LAKE WASHINGTON, Wash. — The King County Sheriff’s Marine Dive Unit member Sergeant Rich Barton says this summer has had more drownings than usual, so ahead of the SeaFair Weekend, he’s pointing out the common mistakes people make to prevent them this weekend.
The weekend festival brings hydro boats, prop planes, and Blue Angel Fighter jets to Lake Washington and thousands of people on boats of their own to the water.
“There’s people that don’t know what they’re doing. The people that just rented a boat came out here, rented a jet ski, and they’re zipping around doing things that they shouldn’t be doing. And then you brought your family out for a nice event, and then it turned into a catastrophe very quickly.” Barton said.
Seattle Harbor Patrol, the Coast Guard, and KCSO will have nearly two dozen boats combined patrolling the water.
They enforce the no-wake zones to the south of I-90, patrol for boating under the influence, and make sure boats aren’t overloaded with people while ensuring there are enough lifejackets for everyone on board.
“I’m on Lake Washington; Seattle’s right there, Mercer Island’s right there. But our response time is exaggerated.” Barton said. “A little bit more awareness of their surroundings is a big thing.”
The most chaotic time is after the Blue Angel Show when hundreds of boats head home.
“You have a thousand boats churning wake, and as it becomes a confused sea state, the boats don’t do well on that,” Barton said.
A confused sea is where waves churn in different directions—as a boat takes on a wave from its forward side, another may come at it from its starboard side, creating challenging conditions for boaters. Barton says waves will bounce off both the floating bridges. With wind expected this weekend, four-foot waves can be expected.
“Low-to-the-water boats are going to have a much harder time dealing with a confused state,” Barton said.
Barton says he and his deputies prioritize education when they contact people, as long as their behavior isn’t reckless or dangerous and people treat them with respect.
“We want people to have fun. If I don’t have to work, it’s all the better for us.” Barton said, “We’re here to interrupt natural selection, and if we can do that and nobody gets really hurt, that’s a good day for us.”