When a group of people is taking part in watersports together, one person in the group should work as the leader and make sure that everyone knows what is going on. One person should make sure that all of the canoes are going to be ready when the group is about to head out, and they should have a plan of where the group is going to go. The leader of the group might invest in brightly colored t-shirts or hats for each member of the group to wear so that they will be noticeable when out on the water and easy to spot if something goes wrong.

When a group of people is about to spend time on the water, at least some of the people in the group should have a good idea of how their canoes work and what they will need to do to stay safe on the water. Some or all of those who are going to be participating in watersports together should consider going to a class to help them learn how to stay safe on the water. Some or all of those who are going to be going out together should know how to handle basic first aid situations.

If some of those who are going out on the water are children, they need to know the rules of being out in canoes or kayaks and what they need to do to stay safe. Someone needs to be watching out for each of the children who is a part of the group. Children should know that they cannot stand up in the canoe when they are out on the water. Children should know how to swim and what they need to do if the canoe or kayak that they are in tips over while on the water.