Category: Health & Safety

Shipboard Medicine: From Wooden Chest to Telemedicine on the High Seas

4/8/2026 - By EVAN LUBOFSKY, whoi.edu. Medical emergencies far from shore are a reality every mariner must contend with — whether aboard a research vessel, a commercial fishing boat, or a cruising yacht. A fascinating new piece from WHOI's Oceanus magazine traces the evolution of shipboard medicine through the lens of the… SEE MORE

Fisherman firing red maritime distress signal flare. This type of signal flare is being replaced by new LED signal devices. Photo Shutterstock, TommyStockProject

LED Flares Are Replacing Pyrotechnics — What Boaters Need to Know

3/21/2026 - By Norris Comer, Best4Boats.com. A significant shift in boating safety equipment is underway. The U.S. Coast Guard is retiring traditional pyrotechnic flares from its own vessels by April 2026 and has issued new rules that make USCG-approved electronic visual distress signaling devices (eVDSDs) easier to carry and more widely available.… SEE MORE

Shark Attack Statistics: Understanding Coastal Safety Risks

1/17/2026 - By Alexander Laybourne, worldanimalfoundation.org. For harbor communities, beach managers, and coastal recreation operators, understanding actual shark attack statistics helps put ocean safety risks in proper perspective. While shark encounters generate significant media attention and public concern, data-driven analysis reveals that the statistical risk remains remarkably low—information that's valuable for coastal… SEE MORE

New Video Series Helps Boaters Avoid Lobster Gear

8/29/2025 - By US Harbors If you've ever been boating along the Maine coast, you've seen the many buoys used to mark lobster traps. Maine boaters simply refer to these buoys as "lobster pots." If you hear "lobster pot," you might picture a metal container filled with water for boiling lobsters, and… SEE MORE

Tips for Loading a Boat on a Trailer in a Crosscurrent

8/2/2025 - By boatingmag.com. Balancing thrust, current strength and a good plan are keys to loading your boat while fighting a strong crossing current. Many, if not most, boat-launch ramps are situated so as to be somewhat sheltered from strong currents. Not all ramps offer this convenience, though. At some point, you… SEE MORE

Mapping the Waters of Valdez, Alaska for Tsunami and Landslide Preparedness

7/31/2025 - By oceanservice.noaa.gov. A new partnership between NOAA and the City of Valdez, Alaska will help emergency managers prepare for future earthquakes, tsunamis, and underwater landslides. This partnership will support mapping 34 square nautical miles of the Port of Valdez — an important gateway to interior Alaska. A devastating earthquake in 1964 caused… SEE MORE

15 Tips for Planning Your Best Day at the Beach

7/21/2025 - By noaa.gov. Days spent at the beach create a lifetime of memories: building sand castles, swimming, boating, or even just listening to the waves crash while reading a great book. At NOAA, we tend to take things an extra step further when we go to the beach. Whether it’s tracking… SEE MORE

Things you can do to be Better Prepared for Major Flooding

7/13/2025 - By Caleigh Wells. Catastrophic floods can be difficult to prepare for. Sometimes evacuation is the right call, but if it’s too late the best bet is to find higher ground nearby. The stakes can be high, because a flash flood may give those in its path only minutes or seconds to react.… SEE MORE

Master the Art of West Coast Bass Fishing

7/7/2025 - By US Harbors. The golden kelp forests stretching along California's coast harbor one of the Pacific's most sought-after gamefish: the California calico bass. These checkerboard-patterned fighters, officially known as kelp bass, offer anglers an exciting challenge that combines technical skill with the raw thrill of pulling hard-fighting fish from dense… SEE MORE

The Art of Residential Dock Fishing

7/5/2025 - By US Harbors. Strategies for Residential Dock Fishing in Salt Water Residential docks represent some of the most accessible and productive saltwater fishing opportunities available to coastal anglers. With millions of Americans living within casting distance of salt water, understanding how to effectively fish these man-made structures can unlock consistent… SEE MORE