Officials are speaking out about the challenges boaters face while navigating Oneida Lake, including several extremely shallow portions of the body of water. Our Candace Hopkins reports.

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SYLVAN BEACH, N.Y. -- Boating on Oneida Lake can sometimes be a challenge, even for experienced boaters, especially in the area where the victim's boat struck buoy number 113 and overturned Thursday night.

"It's a difficult part of the lake where it can go from between 15 and 20 feet down to less than a foot in some spots," said Sylvan Beach Assistant Fire Chief Rick Johnson.

Johnson says that shallow water can pose a danger for anyone unfamiliar with the conditions.

"That's an area where we've had problems in the past, nothing of this severity, but we've had accidents in the past where people are unfamiliar with the territory in that location," said Johnson.

Which is why officials are cautioning all boaters to educate themselves before hitting the water.

"Either ask questions of other boaters, other fishermen, or you can go to any marina and get maps, and just study it and be familiar with the terrain, familiar with the territory, and just know where the dangers are, cause there are quite a few out there if you're not familiar with this area," said Johnson.