MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — The rivers in Central Georgia can be a popular spot in the summer but they can also be dangerous.
"Every time we come down here, someone is missing a life jacket," Game Warden Jaron Hollinshead with the Department of Natural Resources said.
He's been working on the water for about a year, but he's seen plenty of people not following water safety rules.
At the Sinclair Dam Boat Ramp, it's required to wear a life jacket if you're floating north of the ramp. The dam generators can make the water flow fast and strong.
"When the water is high, it looks like it's moving really slow but if anything, it's much stronger," Hollinshead said.
That's why Georgia Power teamed up with the Department of Natural Recourses to install a life jacket loaner station at the very end of Sinclair Dam Road in Milledgeville.
It's free to use and has a variety of sizes for everyone at the river this summer.
"People think that they're invincible and the river's a lot different than a lake — there's so many more dangers," Hollinshead said.
Jayton Joseph takes water safety seriously and knows it's a matter of life or death.
"A lot of times whenever you flip, you go down under the kayak and the water keeps going," Joseph said.
That's why it's so important to wear your life jacket anytime you're in the water. It's also important to make sure it fits snugly so it doesn't slide off.
But if you come to the water without your lifejacket, you are more than welcome to use one of the lifejackets available at the loaner station.
But you are asked to please return it before you go home for the next person to use.