With an extra day off this weekend, many people are celebrating out on the water. And as the lakes and rivers crowd with boats and jet skis, the chance for accidents goes up. But boat patrols in Minocqua are keeping a close watch to make sure the summer seasons ends safely.

"Keep your distance ok? Because you need to stay 100 ft away from the docks."

With just a warning, Officer Steven Gregesich turns his eyes back to the water. He's on the lookout for dangerous boating.

"This year was relatively quiet up until a couple days ago," notes Officer Gregesich.

In the last few days, he's seen a young girl injured by a boat propeller and several close calls.

"When you think of what could've happened, it could've been a lot worse."

Officer Gregesich says this year he's stopped plenty of boaters riding too fast in the no-wake zones. Or for driving too close to the shore or other boats. But the most citations he says he's written this year are for people riding illegally on the outsides, back or fronts of boats.

"It'd be very easy to go over and the water can change very quickly," he notes.

And while Officer Gregesich has the power to arrest people or issue citations he says he often takes a more proactive approach to try to warn people before something happens.

It's something some boaters on Lake Minocqua say they appreciate. One visitor says he especially likes the extra pair of eyes watching near the bridges.

"It's a good thing because it's a slow no wake area and it's a heavy, heavy traffic area so I think what they're doing is a great job," says Jake Kriesel, a boater from Rhinelander.

In the two years he's patrolled the waters in the Minocqua area. Officer Gregesich says he hasn't had to arrest anyone and for the most part he says boaters are respectful and careful.