PADRE ISLAND, Tx — Almost immediately after Texas game wardens put their boat in the water, Nueces County game warden Kyle Hendley started doing water safety checks.
"Are you the boat owner? Do you have a throwable cushion? No, you don't have one,” Hendley said.
He wrote the boat captain a warning before sending him and his passengers to shore.
"If you're missing some of your safety equipment your trip will be terminated, and you need to get that fixed before you go out on the water,” Hendley said.
Minutes later, game warden Hendley gave another warning to a kayaker for not wearing a lifejacket. KRIS 6 News reporter Victoria Balderrama spoke to him when he paddled to land.
"I’ve been out here since high school, so you get into that rhythm of doing and not thinking of safety all the time,” the kayaker said.
KRIS 6 News pulled the numbers for last year.
According to its annual report, Texas game wardens handled, 175 boating incidents statewide which included 28 deaths. On Padre Island alone, in 2023, game wardens worked 12 incidents with injuries and one fatality.
"This weekend, we're definitely zeroing in on boating safety and boating while intoxicated,” Hendley said.
This Memorial Day, game wardens are taking action and being proactive.
Hendley said he doesn't need probable cause to pull someone over.
"So you're in possession of alcohol, right and you're the boat captain,” Hendley said.
Hendley explained why he cited this group.
"What I cited them for was minor in possession of alcohol. No one on board was 21 years or older,” Hendley said.
The rules, Hendley said, are there to keep everyone safe.
"Anybody can get into a boat accident. Water is constantly changing, the depth of the water and the lake levels,” Hendley said.
You can expect to see Texas game wardens out here 24 hours, seven days a week. Not only on holidays but year-round as they enforce boat safety to help keep everyone safe on the water.
