Water Safety in New Jersey

At the Jersey Shore, swim only at a lifeguard-protected beach during lifeguard hours, keep children within easy reach, and never turn your back on the ocean. On the Delaware River, wear a life jacket. At Delaware Water Gap, children must, and in the colder months so must adults in small boats, canoes and kayaks. To drive a powerboat, you need a state boat safety course.

New Jersey drowning and boating numbers

0.77 per 100,000

• Drowning: CDC puts New Jersey's average annual drowning death rate for 2018-2021 at 0.77 per 100,000 people (opens in a new tab).
• Boating: The U.S. Coast Guard counted 113 reportable recreational boating incidents in New Jersey in 2024, with 4 deaths and 50 injuries (opens in a new tab). Deaths by year: 9 in 2020, 8 in 2021, 4 in 2022, 7 in 2023 and 4 in 2024.
• Coast: NOAA lists 1,792 miles of official shoreline (opens in a new tab) for New Jersey, counting the ocean, bays and tidal rivers.

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

The Shore: lifeguards and rip currents

At Sandy Hook and the rest of Gateway National Recreation Area, the National Park Service says to swim only at lifeguard-protected beaches during lifeguard hours (opens in a new tab). Gateway's lifeguards protect certain beaches from 10 am to 6 pm; other beaches have none. The park adds a simple rule: if you cannot swim, please do not go into the water (opens in a new tab).

If you are caught in a rip current, the park's steps are:

• Don't fight the current. Swim out of it parallel to the shoreline.
• If you can't swim out, float or calmly tread water.
• If you can't reach shore, wave your arms and yell for help.
• If you see someone in trouble, get a lifeguard. If none is on duty, call for help.

Keep children within easy reach, watch the tides and weather, and NEVER TURN YOUR BACK ON THE OCEAN (opens in a new tab): unexpected large waves can wash farther up the shore. Read rip currents and shore break and big waves.

The Delaware River

At Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, on the New Jersey-Pennsylvania border, the Park Service says children aged 12 and under MUST wear Coast Guard-approved lifejackets at all times when on the river (opens in a new tab), and every paddler and boater must have their own life jacket on board. From November 1 through April 30, all boaters must wear life jackets on boats under 16 feet, canoes and kayaks, to protect against cold water shock.

River hazards include strong currents, boat traffic and strainers, obstacles that let water through but trap boats and people. If you fall in, the park says to move to the upstream end of your boat if you can, lie on your back with your feet pointed downstream, and slant toward shore once you have some control. See river safety and cold water paddling.

New Jersey boating rules

New Jersey's boating rules, enforced by the State Police Marine Services Bureau, say that since June 1, 2009, anyone 16 or older must complete a State Police-approved boat safety course to operate a power vessel, including a personal watercraft, with limited exceptions such as out-of-state visitors staying under 90 days. People under 16 may not operate a power vessel, except that 13- to 15-year-olds with a course certificate may operate an electric-only vessel or a vessel 12 feet or longer with less than 10 horsepower. The rules are in the state's boating regulations (PDF) (opens in a new tab).

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

What you can do today

• Plan Shore days around lifeguard hours, and set up near a stand.
• Teach kids the rip current steps, and the rule: never turn your back on the ocean.
• Put life jackets on all children before a Delaware River trip, and wear your own.
• Take the State Police-approved boat safety course if you'll drive a powerboat.
• Find swim lessons with our guide to finding swim lessons.