Jacksonville Topics: Question for the Captain
(Jacksonville Specific)
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Updated 2/16/2011
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(Jacksonville Specific)
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Updated 2/16/2011
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Name:
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Capt M Brooks
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Subject:
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Question for the Captain
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Date:
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7/16/2012 6:14:12 PM
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Lifer, we first saw wake surfing on Lake Martin 3 or 4 years ago, and initially our officers were concerned about the safety aspect of it as well. We stopped and talked to several people about the sport and learned a little about it, and frankly, absent a specific statute or regulation aimed at it, could find nothing illegal about it. As of this writing there hasn't been a single reported accident on the lake involving someone who was wake surfing that I can recall.
Wakesurfer below does a good job of explaining some of the differences between it and what's called "teak" surfing or "body" surfing. As he pointed out, carbon monoxide poisoning is the single biggest danger involved in that activity. However, depending on the type of boat used, close proximity to the propellor can also be a danger.
This discussion is a clear illustration of how difficult it can be to make a reckless or careless operation case against an operator. If you took a poll of 10 operators regarding any specific activity, you'd most likely have 10 different opinions. That's why we encourage our officers to educate boaters as much as possible and to make sure they can testify to the activity in question truly being dangerous before citing anyone for reckless or careless operation. I think most of our officers, myself included, use past experiences with accidents and incidents in helping them with their decision to cite someone for those particular charges.
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