Just standing up to net a fish or reaching over the side too far may cause a boat to roll. Boaters who unexpectedly fall into the water are often not prepared and are usually not wearing a life jacket. If you violate either rule, the odds of capsizing your boat or falling overboard increase. If something falls out of the boat, do not reach for it. Instead, move the boat closer to the object so you can reach it without leaning your shoulders over the side of the boat.
People cause small boats to capsize and others to fall overboard.
Learning balance and movement skills under controlled conditions can reduce mishaps. Wearing you life jacket will give the extra margin for error caused by others or outside forces, such as the wakes of other boats. Small open boats, if operated safely, can provide hours of enjoyment on the water. Except for a couple of exceptions on the Missouri River, campsites in South Dakota's state parks and recreation areas were full this past weekend. Large numbers of picnickers, hikers and beach goers visited the parks on Saturday, with a slight decrease in day use on Sunday and Monday when temperatures decreased.