THOSE WHO IGNORE WATER DANGERS ARE THE REAL HAZARD
OSOYOOS TIMES-August 6, 2008
Since the summer began there have been two reported close calls on Osoyoos Lake that nearly ended in death.
On June 30, four people almost drowned after becoming caught in a strong current off of Haynes Point Provincial Park and on July 25 four people were ejected from a boat when it hit a stretch of land on the lake's northeast shoreline.
Although there have been calls for local leaders to do more to warn swimmers and boaters about potential hazards in the lake, particularly in the case of the near-drowning incident, it is really up to Osoyoos residents and visitors to the area to practice common sense in and around the water.
As Mayor John Slater pointed out in a recent interview, many of the province's waterways and coastal areas do not have signage or buoys warning of any potential dangers to boaters and swimmers, even though all bodies of water pose possible safety hazards to humans.
There's always room for improvement, but most local efforts to keep those who enjoy the lake safe are adequate.
Problems arise when people choose to take risks despite knowing better.
For example, how many people, either Osoyoos residents or visitors, choose to ignore clearly posted signs that say no diving or jumping off the Hwy. 3 bridge that connects east and west Osoyoos?
People can be seen nearly everyday leaping from the bridge into a waterway that often has heavy boating traffic.
If people decide to operate boats at high speed at night on the lake or, even worse, drink while boating, as is allegedly the case in the July 25 crash, no amount of warnings or marker buoys will make a difference.
Those who decide to take risks by defying good judgment or disobeying posted warnings such as the no diving restrictions at the bridge not only put their own life in danger, but the lives of all others in or on the lake.
