(ABC 6 News) – It’s been days since a kayaker went missing in the upper Iowa river in Winneshiek County.

As the search continues, experts weigh in on how you can stay safe out on the water.

For the last few weeks, Iowa has been drenched with rainfall and battered with numerous storms.

With flood waters high and rising, safety officials are warning you to stay out of the water.

For people like Todd Robertson with the Iowa DNR, he says it’s those dangerous levels that had him changing his plans.

“I was just up and looking at the Boone river yesterday, I had to cancel one of my paddling classes because it was unsafe to take them out.”

It’s not just water levels but also looking for debris in the water that could pose a risk to your boat.

“We call that a strainer, it’s kind of like a spaghetti strainer at home. The water and the noodles go in but only the water goes through, so you have all that water and all that force coming through all those tree limbs and you and your boat can get pinned up against them and underneath the water and you can drown,” Robertson said.

If you’re heading out to a safe area and planning to kayak or boat, always be prepared. Like wearing a life jacket no matter how good of a swimmer you may be.

“if you hit your head on something, you can’t swim, you don’t have a life jacket on, you’re going to go down,” U.S. Coast Guard Leslie Harrington said.

You also should never go out alone, or at least let someone know where you are going.

In these waters, a mystery still needs to be solved, as dozens work around the clock to bring 39-year-old Justin Limkemann home.