Two years ago a Bend man, sans life jacket, drowned at Wickiup Reservoir on the opening day of fishing season after a wave capsized the 10-foot aluminum flat-bottomed boat from which he was fishing.

The National Safe Boating Council has dubbed May 21-27 as National Safe Boating Week to remind all boaters that the vast majority of fatalities (about 79 percent) occur on rivers, streams and lakes, and that drowning continues to be the No. 1 cause of deaths in boating accidents.

Approximately 80 percent of those drowning victims were not wearing life jackets, according to the organization’s Web site, and roughly one-third of recreational fatalities occur while boaters are engaged in fishing activities.

The NBSC champions wearing life jackets as the single greatest preventive step a boater can take to avoid drowning.

”Traditionally, Memorial Day weekend has been a time when people get their boats out for fishing and head to the water,” said Virgil Chambers, executive director of the National Safe Boating Council from his office in Bristow, Va. ”We feel it’s a natural time to let the public know what they need and what they should have before they go out on the water.”

Adult anglers in Oregon are not required by law to wear life jackets, but they are required to have them readily accessible in the boat. Children under 12 years of age must wear a life jacket at all times, except when the boat is anchored.

”A lot of time anglers stand up in their boats, and another boat goes by and the wake will knock them in the water,” said Jyll Smith at the Oregon State Marine Board in Salem. ”You’ve got to have them (life jackets) on before you are in the water. It increases your chances of survival tremendously.”

She added that in the last several years, most water fatalities in Oregon have occurred on rivers and lakes.

Tom Wells, a marine patrol deputy with Deschutes County, says anglers frequently don’t wear life jackets because they are thought to be cumbersome to wear while fishing.

”They (life jackets) are stuffed behind seats and stuffed in storage boxes,” said Wells. ”Ideally, they’d be wearing them.”

Wells added that accidents often occur when anglers stand up in their boat, and when all their weight is to one side of the boat. Anglers should also recognize adverse weather conditions such as wind that can cause significant waves at area lakes such as Wickiup or Odell.

”It’s a matter of pulling your attention away from the fishing and to your surroundings,” Wells advised.

Cold water can also be life-threatening factor for an angler whose boat has overturned.

”It makes it much harder for you to swim,” Wells explained. ”You get tired quicker, and hypothermic. Everyone thinks, ‘I can swim, I’m not worried about it.’ ”

New life jackets on the market give anglers more options for choosing a perserver that is not only comfortable and stylish, but functional too.

”Today, you don’t have to wear that orange, ugly, bulky device,” said Chambers. ”There are life jackets that are really suited for the sport of angling.”

He cited fishing vests and jackets that feature pockets for lures and lamb’s wool for hooks. Also on the market is a belt pack that increases freedom of movement and actually claims to be more buoyant in the water than traditional life jackets. A suspenders version of the life jacket doesn’t deploy until the wearer hits the water, while other jackets inflate by pulling a string that activates a carbon dioxide cartridge. The inflatable suspenders are worn by all of Wells’ marine deputies.

”There are two devices out there that really blow apart the excuse that it’s too bulky, cumbersome, or too hot,” noted Chambers. ”It’s not your grandfather’s life jacket,”

According to the National Safe Boating Council, fatality rates decrease significantly when a boater has some boater safety education.

This year in Oregon, boaters 45 years old and younger must carry a boater education card when operating powerboats (including personal watercraft or any motorized watercraft) greater than 10 horsepower, according to the Oregon State Marine Board. Cost for the card is $10 and is good for life.

The fine for noncompliance is $94. To obtain a card, complete an approved boater education course online at www.marinebd.osmb.state.or.us, or in the classroom through one of Central Oregon Community College’s continuing education Boat Safe programs.

Heather Clark can be reached at 541-383-0352 or at hclark@bendbulletin.com.