kids what the purple shark flag means.
• Keep sand holes shallow: no deeper than your knee.
• Find swim lessons with our guide to finding swim lessons.