Nehalem River canoeing death highlights an overlooked aspect of water safety

The death of a canoist on the Nehalem River last week offers a good reason to talk about water safety in a different way. Most people think the water dangers here are on the coast: the beach with its sneaker waves and rip currents, the Columbia River Bar, and the river's cold water and strong tides.

But equally dangerous hazards await even in smaller waterways with seemingly calm conditions. All bodies of water demand respect and proper gear to stay safe.

The best protection against all of these hazards is life jackets - and it's high time we decided they're "cool" so people will wear them.

Show transcript here: http://shipreport.nfshost.com/audio/SRTranscript061324.pdf