KING COUNTY, Wash. — It’s already been a deadly year on the water in King County and officials are bracing for the worst this hot weekend as people hit the water to cool down.
Mercer Island police took KIRO 7 on a ride-along as they patrolled Lake Washington.
“We know everyone is out here to have a good time. One thing we don’t want to do is take away from that. So we do a lot of education,” explained Bobby Jira with the Mercer Island Police Department.
Their biggest issue - making sure paddleboarders and boaters have lifejackets. Not having one could be the difference between life and death.
“We are seeing more people out on the lakes and the rivers than we have in years past. With the greater numbers of recreators we are also seeing more drownings,” said Ben Callahan with the King County Sheriff’s Office.
On average, King County experiences 17 drownings a year. Two to three happen during the month of August. So far this year, there have already been 13-15 drownings. Four of them have happened in August and we're only halfway through the month.
In addition to water safety, officials also remind folks that we are still in a pandemic.
“Some of the some crowds we’ve been seeing at beaches, docks and boats are problematic for both water safety and COVID safety,” said Tony Gomez with Public Health Seattle and King County.
Gomez urges people to mask up and keep their distance from others who aren’t in your group.
As refreshing as the water looks, keep in mind the water is still pretty cold.
“So when people jump in, I think they’re not expecting that initial shock to be that cold and everybody’s body does something different when cold water hits them,” added Jira.