Jet ski operators on Public Beach say congestion risks public safety

Vendors on Public Beach are warning that the Port Authority’s decision to relocate water-sports operators from the southern end of the beach has led to congestion and made the area unsafe.

Jet ski operators were previously split between the north and south channels on Public Beach, with the north channel being near Bonny Moon Beach Club (formerly Calico Jack’s) and the south channel facing the Harbour Heights condo complex at the southern end of the beach.

Last month, operators by Harbour Heights were told that they had to move and share space with the north channel jet ski owners, a situation that many say is an accident waiting to happen.

‘It makes no sense’

David Lyons, owner of Airwaves Watersports, has operated jet skis on the north channel for 10 years.

“We’re all crammed up in one corner because Port Authority said that we all have to operate here in this small area,” he told the Cayman Compass.

“Before, we had space, with some operating on this side and some on that side, and it kept a good balance. Now all those people that are down at that end who want water sports have to walk all the way up here on the beach. It makes no sense.”

Adding to the problem is that there are no clear markers showing where the swim zone ends and the channel for jet ski operators begins, he said.

“I’ve been begging, asking, pleading for years to them to outline the swim area and there is still no swim area outline. There’s still no red and green markers to signify where to go in and out … It makes no sense. Of course it’s going to be dangerous and risky, and I just thank God that no one has been hurt.”

Devonte McLaughlin, who works for jet ski operator Ride with Us, said that moving the jet ski operators into one zone was risking public safety.

“The main thing we push for is safety,” he said, “and we have a pretty good track record. But to have all of this here congestion, it’s just crazy. So we have to be way more vigilant. Damage is happening every day now because everyone needs to use the one area, so something will get bumped. All the water sports such as jet skis are in one place, so it’s a big hazard.”  

Major tourist attraction

McLaughlin added that the jet ski hub is one of the main spots for tourists to visit the beach.

“There can easily be a thousand people down here, so why wouldn’t you make safety your top priority? Yes, the place is lovely, but if it’s running like a madhouse, then I don’t care how beautiful it is. If there’s an accident, they’re going to want to hold us liable, the owners of the companies, while they have [put] us in this situation,” he said.

The move has had a negative impact on trade as well, McLaughlin said.

“Before, tourists had different options depending on where they were on the beach, as we were more spread out, but it’s now kind of like a rat race to get a sale,” he said.

He said that water-sports operators were told by the coast guard that if they continued to operate from in front of Harbour Heights, the machines would be seized, even though it had been an area designated for water-sports operations.

Attorney Kattina Anglin, who, in a separate issue, is representing a group of vendors in an ongoing legal battle with government about the right to trade on Public Beach, told the Compass that jet ski operators were relocated in December.

“In doing so, they have put a total of seven water-sports operators operating from the same channel and it’s created unsafe working conditions for the jet ski operators and the public in general,” she said.

Without clear markings in place, swimmers and jet skis are dangerously close together, she said, with operators moving into the water space previously only occupied by swimmers.

“We have been waiting for weeks for the Port Authority to do what it was supposed to do, as far as marking this swim zone and putting channel markers in place,” Anglin said.

“It is the Port Authority’s responsibility to put those markers back in place, because it is for the safety of the public,” she said.

“The jet ski operators continue to operate as though the markers were actually in their correct spaces and are pointing out to customers what they needed to watch for and what they needed to avoid and so on. They are trying to make an unsafe operation safe by spreading out and are doing that the best they can, but that is having a negative impact with the income of vendors who rent out chairs.”

Hazard to tourists

One such vendor who has been affected is Lurlane Berry who has been running a deck chair operation since 2008 and rents out hundreds of chairs on the days the cruise ships are in town.

“Having all the jet ski operators in one spot is a hazard to the tourists,” she said.

“I don’t see why they can’t use the channel by Harbour Heights, but when they all come up here, no one wants to rent chairs by the jet skis because of the engines.”

Not all operators are against the move though.

Ali Hawkins, owner of Cayman Jetski Rentals, confirmed that they had to move from their spot outside Harbour Heights.

She told the Compass, however, “We make it work. It was a little annoying having to move, but now that we have, I don’t feel it’s really affected us in any bad way. There are certain people who would rather have their own space but I’m not really bothered.”

She said she didn’t think that safety was an issue, saying, “We haven’t had any incidents since the move, [and] there hasn’t been any collisions as as far as I know and I think we’re all doing good.”

“I’m not going back,” she added. “I’m good where I am and, honestly, I kind of like it better, as people see a load of jet skis and know where the jet skis are, so the traffic pulls more to that end. I do better businesswise there, so I don’t want to go back.”

Swimmer safety

In an email to the Compass, Port Authority Director Paul Hurlston wrote, “As I am made to understand, the original and then only boat channel at the Public Beach was the north one which was used regularly by [a] few commercial dive operators without any issues.

“In recent years other commercial boat/jet ski operations have been based at the Public Beach. Some years ago the Port Authority experimented by opening a second channel to the south of Public Beach. This appeared to have met with mixed results and the safety of swimmers in the surrounding sea/beach area (Public Beach and Harbour Heights Apartments) became a issue. About two years ago bad weather removed the South channel and it was never replaced.”