A Umatilla Fire Department rescue boat searches the south shore of the Columbia River for missing boaters on east of Umatilla in June 2019.

SALEM — The number of boating deaths in Oregon dropped to 14 in 2023, the fewest since 2017, when 13 boaters were killed.

There were 16 fatalities in 2022, 19 in 2021 and 26 in 2020. The latter was the highest death toll in the state since at least 1990, according to statistics from the Oregon State Marine Board.

The U.S. Coast Guard requires states to track deaths that happen during recreational boating (the totals don’t include fatalities on commercial vessels, including charter boats).

The statistics do not include people who left a boat on purpose to go swimming.

Seven of the 14 deaths in 2023 happened on motorized boats, with six separate incidents. Two people died in one of the incidents.

The other seven deaths involved nonmotorized boats, including an incident on an inflatable raft in which two people died.

Twelve of the 14 people who died were not wearing a life jacket. On average, 85% to 90% of boating victims were not wearing a life jacket, according to the Marine Board.

Of the two victims who were wearing a life jacket, one had an inflatable device that malfunctioned, and the other was pushed by swift water into a rock strainer.

“Everyone needs to be prepared, no matter where they are boating or how long they’ve been a boater,” said Brian Paulsen, boating safety program manager for the Marine Board. “Accidents are unpredictable, so wearing a life jacket will increase your odds of survival when the unexpected happens.”

Inflatable life jackets are popular with many boaters, but Paulsen says they are not for everyone.

“We investigate incidents where life jackets fail to inflate,” he said. “We generally find that the owner didn’t service the life jacket properly or wasn’t armed with a CO2 cartridge. Inflatable life jackets are machines that must be tested and maintained. Every person using an inflatable should routinely test it to ensure it’s working correctly and approved by the United States Coast Guard.”

Fatalities occurred in all types of waters in 2023, in all types of watercraft. Two of the victims were female and 12 were male. Two of the victims succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning, eight drowned due to capsizing, one fell overboard, one slipped off rocks while trying to free their raft, one fell between their boat and dock while exiting to tie up, and one cause was unknown.

“Before you get on the water, check to see if you have the required safety equipment, check the weather, check the tides on the coast, and always wear a life jacket,” Paulsen said. “Safe boating takes time for planning and preparation.”

More information about recreational boating, including annual accident summaries, is available on the Marine Board’s website, www.oregon.gov/osmb/Pages/Accidents-and-Fatalities.aspx.

Comparing boating fatalities

2022

Deaths

Oregon: 16

U.S.: 636

Death rate*

Oregon: 10.3

U.S.: 5.4

2021

Deaths

Oregon: 18

U.S.: 658

Death rate

Oregon: 11.0

U.S.: 5.5

2020

Deaths

Oregon: 26

U.S.: 767

Death rate

Oregon: 15.8

U.S.: 6.5

2019

Deaths

Oregon: 18

U.S.: 613

Death rate

Oregon: 10.9

U.S.: 5.2

2018

Deaths

Oregon: 17

U.S.: 633

Death rate

Oregon: 10.1

U.S.: 5.3

2017

Deaths

Oregon: 12

U.S.: 658

Death rate

Oregon: 7.1

U.S.: 5.5

*per 100,000 registered boats