The Herald Sun reported on March 17 a plea to ban jet skis at Rye Beach in southeastern Australia. The call for a ban is due to hoons wreaking havoc and endangering the lives of beach goers and the marine environment. Michelle Cheers, Rye Community Group Alliance Chair, claims some jet ski riders have been playing chicken.
Other riders speed toward Rye Pier and proceed to do big cutbacks so they can spray unsuspecting beach goers. Cheers went on to say, “Dangerous hooning made the front beach and the pier a nightmare to be on or near. The large hoon element shows no respect for other beach and water users and certainly no respect for the bay dolphins.”
She is concerned that the marine grasses in the shallow waters are ruined because of inconsiderate skiers. Fellow group member, Sarah Race said that families aren’t going to the beach because they fear the reckless skiers. Minister for Ports Luke Donnellan said Water Police and Maritime Safety Victoria held a massive sting operation focusing on speed and operation within boating zones during the summer.
Donnellan stated, “There is also a mixed use zone that extends to 500m off shore in which all vessels must operate at a speed not exceeding five knots within 50m of a bather or any other vessel.”
Mornington Peninsula Shire strategic planner Jeska Dee claims the council was unable to enforce the laws within the boating and swimming zones. Dee said the council called on Parks Victoria to take care of the issues surrounding improper jet ski usage in the Rye Beach area. This is a developing story and we’ll keep you posted when updates become available.
