Fatal jet ski collision with boat

[alleycat]

Who is surprised?, tragic news but we need to get these high powered jet skis out of confined waters and restrict them to open waters..
###############


A man has died after a jetski crash on a Gold Coast river.
(http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/2013/11/09/17/08/grass-fire-forces-theme-park-evacuation)

(http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/2013/11/09/17/08/grass-fire-forces-theme-park-evacuation)[/URL]
Police say the 22-year-old was riding the jetski on the Coomera River at Paradise Point at about 5.45pm (AEST) on Saturday and initial reports suggest he collided with a small boat.

"The occupants of the boat immediately recovered the man from the river and provided medical assistance before emergency crews arrived," police said in a statement.
He was taken to Gold Coast University Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
[URL]http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/2013/11/10/02/32/jetski-rider-dies-after-gold-coast-crash#undefined (http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/2013/11/09/17/08/grass-fire-forces-theme-park-evacuation)

[Shark Poker]

97605

This is the Ride Smart sticker which is required by law to be attached near the steering of all jet skis.
It states, as you can see, that a rider must slow down within 60 metres of swimmers or vessels.

60m..... Not very far at all.
Another interpretation is that it is perfectly legal to travel at 100kmh only 65m away from persons or vessels.

The Distance should be, IMO, more like 150m.

This tragedy is bad enough, but it could happen again. We need to keep more space.

[alleycat]

Are you serious?, 60 metres? ive had some come so close I could spit on them, this needs more policing with demerit points to carry over to car licence.

[Triple]

Who is surprised?, tragic news but we need to get these high powered jet skis out of confined waters and restrict them to open waters..


Then we better ban high powered motorcycles out of residential areas and restrict them to highway use too?




This is the Ride Smart sticker which is required by law to be attached near the steering of all jet skis.
It states, as you can see, that a rider must slow down within 60 metres of swimmers or vessels.

60m..... Not very far at all.
Another interpretation is that it is perfectly legal to travel at 100kmh only 65m away from persons or vessels.

The Distance should be, IMO, more like 150m.


Exceptions apply to 6 knots within 60m of the shore under the following conditions:


The waterway is less than 120m wide, and:

the operator is operating the PWC in as close as possible to a straight line to transit the area
the operator stays as close as is possible to the centre of the waterway or a marked channel.


The PWC is being used in waterskiing/towing.


Great to see the anti jetski brigade jump on board before a cause has even been determined ::)... I can be just as much as a dick in a tinny or a 200hp bass boat or a 40ft riv or the same on a "high powered" pwc..

http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/F2009L03712

"IF" pwc operator is too blame.. the OPERATOR is too blame not what watercraft he chose to break the law on..

I've seen more "boats" break these rules than i can think of -

Maximum six knots, and no wash within 30m of:
boats anchored or moored to the shore or aground,
jetty, wharf, pontoon or boat ramp,
people in the water, surfboard riders, etc

[bluefin59]

20 yrs ago I helped a bloke who hit the hope island bridge at speed on a jet ski he was in a bad way but what came out of it was he backed of the throttle so had no way of steering himself out of the situation due to inexperience. And recently I had a go on a high powered version of a Yamaha jet ski and to be honest I couldn't get of it quick enough ,they appear way dangerous to me ...Matt

[SCOTTYGC]

Isn't it 6 knots all vessels in the river in that area

[Scimitar raider]

It's 6 knots in my part of the river but that only applies to me apparently

[MrNanks]

I narrowly avoided a nob doing stupid thing on his PWC near the seaway a few months back. He was looking back at the wave he jumped and lined up another bigger boats wash and didn't see me at all. I could see that he had no clue that I was there and luckily for my family and I , I turned away just as he looked up. He did crap him self and so did we. That so could easily have been the same scenario. It will keep on happening until the authorities get tougher. I also agree that boats owners aren't always clean skins.

[Shark Poker]

What we have here is much like a car vs. motorbike scenario.

A bike or jet ski is capable of all sorts of speeds, requires less room and is less committed to roads or channels or water depths. But they have no protection for the operator in a crash.

The solution for jet ski operators, as I said earlier, is for them to keep a more respectable distance.

For boat owners, involvement in a collision with a jet ski is going to be a terrible experience. So....keep an eye out for jet skis, and assume they are not considering mainstream boat traffic, and are likely to do something erratic.

And before anyone thinks I am part of an anti jet ski brigade, well no. After almost four decades of power boats I am running around on a Sea Doo jet ski in the past year. (see my Avatar?)

Pauly

[Horse]

I don't have a problem with PWC if they have effective mufflers and are restricted to 6 knots everywhere. Its very sad that someone has died and hopefully the investigations will shed light on ways to make our waterways safer for all

[Chimo]

Sad ending for the family, sense comes with age and experience http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/2013/11/11/461416_gold-coast-news.html

[SunnyCoastMark]

Then we better ban high powered motorcycles out of residential areas and restrict them to highway use too?



Exceptions apply to 6 knots within 60m of the shore under the following conditions:


The waterway is less than 120m wide, and:

the operator is operating the PWC in as close as possible to a straight line to transit the area
the operator stays as close as is possible to the centre of the waterway or a marked channel.

The PWC is being used in waterskiing/towing.

Great to see the anti jetski brigade jump on board before a cause has even been determined ::)... I can be just as much as a dick in a tinny or a 200hp bass boat or a 40ft riv or the same on a "high powered" pwc..

http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/F2009L03712

"IF" pwc operator is too blame.. the OPERATOR is too blame not what watercraft he chose to break the law on..

I've seen more "boats" break these rules than i can think of -

Maximum six knots, and no wash within 30m of:
boats anchored or moored to the shore or aground,
jetty, wharf, pontoon or boat ramp,
people in the water, surfboard riders, etc

Triple,
There is a world of difference between your average Jet ski rider (on their JETSKI) and the average boatie.

Aside from speed boats - the average boatie is going fishing, trolling or having a cruise on the river. (there are always exceptions to the rule)

Jet skis however are made to do one thing - GO FAST! - And go fast they do - Some riders are considerate. Most have no idea. - They are akin to motorbike riders weaving in and out of traffic on the highway. Curiously amongst others - a few of the ones I see on jet skis are not much more than teenage girls hooning around on their boyfriends machines.

What do we call them? - Temporary Australians. - Why - because they drive too fast in areas where they don't have a right too.

IMO - they deserve 90% of all the critism they get -

If the flack they cop averts just a few incidents - it's well worth it.

Mark

[Andy H]

Sad story.

[banksmister]

And before anyone thinks I am part of an anti jet ski brigade, well no. After almost four decades of power boats I am running around on a Sea Doo jet ski in the past year. (see my Avatar?)

Pauly

Your the next one if you keep taking selfies at speed [like in your avatar].

[SunnyCoastMark]

Your the next one if you keep taking selfies at speed [like in your avatar].

What makes you think that was a selfie? - See the surprised expression on Paulys face.:o :o :o :o :o

The photo was obviously taken by someone on the boat he was about to hit!:P;)

Mark

[Shark Poker]

Thanks Mark,
I could make all kinds of jokes here, like "I recovered their camera and found...." or that "I was on the back seat and the driver turned around to take that photo"

However this thread is not funny and will never be.

At least I practise what I preach. That is St Helena in the background as I head towards Port of Brisbane on a freezing cold Friday arvo in July.

Very miserable day. There was only one boat in the area surrounding Mud Island that afternoon.

At the position where my little photo was taken there were no boats in 600-1000 metres.


As soon as you take your hand off the throttle grip you stop automatically, anyway.
And my normal cruise speed is a whopping 45-55 kmh

If I want to stuff up and croak at my old age with so much knowledge and experience, you wont help me.

But my heart breaks for young people and their families like in the tragedy this weekend. He never learned what we are trying to discuss and share here.

[conco46]

Triple,
There is a world of difference between your average Jet ski rider (on their JETSKI) and the average boatie.

Aside from speed boats - the average boatie is going fishing, trolling or having a cruise on the river. (there are always exceptions to the rule)

Jet skis however are made to do one thing - GO FAST! - And go fast they do - Some riders are considerate. Most have no idea. - They are akin to motorbike riders weaving in and out of traffic on the highway. Curiously amongst others - a few of the ones I see on jet skis are not much more than teenage girls hooning around on their boyfriends machines.

What do we call them? - Temporary Australians. - Why - because they drive too fast in areas where they don't have a right too.

IMO - they deserve 90% of all the critism they get -

If the flack they cop averts just a few incidents - it's well worth it.

Mark
iv owned 9 dirt bikes and got them going as fast as I can afford to get them going, iv owned 2 Yamaha r1s 1000cc road bikes and got them going as fast as I can get them to go with the money I spent on them, I have never crashed me road bikes or caused a crash.
1 thing I hated is a guy or girl go buy there 1st bike ever and get something way to fast and die in the 1st 2 weeks, but there's one more thing I hate more, that's people saying hate about road bikes because of uneducated riders or wankers that wreck it for everyone else.
I wouldn't mind seeing drink driving band, and wat I mean is .00 but I don't preach it cause theres others out there that hav a couple and don't go over the limit, so y should I try wreck it for them
now that I have bought a jet ski I am finding the same hate fast, but what I hate is the first time I took my ski out on Sunday at tweed was other jet skis unload at the boat ramp and the 1st thing they did was power slides and donuts, 50-70m from ramp, causing a lot of wake for the poor boaties, even through those jet skiers I thought were dick heads legally they are allowed to do it, so some of the rules are wrong.

I got a ski mate its not just to go fast, its for family fun, tow surfing, jumping waves, and a lot of fishing all legal.
and I disagree that 90% of us deserve the criticism, tweed ramp car park was 90% jet skis on Sunday and I was out all day, from ramp to Fingal sand pumping jetty back n forth running my ski in and out of about 30 ski I say 3 wankers that were pretty young and needed educating.

if 90% of bike riders were that bad there would be a lot more deaths, accidents and I wouldn't be alive.
so calm down on the hate everyone

[SunnyCoastMark]

iv owned 9 dirt bikes and got them going as fast as I can afford to get them going, iv owned 2 Yamaha r1s 1000cc road bikes and got them going as fast as I can get them to go with the money I spent on them, I have never crashed me road bikes or caused a crash.
1 thing I hated is a guy or girl go buy there 1st bike ever and get something way to fast and die in the 1st 2 weeks, but there's one more thing I hate more, that's people saying hate about road bikes because of uneducated riders or wankers that wreck it for everyone else.
I wouldn't mind seeing drink driving band, and wat I mean is .00 but I don't preach it cause theres others out there that hav a couple and don't go over the limit, so y should I try wreck it for them
now that I have bought a jet ski I am finding the same hate fast, but what I hate is the first time I took my ski out on Sunday at tweed was other jet skis unload at the boat ramp and the 1st thing they did was power slides and donuts, 50-70m from ramp, causing a lot of wake for the poor boaties, even through those jet skiers I thought were dick heads legally they are allowed to do it, so some of the rules are wrong.

I got a ski mate its not just to go fast, its for family fun, tow surfing, jumping waves, and a lot of fishing all legal.
and I disagree that 90% of us deserve the criticism, tweed ramp car park was 90% jet skis on Sunday and I was out all day, from ramp to Fingal sand pumping jetty back n forth running my ski in and out of about 30 ski I say 3 wankers that were pretty young and needed educating.

if 90% of bike riders were that bad there would be a lot more deaths, accidents and I wouldn't be alive.
so calm down on the hate everyone

Hey Conco,
Not sure I like this culture of using the word "hate" to describe people who have opposing viewpoints, but lets not get distracted here.

I am sure that you use your ski in a sensible and courteous manner unlike your associates at the ramp. one thing that you need to understand though is that jet ski riders as a group and motorcycle riders for that matter, have no one to blame for the perception of them but themselves.

Other water users certainly don't make them behave in that manner. My sincere hope is that a lesson will be learned from this senseless waste of life - but the realist in me knows it won't change a thing.

I am out on the water a lot and I can confidently say that there are more people on skis who need a slap up the side of the head with a snapper, than not.

By the way - I didn't say that 90% of you deserve the critism - but that 90% of the critism was deserved.

Mark

[Noelm]

Something I don't quite grasp here, "we" are all assuming the Jetski was at fault? Regardless of what happened or how, a life is lost, end of story.

[Shark Poker]

Hi Noelm,
Andy H posted a link with a newspaper article.
"IF" both operators were skylarking, driver of the other boat could be up for all sorts of possible charges as well.

[2BNVS1]

when i had my jetski, i came into more sticky situations due to the " im cashed up so ill buy a big fancy boat even though i have no idea" people who cant remember what side to give way to etc etc. or boaties thinking they are bigger so stuff the little guy. im into both boats and skis im in both regularly. very similar to bikes v cars. yes alot of young jetskiers need more common sense, but a hell of a lot of boaties do too. The problem with the broadwater and its rivers is it is so compacted with boats and jetskis that a collision is eventually going to happen unless everyone travels at 6 knots, or eventually they will run up a sandbank too. I spend most of my time in Moreton Bay now and yes the open space is so much easier. Although trolling on friday for mackeral, we had a guy almost new looking trailcraft come flying at us head on, ( us doing 5 knots, him who knows how fast) he veered left, then right like he had no idea what to do, and came about 30m from us and just missed our lines. ( this is the Bay, not exactly a tight squeeze to travel. so cant just blame one and not the other and shit does happen. Anything in this world can be dangerous if you dont do it properly, from cleaning your gutters to drag racing.