11 • 24 • 2016
Keep South Beach Safe
In recent years, motorized personal watercraft (jet ski) use at South Beach in Del Norte County has conflicted with the use of South Beach by surfers and other non-motorized water recreation. The chapter's goal is to resolve this conflict through enforcement of laws that protect "bathers", as defined by the State of California, from motorized personal watercraft use in close proximity to bathers.
The chapter accomplished this goal by bridging communication gaps between county law enforcement + decision-makers and state agencies, to arrive at a mutual interpretation of Harbors and Navigation code sections pertaining to MPWC use near bathers and beaches frequented by bathers. As per California Harbors and Navigation Code Section 655.2(a), South Beach is considered to be a beach frequented by bathers, which means that MPWC must operate at speeds less than 5 miles per hour within 200 feet of the beach.
As reported in the Del Norte Triplicate: http://www.triplicate.com/news/4844603-151/south-beach-to-save-or-to-share