More people are using kayaks and canoes as a way to escape to the great outdoors during the coronavirus pandemic, and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is urging novice paddlers to use extra caution on the state's waterways, especially following recent heavy rains.
Randy Zellers, assistant chief of communications with AGFC, said a large number of people have taken up paddling during the pandemic, and sales of kayaks and canoes have risen.
Zellers said those types of watercraft are getting hard to find in stores, because "everybody is buying kayaks."
"It's great," he said, referring to people discovering the activity for the first time, "but it requires a different skill set. It can be dangerous in a current."
Earlier this week, heavy rainfall in the Garland County area led to a large inflow of water into lakes Hamilton and Catherine. Zellers said the added inflow creates new currents that paddlers need to be aware of.
With the added number of people learning how to paddle on the waterways right now, Zellers said it is "smart to always wear a life jacket."
"Operator inexperience, especially in a high-current situation. If you are in a kayak, you need to be wearing (a life jacket)," he said, also noting those just learning the hobby should "take baby steps."
Zellers said children aged 12 and younger must also wear a life jacket at all times on a boat, and those who are older still have to have one within reach.
Another issue Zellers said they like to remind people of around the holiday is to not drink and drive. He said someone who has been drinking getting "behind the wheel of a boat is just as bad as a car" and getting caught driving a boat while intoxicated can cause the boater to lose their driver's license for up to six months.
"It is not illegal to enjoy an adult beverage" while riding on a boat, Zellers said, but legally drinking while on the boat then driving a car home is something that should not happen.
The effect alcohol has on a person while on a boat, Zellers said, is much more than the effect it has on land. "Alcohol has an increased effect on water," he said, noting the motion of the boat floating in the water, mixed with the sunlight, causes inebriation quicker.
"One or two beers may not affect you on your porch, but it can on water," Zellers said.
As the pandemic is still happening, Zellers also recommended that people wear masks and keep socially distant while visiting the lakes and rivers. He said officers will be "gently reminding folks" to keep socially distant over the weekend.