This is why I don't like "Jet Skiers"!!

[stretch55]

This happened in my own back yard. As a matter of fact yesterday around 3:30 when this happened I was contemplating on weather or not to take the boast out for a couple of hours. I am glad that I decided not to. I am sure they closed all ramps down and had all kinds of emergency responce units there for quite a while. Personally I hope the Oregon State Marine board see's this. They have closed down like a 6 or 7 mile stretch in the upper Willamette river from wakeboarders and wakesurfers. There next goal is to shut down an area called the Holgate channel and Ross Island cove. These are the two main areas that us wakeboarders and wakesurfers go to get away from the "general public". We avoid the "general public" because they do not pay attention and are unaware of rider, wakeboarders, wakesurfers, and even tubers. I hope they realize that by closing down these other two areas and forceing riders out into the general public areas then they should be prepared for more miss happs like this.




http://www.kptv.com/news/24472841/detail.html

[ian ashton]

When I was in the ER on Wednesday the room next to me had a 12 year old with a dislocated shoulder from falling off a Jet Ski that he was DRIVING ALONE! I was too out of it to notice, but apparantly the police were there questioning the parents as to why he was on the vehicle alone.

[JesseC]

Are jet skis just like boats and you have to have a special license to drive them? I see parents renting them for their kids all the time. And even on a lot of commercials they show a young girl/boy riding away on them by themselves. Wasn't it a cruise commercial that showed a young girl ride away not smiling by herself??

[sandm]

really too bad that a small minority of a group gives the general population a bad rap. I have seen respectful jetski riders just out to have a good time on the water like the rest of us, but then also seen the idiots that think they need to follow 40ft behind you to jump your wakesurf wake, oblivious to the fact that your rider may fall at any minute..

of course on the same note, I've seen wakesurfers that think they need to surf 75 ft off the shore right in front of your docks, so it def. goes both ways..

I was never a proponent of licenses to drive boats as I don't think it would be policed real well out here, but sure seems better and better every day..

[thesack]

The upper section of the Willamette that the OSMB put new rules on still allows for wakeboarding and wakesurfing. The new law says that you can not use ballast to ride artifically bow high. The Sheriff is enforcing the law as well.

In Oregon you are required to have a boaters card to operate a jet ski or boat. I believe that you can have one when you are 14-16, but an adult with a boating card is required to be with you. 16+ is when you are able to operate a boat on your own.

It is a horrible thing that happened, but the person towing the boy on the tube could be just as at fault. How long before the operator of the boat noticed that the boy had fallen off? Did the put the flag up? Did he know what was following him and how close there were? Etc. Without observing what happened and knowing all the facts, I can't get that mad at the jet ski operator. Yes I have seen numerous jet skis who do not pay attention, but I have also seen numerous ones that are very cautious and curtious. The jets skis and boats I see who are dangerous to others i mention to the Sheriff. Its everyones responsbility to keep each other safe on the water.

[davinci]

I feel bad for the boy, I myself have 2 jet ski's I ride with my 11 year old daughter (with me) and my 14 and 17 year old sons and have never had any close encounters such as. In this particular situation , I blame the jet skier there's no way of not seeing the tuber or the the boat pulling. I think he was riding too damn close to them, then again imo.

[davinci]

Stretch you shouln't hate all jet skiers.

[walb0244]

I don't hate jet skiers but I do hate when they ride right behind my boat. That being said the lake I ride on is small and on the weekends it gets crowded. There are plenty of times I have seen it where a boat will just be cruising and be following like 100 feet behind me. Anytime I see someone doing this we just slowly come to a stop and let the idiot come around.

[ausbill32]

In June while out on Lake Travis, TX, I had a jet skier right on the a$$ of my rider who pretty much just stoped moving back and forth because he was affraid of falling and getting run over by the jet ski. We gave the jet skier a little time to see if he would back off (about minute) but he didn't so I started slowing down and reaching for my microphone.

As I was reaching down to grab that mic so I could yell at him, I heard this really loud thump/crash. The kid driving the jet ski.....launched from my wake ripples right onto/into a wooden dock. His jet ski was stitting there on top of the boat dock which looked about 3-4 feet out of the water. His jet ski was lodged inbetween two wooden poles/beams. Other people who saw it, said the rider flew about 10 feet and slammed into a door on the dock. Wish we had the video camera on.

We all assumed the kid was alright because by the time we got turned around and my rider on the boat, the jet skier kid managed to unloadge his machine and push it off the boat dock and back into the water. Another boat went over to make sure the kid was alright but I think the kid was embarrassed as he didn't say a word to the boat who had stopped to render aid. As soon as that jet ski started, he darted off as fast as he could and he was right back to jumping wakes off in the distance. We tried to catch him as there was some damage to the dock but couldn't. I can only imagine there was some damage to that jet ski too but we didn't get a chance to see it up close.

My worst fear everytime we are out boating is that something is going to happen to one of my riders.

[stretch55]

Ok... maybe saying hateing all jet skiers was a little over the top. But I would say that 75% of the ones that I see follow to close, don't pay attention to any riders weather they be tubing or boarding, criss cross between to boats. All to jump the boats wakes. I just think that they places riders used to go were for riders, it was 99% all riders. Who are aware of each other and their surroundings. I feel that if the OSB keeps closing these areas down and force us to move out into the open water with everybody else that they will see alot more of these avoidable accidents. But that's just my opinion.