Ian
I have just finished my holiday in Donegal and I must say that I enjoyed nearly every minute of it. Unfortunately a few days on a blue flag beach were ruined because of the misuse of Jet Skis on the coastal areas. Some of the machines that people were driving are very powerful and the operators sometimes seem to have no apparent care for the safety of swimmers. The group I witnessed spent the best part of an afternoon performing stunts very close to swimmers in the water. The wind was blowing onto the beach so we got all of the exhaust fumes and the noise was what you would expect sitting next to a main road and listening to vehicles passing you by. Jet skis require common sense and training to be competent in the water. The offenders here seemed to lack both of these requirements and were not only a danger to themselves, they were a danger to the public, the environment and marine life. The Jet Ski riders seem to get an adrenalin rush from the audience on the beach; this must be the case as there is at least twenty miles of coastline to choose from as well as the beach where we were. What are the rules and regulations for using powered craft on these Blue Flag beaches? We felt powerless to complain to anyone. Yours K.C. by e-mail
Reply
BLUE FLAG
Blue flag beaches would be in jeopardy if An Taisce did a spot check on the beaches where people were using powered craft less than 200 meter away from any swimmers. In the Safety and Services section of the Blue Flag leaflet it states, “Recreational activities in the beach area must not endanger any beach user or damage natural sensitive areas”. Both of these points were violated. The Blue Flag status is not given easily and a lot of factors go into the award such as no signs of pollution, toilets being made available, swimming information, no vehicular access and lifeguards present. Another point in the charter is for an environmental plan for the development and use of the coastal area. Two areas in Donegal seem to be able to tackle the problem directly. Greencastle and Burtonport both have harbour masters and have by-laws stating that power crafts are restricted around the piers.
MARINE SAFETY ACT 2005
Central Government has released an updated paper called The Marine Safety act 2005. One point it covers is the proposed strengthening of the law against the improper operation of fast powered watercraft in Irish waters. It is hoped that this will significantly enhance public safety and amenity and protect natural and other heritage areas. It is also hoped that tourism and leisure businesses will also benefit from the stopping of nuisance by such craft. All of the information on the restrictions of motorised craft is written down in the paper. There are fines for improper use, failure to wear protective clothing, allowing minors to operate the machines, public order offences, noise, and marine pollution. The laws are there but enforcing them is proving to be difficult. Different councils have different by-laws but in general the restrictions and safety of powered craft is the same for both Blue flag beaches and non Blue Flag beaches as the Marine Safety Act 2005 doesn’t appear to differentiate between the two.
CRITERION 17
The Guidelines that the Blue Flag campaign introduced in their Criterion 17 state:
There must be management of different users and uses of the beach so as to prevent conflicts and accidents.
Conflicting and incompatible needs of different users must be managed, e.g. zoning for swimmers, surfers, wind surfers and motorised craft
Swimmers should be protected from all sea craft
Consideration should also be given to potential noise nuisances from some activities (motorised activities, stereos and kites are some examples).
Zoning should be enforced by clear signage at information points
Similarly, conflicts between recreational uses and nature conservation must be considered and managed.
In conclusion, it may be necessary to restrict, disperse or otherwise manage certain activities, both for the purpose of ensuring the enjoyment and safety of other beach users and for the purpose of nature protection.
This protection must be done for the visitors’ safety and for their body and soul recreation, to avoid that the beach becomes a noisy game ground.
All Blue Flag beaches need signage to let people know that the motorised vehicles are restricted both on and off the water. There also needs to be by-laws introduced by the council to give the Gardai and the rescue services the authority to issue warnings and fines, which will make bathing in summer on the beaches a more enjoyable experience. At present the poor lifeguards on the beach seem to be the only people on the ground that are trying to prevent an accident waiting to happen. I have contacted Blue Flag and there will be some consultation with local councils about the issue.
Environmental.
I have just finished my holiday in Donegal and I must say that I enjoyed nearly every minute of it. Unfortunately a few days on a blue flag beach were ruined because of the misuse of Jet Skis on the coastal areas. Some of the machines that people were driving are very powerful and the operators sometimes seem to have no apparent care for the safety of swimmers. The group I witnessed spent the best part of an afternoon performing stunts very close to swimmers in the water. The wind was blowing onto the beach so we got all of the exhaust fumes and the noise was what you would expect sitting next to a main road and listening to vehicles passing you by. Jet skis require common sense and training to be competent in the water. The offenders here seemed to lack both of these requirements and were not only a danger to themselves, they were a danger to the public, the environment and marine life. The Jet Ski riders seem to get an adrenalin rush from the audience on the beach; this must be the case as there is at least twenty miles of coastline to choose from as well as the beach where we were. What are the rules and regulations for using powered craft on these Blue Flag beaches? We felt powerless to complain to anyone. Yours K.C. by e-mail
Reply
BLUE FLAG
Blue flag beaches would be in jeopardy if An Taisce did a spot check on the beaches where people were using powered craft less than 200 meter away from any swimmers. In the Safety and Services section of the Blue Flag leaflet it states, “Recreational activities in the beach area must not endanger any beach user or damage natural sensitive areas”. Both of these points were violated. The Blue Flag status is not given easily and a lot of factors go into the award such as no signs of pollution, toilets being made available, swimming information, no vehicular access and lifeguards present. Another point in the charter is for an environmental plan for the development and use of the coastal area. Two areas in Donegal seem to be able to tackle the problem directly. Greencastle and Burtonport both have harbour masters and have by-laws stating that power crafts are restricted around the piers.
MARINE SAFETY ACT 2005
Central Government has released an updated paper called The Marine Safety act 2005. One point it covers is the proposed strengthening of the law against the improper operation of fast powered watercraft in Irish waters. It is hoped that this will significantly enhance public safety and amenity and protect natural and other heritage areas. It is also hoped that tourism and leisure businesses will also benefit from the stopping of nuisance by such craft. All of the information on the restrictions of motorised craft is written down in the paper. There are fines for improper use, failure to wear protective clothing, allowing minors to operate the machines, public order offences, noise, and marine pollution. The laws are there but enforcing them is proving to be difficult. Different councils have different by-laws but in general the restrictions and safety of powered craft is the same for both Blue flag beaches and non Blue Flag beaches as the Marine Safety Act 2005 doesn’t appear to differentiate between the two.
CRITERION 17
The Guidelines that the Blue Flag campaign introduced in their Criterion 17 state:
There must be management of different users and uses of the beach so as to prevent conflicts and accidents.
Conflicting and incompatible needs of different users must be managed, e.g. zoning for swimmers, surfers, wind surfers and motorised craft
Swimmers should be protected from all sea craft
Consideration should also be given to potential noise nuisances from some activities (motorised activities, stereos and kites are some examples).
Zoning should be enforced by clear signage at information points
Similarly, conflicts between recreational uses and nature conservation must be considered and managed.
In conclusion, it may be necessary to restrict, disperse or otherwise manage certain activities, both for the purpose of ensuring the enjoyment and safety of other beach users and for the purpose of nature protection.
This protection must be done for the visitors’ safety and for their body and soul recreation, to avoid that the beach becomes a noisy game ground.
All Blue Flag beaches need signage to let people know that the motorised vehicles are restricted both on and off the water. There also needs to be by-laws introduced by the council to give the Gardai and the rescue services the authority to issue warnings and fines, which will make bathing in summer on the beaches a more enjoyable experience. At present the poor lifeguards on the beach seem to be the only people on the ground that are trying to prevent an accident waiting to happen. I have contacted Blue Flag and there will be some consultation with local councils about the issue.
Environmental.
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