Lake Nacimiento is entering its busiest season and increased traffic and increased citations often go hand in hand.
“Thinking about the safety of boating is very important out here. We try to prevent accidents. We’d like everybody to leave here in the same condition that they got here in," said Jon Anthony, Monterey County Park Ranger Supervisor. "We have seen an increase in the boating card citations, the California Safe Boater Card... We’re really trying to publicize it and get people to realize that it’s something they need to have."
“It’s not a license, it’s just a mandatory education card that shows you’ve completed an approved boating safety course and applied for your official card,” said Evan Becker, California Boater Card Program Manager.
Becker says the boating safety course covers basic operations of the vessel and carriage requirements.
Anthony says they are patrolling the lake and checking to make sure those operating boats have met the requirements.
“It starts with a vessel stop and we do a safety inspection on every one of our vessel stops to make sure that all the boaters have all the gear and paperwork that they need," Anthony said.
The California Boater Card was signed into law in 2014 by Governor Jerry Brown. The program went into effect in 2018 for those 20 and younger.
“This year it’s 50 and under are required to have it and next year will be 60 and under and then in 2025 it’s everybody has to have it,” Becker said.
The main difference between a license and the card is that you never have to renew your boating card, and the card is only a one-time fee of $10 — a small price to pay compared to fees you could rack up in citations if you do not have a card.
“Base fines can be no more than $100 for the first offense, no more than $250 for the second, no more than $500 for the third and each one after that is going to be, you know, more than $500,” Becker said.
Rangers say the new requirements for boaters are making conditions safer for everyone.
“It makes me feel more at ease. I feel that people are getting some kind of education about it, where before people would go buy a boat at the dealership or from their buddy down the street or Facebook Marketplace. They’d bring it out here and they’d have no education at all about how to operate it,” Anthony said.
Residents can apply for a boater card on the California Boater Card website.
Editor's Note, 6/20: This article was updated to include information on how to apply for a CA Boater Card.
