Say No to Jet Skis - Please let your voice be heard

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Originally Posted by Fred Stripe

Just as a point of interest, how many people were calling for a total ban when the two little Jamaican girls were killed last year? This process should have started then.

Westenders,,gee,I'm confused,you refer to the death of the girls and now more deaths and yet you try to squelch any protest?

You actually make the ban case stronger.

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Well using your logic don't you think it's long past due that they ban all guns in the United States? How many innocent people in your country get killed every year by guns? I could be wrong but I would guess a few more than the number killed by jet skis world wide.

Jet skis - I can take them or leave them in Negril. I rented one once and had a good time. They don't bother me at all. And considering most if not all are 4 strokes there really is next to no fumes.

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Originally Posted by sandman66

Well using your logic don't you think it's long past due that they ban all guns in the United States? How many innocent people in your country get killed every year by guns? I could be wrong but I would guess a few more than the number killed by jet skis world wide.

Jet skis - I can take them or leave them in Negril. I rented one once and had a good time. They don't bother me at all. And considering most if not all are 4 strokes there really is next to no fumes.

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Planes crash too right,so lets ban planes also right? I don't see how folks compare "essentials" like cars & planes to a "luxury" that's is dangerous and emits noise pollution.

If I laid on the beach next to you with a LOUD boom box would you be cool with that also?

I would lol, cos I'm not past listening to music loudly.

Many would argue that cars and planes are luxury items, causing noise pollution, environmental pollution and health impacts too.
Do you really believe your own argument here, or are you just playing with everyone?

Planes crash too right, so let's ban all planes...... Your kind of attacking your own points here!

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Originally Posted by Fred Stripe

Planes crash too right,so lets ban planes also right? I don't see how folks compare "essentials" like cars & planes to a "luxury" that's is dangerous and emits noise pollution.

If I laid on the beach next to you with a LOUD boom box would you be cool with that also?

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Lol. YOU are the one comparing cars and planes to jet skis, nobody else. I asked you about guns. I thought it was pretty clear. Did I mention boom boxes??? No - I brought up guns. Are they an "essential"?? Probably more innocent people shot and killed by cops in the USA than people killed by jet skis in Jamaica.

This is one hot thread! More like a fuse! Instead of arguing rights, guns, and automobiles, can we not, with our combined intelligence, come up with viable solutions and possible alternatives to SUGGEST to the Jamaicans and their government. (I get to vote here in Canada – and frankly, that’s enough of a country to exercise my small amount of control – I don’t want to try to run another country, especially one of which the inner workings and struggles I know very little!)

There must be a way to MANAGE THE RISK AND ENJOY THE BENEFITS. We are making progress in this with cars – we are using lighter materials, while keeping them stronger against impact (poop happens) and have developed safety features inside – seat belts, air bags). We have better fuels, and more fuel efficient vehicles. We are not there, but we’re getting there. We also have designated areas to use these vehicles and controls on those roads to make driving safe.

Surely some technologies can be used and applied to jet skis to protect human and marine life. Can they be made quieter? Can they be restricted to licensed operators? Can they be put into designated areas where they pose little or no risk to human and marine life? Can they add safety features – auto stops, speed limits,that sort of thing?

While this is going on, can there be alternatives to the jet skis? Peddle boats, kayaks, canoes – again, with proper features, such as mandatory life vests, designated areas outside the swimming area of the beach?

And none of this is the responsibility of the Jamaicans nor their government. They are just trying to control what's out there! Log off this site and prepare a letter to the manufacturers of jet skis, and tell THEM that their product is fun, but it has major safety and environments issues THEY need to fix or control! Copy your own local government representatives. You think the car manufacturers came up with their improvements on their own? Not a chance, it was pressure from the consumers, particularly through their governments, that got that going. Tell THEM the jet skis drive you nuts – at home and abroad. Things like this catch on, and get things done. Instead of arguing our petty feelings, why not do something constructive that gets to the root of the problem - so we can manage the risks and enjoy the benefits.

Just my thoughts.

M&G, your heart is the right place. The technology is here, available and intrinsically safe. New machines, when well maintained and responsibly used are, much quieter and less polluting, and when kept from swimmers, other watercraft, and each other, are safe. Speed limiting is quite simple but not accepted just as your car is not limited to the maximum speed limit. The root of the problem is and almost always has been human error. Whether it is neglect of maintainence, speeding, trespassing too close to shore, ignorance of instruction and training, or simple negligence it is always human factors that create these tragedies. I agree that restricting their range and licensing with mandatory safety courses for owners and users would help. When rules and regulation are introduced into a free market economy, independant policing is required though. That, I suggest, is a challenge.

Jet ski noise is a secondary concern; hazardous use is is the primary driver behind a ban. I loved the quiet in February, but I recognize that some tourists and operators would want Jetskis back. How about a cordoned-off piece of beach (middle? public end?) where jetskis can launch, and rules about how far out they must operate? sales persons can still walk the beach to drum up business. I hate the things, but I can be real.

I want some of what you're smoking.

I am all for the jet-ski ban and thought we would have a very peaceful week...but...
The jet-ski's have been replaced with fishing boats (panga's?) trolling for customers at the swimming lines.
Saw the marine police talking to one of two boats going back and forth all day in Bloody Bay but they came right back.
Not as noisy as the jet-ski's but you could even smell them on the beach.
Not sure if it was oil or diesel or whatever but it stunk and they kept trying to talk to folks just wanting to float...Annoying!

it was so nice and quiet in feb w/o the jetskis, now some posts talk about ja business, i think the issue is with the danger aspect with these guys near the beach and endangering the lives of tourists $$$$, many posts have said they enjoyed the quietness and better quality of fish and sealife in the rescent posts, around the reef, by the way i used to race the stand up jet skis here in Canada, but maybe they should rent them away from the beach, by the way you can rent them back home in the U.S. or Canada alot cheaper for the thrill, bottom line my opinion is to keep the ban in effect, that is my own opinion, soon come