Jet-skiing can be a lot of fun and it’s an activity that is well suited to the relatively calm coastal waters of the UAE. But jet-skis are also powerful machines that can pose safety hazards to the people who are using them and others in their vicinity. Jet-skis have been involved in many serious accidents – including at least three fatalities in Sharjah and one each in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the past year. They have also been a constant source of complaints from others who are in the water or live along the waterfront. People say they are annoying because they are loud and dangerous when they come too close.
As The National reported yesterday, residents in Al Muneera, Al Zeina and Al Bandar areas of Abu Dhabi are complaining about illegal jet-ski racing near their homes and close to areas where families swim. One expatriate resident said that the noisy activity often continued past midnight on Fridays. She said that jet-skiers were also active near popular children's swimming areas on weekday afternoons from 4pm.
The use of jet skis is banned along several stretches of the capital’s coastline, and regulations are in place to ensure that jet-skiers in other areas keep their distance from swimmers and moored vessels. The rules also stipulate that the operator must be over 18, passengers must be at least 14 and the craft must be registered. There are speed limits and restrictions on offering jet-skis for hire, including the maximum engine size. However, it is obvious that some jet-skiers are either ignorant of the law or are deliberately defying it.
The answer lies in enforcement, both of the regulations that specifically cover jet skis and of the public-nuisance laws. Making excessive noise and harassing swimmers is a public nuisance. Enforcement could be combined with a public-awareness campaign such as the one in Sharjah last summer. Brochures outlining the safety hazards were handed out in popular jet-skiing spots. The water is a shared space and there is enough coastline to accommodate everyone. But the right of one person to have fun does not trump another’s right to feel safe or sleep soundly.
