KILLALOE Coast Guard has appealed to jet ski operators to operate in the open waters of Lough Derg away from restricted zones near the historic bridge.
Deputy officer in charge, Damien Madden made the plea after the coast guard unit was tasked twice over the May Bank Holiday weekend to assist Gardai who were having difficulty getting operators to move from particular areas.
Mr Madden recalled a number of jet skis were driving at full speed between Ballina slipway and Killaloe Bridge in a five knott speed zone on Saturday, May 30.
He said this was dangerous because a number of people were swimming off the pontoon at the back of Tuscany, in spite of no swimming signs, and had to be asked by local gardai to desist.
In addition to the noise, he said a jet ski can create a backwash that creates a problem for a person having refreshments on any vessel that is mooring near the bridge.
He stressed there is no issue with jet skis who operate outside the bollards in open waters in Ballycuggeran and has friends with jet skis who comply with guidelines.
He pointed jet skis operators have also helped people in difficulty over the years and one operator helped tow a power boat in off the lake on Saturday.
He said a few jet skis who don’t comply with guidelines give a bad name to those who enjoy this leisure activity safely.
He noted the jet ski operators who caused problems on Saturday were not from the locality and came from a distance outside the five kilometre zone.
Dan Danaher
East Clare correspondent, Dan Danaher is a journalism graduate of Rathmines and UL. He has won numerous awards for special investigations on health, justice, environment, and reports on news, agriculture, disability, mental health and community.