What should you do if you are unsure about a safety fact during a visit?

• A. Admit you don’t know, offer to find an answer, and follow up with a credible resource.
• B. Guess an answer to appear confident.
• C. Say you cannot answer at all.
• D. Tell the boater to look it up themselves.

Answer: (A)

When you’re unsure about a safety fact during a visit, the right move is to be honest and take action to confirm it. Admit you don’t have the answer on hand, offer to look it up, and follow up with a credible resource. This approach keeps the information accurate and shows you’re prioritizing the boater’s safety and your own credibility. In practice, you’d acknowledge the uncertainty, tell the boater you’ll verify and get back to them with the exact guidance, and then provide the correct information sourced from an official reference such as a Coast Guard regulation or other reputable safety materials.

Guessing to appear confident can lead to sharing incorrect information and erodes trust, while saying you cannot answer at all leaves the boater without needed guidance. Telling the boater to look it up themselves shifts responsibility away from you and doesn’t ensure they receive correct, timely information.