Exuma accident and death

[massnspace]

Originally Posted by rossdv8

In some tourist areas we have 'designated' water sports areas, where snorkeling, swimming, scuba and other activities are actually banned - but power boats and human or wind powered craft are allowed.

That sort of balances out the areas where boats are banned from 'designated' swimming and snorkeling or scuba areas.

And usually those areas are marked out with buoys, and sometimes shown on local tourist maps and guidebooks - so swimmers know to avoid them.

I'm not accusing you of being in a designated watersports only area though - just offering a thought on why the fellow may have been upset (if you had been in one).

That's still no excuse for his aggressive boating though.

I was on a deserted beach, very far away from the inlet to the marina area, and there were NO signs of any type anywhere along the beach….no buoys in the water, either…..

But I do agree….there was no excuse for him trying to kill me.

[rossdv8]

Originally Posted by massnspace

I was on a deserted beach, very far away from the inlet to the marina area, and there were NO signs of any type anywhere along the beach….no buoys in the water, either…..

But I do agree….there was no excuse for him trying to kill me.

Yep, I was suggesting what happens in 'some places', as a warning to people that certain tourist areas (it happens a bit in my country) 'designate' these areas but are not quite bright enouogh to have them published on official marine navigation charts.
We are expected to somehow just know.

I was thinking about what Mike described, and wondering if the Speedboat driver was deliberately aiming at the dinghy, or if he was stupidly (and carelessly negligently) showing off for his passengers, not watching where he was going.

I've seen these clowns screaming along doing high speed zig-zag turns with the boat heeled over so hard and the passengers hanging on and screamiing (usually from fun - not fear) not watching where they are going because they are laughing a d flirting with the ladies they are trying to impress.

From the description of the Speedboat suddenly appearing from behind a point, and the swerving one way then the next and repeat - it sounds like exactly that clowning around that has caused the negligent manslaughter of Mike's lovely wife.

A crappy rotten tragedy and multiple lives ruined . . :-(

[lifeofreilly57]

Unfortunately we saw this happen too often while in the islands. The local Coast Guards do little or no enforcement other than to make sure cruising boats are checked in, otherwise it's the wild west. Using a dinghy at night in many of the harbors we anchored in was a practice in hiding, often times stating close to moored boats while transiting, it didn't matter how bright your marker lights were, you could still be hit.
I've seen too many boats flying through mooring fields wide open with little care to safety.
Often times the operators in question were stoned or drunk, with little situational awareness.
Our hearts go out to this couple, the loss must be terrible.
I doubt much prosecution will take place, based on past experience.

[argonauta1]

Some jurisdictions responsible for shoreline safety in anchorages establish no go zones for high speed personal watercraft. Several spots like Airdrie Beach, Australia have done this. I guess it depends on the level of concern about water safety. Obviously juridictions in the Bahamas seem unconcerned about the issue. Makes for unpleasant and obviously unsafe anchorages. Cruising waters there are too shallow anyway. Stay away.

[Kettlewell]

Some folks seem to be attributing this horrible accident to the Bahamas' culture somehow. Accidents happen everywhere in the world, including in the USA. Look what just happened in Baltimore! And then there are many accidents like this one in the USA: https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/28/us/sa...ead/index.html And, this one in Canada: https://torontolife.com/life/what-re...sh-in-muskoka/

[boatman61]

Collisions were a near annual event at night Involving ribs travelling at speed through the Lagoon in St Martin though often not fatal..

https://www.sailnet.com/threads/trag...inghys.349388/

https://www.soundingsonline.com/news...r-by-powerboat

[TPG]

I can't tell you how many times we have been on anchor here in the Bahamas and these tour boats come near us at flank speed. While I'm sure this was an accident, it's only a matter of time that this will happen when you consider how many tour boats operate in this manner.

Boat operators are bad enough back in the U.S. and it's only worse in the Bahamas.

[Thomas1985]

In the 90s I was at Green Turtle. One of the locals went tearing through the anchorage at night in his dinghy standing up…

Decapitated himself on someone’s anchor line. Whoopsies.