2024-07-07 19:28:04
Faced with dangers even for their lives from accidents at sea, bathers are every year due to the often uncontrolled traffic of small or larger speedboats, jet skis and rental boats.
Businesses involved in water sports still do not treat safety as a top priority
Significant loopholes in the legislation as well as the sometimes criminal recklessness of the people behind the wheel have caused a significant number of serious and sometimes fatal accidents in recent years.
At the same time, water sports entrepreneurs still do not treat safety as a top priority.
The numbers
According to data from the organization Safe Water Sports, founded in 2015 by Panagiotis Paschalakis after the tragic loss of his son Michael during water sports in Kalo Livadi, Mykonos, from the beginning of 2020 to the end of 2023, 14 deaths and 40 injuries in incidents involving high-speed craft. In the same period, 35 injuries and two deaths were recorded during water sports.
This year, according to data provided by the organization to “NEWS”, by July 1st two deaths had already been recorded in recreational watercraft and four injuries during water sports.
As Safe Water Sports Public Relations Manager Eliza Karabetian-Nikotian explains, in 2015 80% of water sports businesses were operating without a license. Today, as he emphasizes, 100% have a legal license and are controlled by the Coast Guard. However, there are still delinquent entrepreneurs, which is why he invites customers to demand the implementation of the legislation themselves, using the digital application of the organization in which the relevant provisions are posted.
According to official data from the Coast Guard, in 2023, 5,936 inspections were carried out on marine recreational vehicle rental businesses and 498 violations were confirmed. In the same year, 3,673 checks were carried out on privately used recreational watercraft (speedboats, etc.) and 275 violations were confirmed.
Renting without a license
For Antonis Vasilakis, secretary of the Association of Trainers of High-speed Boat Operators (EEHTS), one of the main reasons for the repeated accidents is the “freedom” provided by the current legislation to rent small-horsepower boats to private individuals who do not have a pilot’s license.
“One of the reasons why we constantly have accidents is that for boats with engines up to 15-30 hp, depending on whether they are inflatable or polyester, Greek legislation does not require the possession of a license.”
Although the speeds that these vessels can develop are not comparable to those of high-horsepower speedboats, they are not negligible: a light inflatable can reach even 20 knots, roughly the speed at which the night ships to Crete travel. To mitigate some of the risks involved in the possibility of such boats being piloted by people without knowledge, from 1 March 2023 all boats hired without a license must have a propeller guard.
Jet skis are a headache
Jet skis turn into a big headache for bathers every year, as, despite the high speed they can develop, due to their small size they often end up making dangerous maneuvers near the shores.
By law they are only allowed to be operated by people who hold a pilot’s license, but in practice they often end up in the hands of untrained private individuals who are called upon to operate a 60-100hp engine with a speed of 34-43 knots.
“Every summer there is a problem with jet skis,” says Eliza Karabetian-Nikotian, while Antonis Vassilakis underlines that “there are companies that rent jet skis to people without a license, illegally.”
Overall, EECTS calls for the updating of the institutional framework for the training of prospective boat operators, which dates back to the 1980s, in order to respond to the new conditions.
“We want to create two categories of diplomas, with the first concerning ships up to 10 meters long and the second up to 24 meters” explains Antonis Vassilakis. He also complains that dozens of non-certified schools, branches of foreigners that issue diplomas from third countries (Britain, Poland, Romania, Holland, France) operate in Greece.
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