Fishing season opens Saturday and that's prompted some reminders from the Lifesaving Society - Manitoba Branch. Operations Manager Kevin Tordiffe says it's imperative that anglers wear life jackets at this time of year. He explains the water's still very cold and doesn't give you much time if you happen to fall in.

Kevin Tordiffe, Operations Manager Lifesaving Society - Manitoba Branch"Long before hypothermia becomes an issue we really have to think about things like cold shock which can set up within the first minutes that you end up in the water," says Tordiffe. "Your body reacts by starting to gasp for air. And if that happens at a point when you're struggling to keep your head above the surface of the water, you can take water into your lungs and into your body and it's going to cause some serious problems. And then, after that first minute, if you've managed to control your breathing, you really only have about ten minutes of meaningful movement where you're going to have the muscle strength to get yourself up and out of the water."

Tordiffe says a life jacket in these circumstances is often the difference between life and death. He also urges people to remember that water often runs faster at this time of year, to make sure their boats are in good running order and that all safety equipment's onboard. This includes appropriate life jackets for every person in the boat, a bailer, paddles, an anchor, some kind of sound-making device like a whistle or air horn, and a throwing line in case a rescue's necessary. Tordiffe encourages people to make sure family or friends know where they're going and when they plan to be back.

Tordiffe has one last message for all boaters.

"A significant number of drownings in Canada happen as a result of boating and about 80 - 90 percent of those incidents occur when people who are boating are not wearing their life jackets. So, get a life jacket and wear it. Also, make sure you're not drinking and boating, and make sure you're operating your boat in a safe manner. Get some education and training which is better than just taking a test to obtain your card. Go out and get required instruction about operating a boat safely."

Meanwhile, the province reports water levels in the Whiteshell and Lake of the Woods are right around average except Lake Nutimik which is about one foot higher than normal.

Location

Current Level

Historic May Average

Historic Annual Average

(ft)

(ft)

(ft)

Caddy Lake

1045.33

1045.72

1045.12

West Hawk Lake

1091.45

1091.95

1091.29

Lake of the Woods (Cyclone Island)

1058.79

1059.04

1059.02

Nutimik Lake

903.53

902.17

902.23

Falcon Lake

1066.06

1065.91

1065.82