Do you prefer boating, sailing, water skiing, canoeing, kayaking, or another water sport? No matter what you choose, Saskatchewan with its 100,000 lakes and rivers has a place where you can get out on the water. If you want to boat or sail for long distances, Lake Diefenbaker in the southern part of the province is 220 km long and also offers sandy beaches for you to enjoy. Another scenic area in southern Saskatchewan is the Qu’Appelle Valley with the Pasqua, Echo, Mission, and Katepwa Lakes where you can go boating, water skiing, and sailing in the summer. You could even experience the Legend of the Qu’Appelle, a Cree spirit who roams the valley asking “Who calls?”

If you are looking for other outdoor activities to go along with boating, you can visit any of the 34 provincial parks and almost 100 regional parks located throughout Saskatchewan. Kipabiskau Regional Park, located in the Barrier River Valley, offers opportunities for water skiing, boating, and kayaking as well as camping and hiking. Meadow Lake Provincial Park has a series of more than 20 lakes for boaters and paddlers to enjoy. In northern Saskatchewan, Candle Lake in Candle Lake Provincial Park features crystal clear water and 7 km of sandy beaches along with numerous other activities.

Since Saskatchewan has more sunshine in the summer than any other province, you might decide to boat on one of the province’s four major river systems—North Saskatchewan, South Saskatchewan, Assiniboine, or Churchill. Along the Churchill River, you will find not only Nistowiak Falls, one of the highest waterfalls in Saskatchewan, but also numerous bald eagles during the summer. Paddlers on the Quill Lakes can see a variety of birds, such as black-crowned night herons, marbled godwits, or even endangered piping plovers.

With all of these opportunities for recreational boating and sightseeing, boating safety becomes a primary concern. Nothing ruins an outing on the water faster than a boating accident. By taking a boating safety education course, you will get a basic knowledge of pleasure craft operation, the safety equipment you are required to have, the rules of the waterways, ways to avoid collisions, and how to handle emergency situations, giving you the tools you need to operate safely on Saskatchewan’s waterways.

You may have heard that you need a Canada boating license or Saskatchewan boating license to operate a boat. Unlike driving a car, you do not need a driver’s license or a boater’s license to operate a pleasure craft. What you really need is a Canada PCOC. This card is proof that you have successfully completed an approved boating safety course that is required for pleasure craft operators in Saskatchewan and other provinces. Since the PCOC does not expire and does not need to be renewed, it is not called the Canadian Boat License, Saskatchewan boat license, or pleasure craft license.