Hundreds Flock to Delta to Kick Off Boating Season

California's severe drought has made the Delta waterway a go-to destinations for many looking to sail boats, jet ski or catch waves.

The drought has not had the same impact on the Delta as it has had on area lakes, which have suffered with low water levels. Hundreds of water lovers spent the holiday weekend at the Delta to usher in the boating season.

"The tide level from the ocean is what keeps water levels up here," said Brian Sterley, a jet skier.  "So it's not like a lake where you won't get mountain run-off."

But the changing tides of the Delta and Suisun Bay create other problems for boats.

"The tides that run through the Delta and through the river here vary greatly so there's a lot of low areas around Pittsburg that when the tide changes you can run aground very easily," said Lon Goetsch of the Contra Costa County Fire Department.

Contra Costa County Fire's special water rescue team responded to two calls of boats that ran aground.

"They responded to an area where both boats became stranded due to low water situation," said  "The boats were stranded, the boaters trapped and becoming hypothermic and needed our assistance in getting out of that situation."

View more in Jodi Hernandez's video above.

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