#75983 - 08/30/08 05:25 PM
Are jet skis damaging the island marine environment?
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Wolf
Junior Member
Registered: 08/30/08
Posts: 4
Loc: Bermuda
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How are jet skis impacting the atoll environment? Is there any attempt to regulate their use?
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#75993 - 08/30/08 11:51 PM
Re: Are jet skis damaging the island marine environment?
[Re: Wolf]
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STM
Expert Advisor
Registered: 10/15/01
Posts: 1616
Loc: Oregon, USA
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Because of their cost, there are not as many as compared with other island locations around the world.
They mostly impact the vacation environment due to the noise they produce.
Beyond Tahiti, you may be able to spend your whole vacation without seeing, or hearing, them more than a couple of times
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#76010 - 09/01/08 07:16 AM
Re: Are jet skis damaging the island marine environment?
[Re: STM]
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Wolf
Junior Member
Registered: 08/30/08
Posts: 4
Loc: Bermuda
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Thanks STM....hope they keep them controlled as they seem to ruin the desire for a peaceful vacation^..^
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#76014 - 09/01/08 01:21 PM
Re: Are jet skis damaging the island marine environment?
[Re: Wolf]
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Submarine
Expert Advisor
Registered: 01/03/03
Posts: 1033
Loc: Gilbert, Arizona, USA
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Well you are obviously trolling but here's a little tug on your line:
It has been proven time and time again that Jetski's do not impact the environment any more, and in fact some ways less, than other watercraft. PWC have closed bilges and do not use water ballast, so they minimize the transportation of pests such as the quagga mussel. PWC have a shallow draft and no exposed propeller so they have little impact on coral reefs or other sensitive parts of the marine environment. PWC's also do not have blackwater discharge tanks or any facilities that would necessitate discharging waste directly into the water. PWC's can operate for many hours longer using less fuel than conventional watercraft. In addition, because of the physical nature of operating a PWC, enthusiasts tend to operate them for periods of shorter duration, utilizing a beach or other docking facility to relax between sessions.
"If it's fun, it must be bad" is the typical mindset and leads to unreasonable bans based on bad science. For example, bans imposed upon PWC in the U.S. National Parks orchestrated by the Bluewater Network have been rolled back in almost every case and severely curtailed in others while recognizing some areas were already banned to motorized watercraft in general such as wilderness areas in our National Forests are.
You could bring every jetski in the world to FP and still not come close to the amount of pollution associated with one average week of Cruise ships, freighters, ferry's, and fishing boats, much less the previous nuclear testing conducted by the French government.
PWC are an integral part of the tow surfing sport and uniquely capable as rescue watercraft. There is an active PWC community in Tahiti, and they put on a race or two every year. Visit tahit-jet.com for more information. Watercraft use in Tahiti is relatively tightly controlled compared to the U.S., and an International boating license is required. There isn't any singling out of PWC for greater regulation that I am aware of.
PWC allow many people who would otherwise be denied access a unique and personal experience on the water. Because of their small shape and shallow draft, PWC can safely access areas unavailable to larger craft. Until you have witnessed the joy and sense of accomplishment of a handicapped person experiencing the freedom of piloting a PWC on their own, as good as any abled person, you cannot truly value what PWC bring to the community.
Perhaps you should not project whatever problems you feel Bermuda has with PWC upon French Polynesia, if in fact you do live in Bermuda.
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#76016 - 09/01/08 04:36 PM
Re: Are jet skis damaging the island marine environment?
[Re: Submarine]
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holte
Expert Advisor
Registered: 11/19/04
Posts: 2417
Loc: Duluth, Minnesota
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This discussion on jet skis has been held before. I hate hate hate them and they are incredibly annoying on Minnesota lakes. I don't like them in FP because it makes so that I am not comfortable jumping from a boat (when we go boating ourselves)to snorkel as I am afraid of getting run over by one because they are so fast, and I'm not sure they would see a snorkeler. But as on Lake Superior (the largest freshwater lake in the world) and in FP, they have not been that annoying otherwise. They are usually far enough out so that they cannot be heard. I think what most people are concerned about is the annoying noise. In Duluth, we have a sailing club that brings our people with physical challenges and teaches them to sail. That is a real triumph also.
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#76022 - 09/02/08 06:04 AM
Re: Are jet skis damaging the island marine environment?
[Re: holte]
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Old Wife
Expert Advisor
Registered: 02/21/03
Posts: 2369
Loc: Burlington, Ontario, Canada
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Wow, Sub, what an interesting post. You really opened my eyes up about these watercraft. Like holte, the noise of them really bothers me, but I hadn't thought about what effect they had on the environment & your post really made me think about that. I still hate the noise (and worry when I'm swimming or snorkelling that I won't be seen--though that's a risk with any watercraft), but now I won't worry so much about them wrecking the environment.
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#76034 - 09/02/08 08:17 AM
Re: Are jet skis damaging the island marine environment?
[Re: Old Wife]
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Pago
Member
Registered: 12/10/05
Posts: 189
Loc: Ohio
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We agree 1000% with holte.; '\
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#76039 - 09/02/08 09:56 AM
Re: Are jet skis damaging the island marine environment?
[Re: Pago]
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Pacific Andy
Supreme Advisor
Registered: 10/16/01
Posts: 4278
Loc: Los Angeles, CA
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But the boats do the same damage as the Jet Ski's.
I am always amused at the new environmentalists who still use boats, planes and cars to get somewhere to grand stand about the environment. What was the name of the movie "inconvenient truth". Didnt Al Gore fly a private jet to all the premiers? Just this morning I watched a Prius run over a seagull on the road. He could of easily avoided it, but did not. What environment is he saving? Not the seagulls.
Really the amount of sun screen people put on ruins the coral reef much more than a jet ski, but I am sure everyone is still putting on sunscreen to protect themselves from Skin Cancer. Its catch 22
_________________________
Once You Go You Get It
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#76054 - 09/02/08 03:51 PM
Re: Are jet skis damaging the island marine environment?
[Re: Pacific Andy]
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hamara
Expert Advisor
Registered: 01/07/02
Posts: 2319
Loc: Washington/Moorea
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I think it's time to crank up my Motel T again. I don't like their noise but they do about as much damage as a timble full of
vermouth in a tank car full of gin to the enviroment
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#76056 - 09/02/08 04:08 PM
Re: Are jet skis damaging the island marine environment?
[Re: Pacific Andy]
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Submarine
Expert Advisor
Registered: 01/03/03
Posts: 1033
Loc: Gilbert, Arizona, USA
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Geez, PA, don't you get it? When you travel by private jet, yacht, and limo you automatically get a carbon offset equal to a thousand times of the emissions that the transportation the unwashed masses use. LOL
Personal watercraft have noise emissions under 80 decibels, and the threshold used pretty much everywhere for excessive noise is 88-90 for stationary, 82 in a bypass test. It's more a matter of perception as the sound produced by a PWC is a different pitch from an outboard or other watercraft. Manufacturers have come out with several innovative ways at reducing noise levels, including the patented D-Sea-Bel system, and continue to address this.
You can think of it like that person in the restaurant with the particularly annoying laugh or voice. He/She isn't louder than anyone else but you focus your attention on the displeasing sound. Lots of things are annoying but we don't go around banning every annoyance.
Of course the operator is responsible for safe operation of any watercraft, and PWC enthusiasts are no exception. In some ways you may be safer snorkeling around that PWC than other watercraft. A PWC operator is closer to the water than other types of boats, and there is less bow rise both at takeoff and during sustained operation. This can limit the vision for the operator of traditional boats. Also, PWC's are inherently more maneuverable than all other watercraft, especially sail boats, so an alert, sober PWC operators should be able to avoid anyone in the water. A good PWC operator is constantly scanning the water for floating objects such as kelp, rope, or garbage as sucking this up into the intake can put the PWC out of operation until the offending matter is removed. I routinely have to dodge small chips of bark at my local lake, so I could probably dodge your head Holte! A lot of the problems in the U.S. with PWC are related to rental watercraft, as rental operations of any type do not spend any time educating the users about safe operation. It would be nice if we had a boating license like they do in Europe.
I'm not really a fan of the sit down type of watercraft you see most often in FP and worldwide. I ride standup jetskis which are a lot more fun yet difficult to master. I can ride all weekend on 10 gallons of gas so it's economical even at $5/gallon. But I did take the Miki Miki tour once in Bora Bora and I had a lot of fun. Because of strict regulations, you are required to follow the leader in a single file line and not allowed any 'play time' on your own. I've seen the lagoons every which way except by submarine and via PWC ranks in the top 3.
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