Water Safety in New Hampshire

In New Hampshire, wear a life jacket on cold lakes, get your boating safety certificate before you drive a boat with more than 25 horsepower, and never trust ice you haven't checked. The state's drowning rate is about the same as the national rate.

New Hampshire's state agency websites blocked our automated checks, so this page is shorter. It sticks to the official numbers, the state law, and well-established cold water and ice guidance.

New Hampshire drowning and boating numbers

1.32 per 100,000

• Drowning: CDC puts New Hampshire's average annual drowning death rate for 2018-2021 at 1.32 per 100,000 people (opens in a new tab), in the second-lowest band on its map.
• Boating: The U.S. Coast Guard counted 49 reportable recreational boating incidents in New Hampshire in 2024, with 3 deaths and 6 injuries (opens in a new tab). Deaths by year: 2 in 2020, 3 in 2021, 4 in 2022, 5 in 2023 and 3 in 2024.
• Coast: NOAA lists 131 miles of official shoreline (opens in a new tab) for New Hampshire's short Atlantic coast and tidal waters.

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

Cold water

The National Center for Cold Water Safety advises that you should treat any water temperature below 70F with caution (opens in a new tab), because water pulls heat from your body much faster than air. A sudden fall makes you gasp, and a life jacket keeps your head above water while that passes.

• Wear your life jacket, buckled, on every boat, canoe, kayak and paddleboard.
• Dress for water temperature, not for air temperature (opens in a new tab), early and late in the season.
• If you capsize, stay with the boat and try to reboard (opens in a new tab), as Minnesota's DNR advises.

Read cold water shock and kayak and canoe safety.

Ice

Minnesota's Department of Natural Resources, which publishes detailed ice guidance, says there is no such thing as 100 percent safe ice (opens in a new tab). Its guidelines for new, clear ice:

• Under 4 inches: stay off (opens in a new tab).
• 4 inches: ice fishing or other activities on foot.
• 5-7 inches: a snowmobile or small ATV.

White, snowy ice is about half as strong, so double those numbers. Ice over flowing water, especially near streams, bridges and culverts, is often dangerous. Check thickness yourself as you go. See ice thickness safety and what to do if you fall through ice.

New Hampshire boating rules

New Hampshire law (RSA 270-D:10) says no person shall operate a motorized vessel with any type of power motor in excess of 25 horsepower (opens in a new tab) on the state's public waters without first obtaining a certificate of boating safety education. Federal law requires children under 13 to wear a life jacket on a moving boat (opens in a new tab).

This is a summary of the statute, not legal advice. Check with the New Hampshire Department of Safety before you go.

What you can do today

• Earn your New Hampshire boating safety certificate if you drive a boat over 25 horsepower.
• Wear a life jacket on every spring and fall paddle.
• Measure ice thickness before you walk out, and keep measuring as you go.
• Learn the rescue rule: reach or throw, don't go.
• Find swim lessons with our guide to finding swim lessons.