PHOENIX —  Arizona’s flooded rivers and streams are causing dangerous conditions for boaters in canoes, kayaks and other vessels without motors.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department warns that current water conditions can present life-threatening dangers. Rescuers from a number of agencies have plucked people from swollen waterways in the past week because they were not prepared for what happened when they entered the water.

Two men were rescued Tuesday after their canoe capsized in the fast-moving waters of the Salt River. Last week, three men launched a canoe into the flood-swollen waters of Granite Wash near Prescott; when their canoe capsized, one swam to safety but the other two drowned.

“Canoes are more than four times as likely as motorboats to capsize, and strong currents double that risk. Swift-water canoeing is extremely dangerous for inexperienced or amateur operators and should never be attempted during flooding,” says Kevin Bergersen, boating law enforcement officer with the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

Bergersen details the dangers of putting a canoe or any other kind of flotation device into a quickly rushing body of water, such as the Verde and lower Salt Rivers. These dangers also apply to anyone attempting to enter these waters right now:

• The force of as little as 6 inches of swiftly moving water can knock a person off his or her feet, so if a boat capsizes, boaters may not be capable of standing in seemingly shallow water.
  
• Once pinned, strained, or “foot trapped,” a person usually drowns in swift water.
  
• Floating debris, such as sticks and logs, or submerged hazards, including fencing and metal, can be deadly strainers that quickly trap a victim.
  
• Churning water created by dams and other flood control structures creates currents and hydraulics that can be deadly for both boaters and rescuers.

Cold-water immersion is another danger facing those who enter swollen waterways. “The water temperature in Granite Wash where the two canoers died was approximately 40 degrees, and the victims were not wearing thermal protective gear or life vests,” says Bergersen. “The shock of entering cold water can send a person into hyperventilation. It produces shortness of breath or gasping, uncontrollable shivering and ultimately, if a person is not rescued, it leads to death.”

The Arizona Game and Fish Department offers boating safety classes. To learn more about watercraft safety visit azgfd.gov/education.