By Peter Biello
Wilmington, NC – With fireworks shows taking place over the next few days, some may want to take to the waterways for a better view. But boating safety experts are advising caution on those evening trips.
Chris Huebner, boating safety coordinator for the State Wildlife Commission says having a safe evening trip on the water, starts before you leave the dock -- by making sure that lights and other equipment work properly and checking to insure there are enough life jackets on board.
Huebner also recommends taking it a little slower once the sun goes down.
Slowing down and being cautious is definitely the way to go at night, and especially for those boaters that do not go out at night very much, because they're not used to it and just need to take some extra precautions when they're out there.
As for nighttime restrictions, use of personal watercraft, such as jet skis is banned after sunset and before sunrise. Water skiing is allowed one hour before sunrise and one hour after sunset.