‘Some jet-ski owners have no regard for swimmers’ safety’

Monday, June 18, 2007

SUMMER is here and so are the jet skis. Bathers, and others who flocked to the beaches during the recent warm spell, complained about the dangers of motorist craft in the water.

In at least one case, high-speed jet skis became such a nuisance that gardaí and lifeguards had to take action to protect people who were enjoying themselves in the sunshine and making sure their children were safe. You can only imagine the kind of injuries that can be inflicted.

The problem with some jet-ski owners, who are increasing in number, is that they have no regard for swimmers, or others in the water. Some councils have begun to take action and Kerry County Council, for example, has a bylaw banning such craft within 300 metres of the shore.

A spokeswoman for Cork County Council said while they had no "beach specific" bylaws, they had bylaws for piers and harbours, which put some restrictions on water craft and which are being updated. A council committee in west Cork is also drafting bylaws for water and recreational craft.

In Galway, there are restrictions on some beaches, but new beach bylaws are being prepared by the county council, which should tighten up the situation.

In the popular north Kerry seaside resort of Ballyheigue, it has been decided to tackle the jet-ski issue early in the season. On a recent weekend, bathers were said to be put in danger because jet skis were coming too close to the shore.

Ballyheigue-based FF councillor, John Brassil, highlighted the matter after receiving a number of calls from people on the beach telling him that jet skis were "flying up and down" near the bathing area.

Lifeguards, Mr Brassil said, had been doing their best to deal with what was a recurring problem, but did not get much co-operation when they approached the jet-ski operators. "They just drove off and didn’t pay any great heed to the lifeguards," he remarked.

Eventually, the gardaí were called and they traced the area from which the jet skis were being launched. "The people with the jet skis didn’t seem to be aware of the law. They didn’t realise they were causing a disturbance and gave an assurance it would not happen again," Mr Brassil added.

"If people want to use jet skis, they must abide by the bylaws. What’s been happening recently is completely unacceptable and we’ll be watching the situation closely for the rest of the summer."

Users of quad bikes are also drawing attention, especially in west Cork, where people frequenting Barleycove claim the bikes are damaging fragile dunes, even when dunes are in Special Areas of Conservation (SACs). Cork County Council has been called on to take action to safeguard the natural habitat and environment around Barleycove. "Something must be done immediately to stop this scourge on an untouched, natural Cork wonder and a unique European ecological habitat," said one reader who is familiar with the area.

Meanwhile, warm summer waters around the coastline are sure to bring in a host of other summer visitors, not least jellyfish. People sometimes don’t appreciate the presence of these primitive jellyfish until they get a sting. Jellyfish capture their prey through the stinging cells on their tentacles. The stinging cells are triggered by an object touching a microscopic hair. This hair triggers the cell to squeeze violently, ejecting a hollow thread that penetrates the victim’s skin and injects poison.

With the majority of jellyfish, the effect is so mild as to pass unnoticed. But with some of the larger jellyfish, such as the Compass Jellyfish and, particularly, the Lion’s Mane Jellyfish, the sting can cause severe pain and might trigger a dangerous allergic reaction requiring medical attention.

People who are stung by a jellyfish are advised to rinse the affected area with saltwater to dislodge the stinging cells and then neutralise the poison with vinegar. In severe cases, however, immediate medical attention should be sought.

The old commonsense rule applies — the best way to avoid being stung by a jellyfish is to keep well clear of them, whether or not they appear alive or dead.

On the beach, even if the jellyfish looks dead, the primitive stinging cells may still be alive and working. So, leave them alone.

Prolonged spells of fine weather can be the cause of billions of tiny jellyfish being washed ashore on beaches, as we’ve seen in recent years along the south and west coasts.

One such species is known as "by the wind sailors", which lives in the mid-Atlantic and is so named because it travels in the direction of the wind. When washed ashore, it can form long dark slicks, which can sometimes be mistaken for oil, but is again taken away by the tide.

This appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Monday, June 18, 2007