Eight people have drowned in Utah lakes and reservoirs this summer, and state officials say the pattern is clear: victims aren't wearing their life jackets.

Maj. Steve Bullock of the Utah Department of Natural Resources' law enforcement division said at a Friday, July 24, news conference that only one of the eight victims had a life jacket on at the time of death. One victim was a scuba diver, which Bullock called a rare occurrence.

The warning carries direct weight for anyone heading to Jordanelle, Rockport, or Echo reservoirs during the remaining weeks of summer. Utah law requires children under 13 to wear life jackets on all waterways, and adults must wear them on rivers or when being towed behind a boat. But on reservoirs, adults only need to have a jacket aboard for each person. They don't have to put it on.

Bullock told reporters that officers responding to paddleboard drownings have repeatedly found the victim's life jacket tucked under the board's straps, with the board located in a separate spot from the body.

"For some reason, boating is having a hard time communicating the importance of wearing life jackets," Bullock said at the news conference, held at the Utah Office of the Medical Examiner. "I think people think that it's not going to happen to them."

Bullock wore a personal flotation device while speaking and displayed sleeker, less bulky models to counter the common complaint that life jackets are too cumbersome. He cited cold water temperatures below the surface of Utah reservoirs as a specific hazard, noting that a sudden muscle cramp or cold-water shock can incapacitate even strong swimmers.

Cory Russo, a division director at the Office of the Medical Examiner, urged residents to treat life jackets like seatbelts. Officials also displayed an underwater drone equipped with sonar and a high-definition camera, used for drowning victim recovery operations.

Visitors to Jordanelle State Park can borrow a life jacket for free through a loaner station that has been in place since at least 2024. More information about loaner availability at other state parks is at recreation.utah.gov.