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Surfers and canoeists could face jail and fines up to £50,000 if they are caught causing accidents at sea under Department for Transport proposals.
Unpowered craft would be subject to the same rules as cruise liners and oil tankers as part of plans to bring them under the Merchant Shipping Act.
The change was proposed after a loophole in the law allowed a jet skier to avoid jail.
However, surfing organisations said the rules would be hard to enforce.
The proposal comes after Mark Goodwin, from Dorset, was jailed for six months after a jet ski accident which left another man with severe head injuries.
The sentence was overturned after a judge ruled that jet skis were not technically ships as they were not used for navigation.
‘Appropriate measures’
The latest proposals would affect body boards, boogie boards, canoes, kite-surfing and windsurfing boards as well as dinghies.
The Department for Transport (DfT) says the proposals mean they could take action against all owners and users of watercraft who carry out “reckless or dangerous activity on the water.”
It would mean surfers and canoeists could be prosecuted for going into the water while under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs.
Gus Lewis, legal manager at the Royal Yachting Association, said the new rules were needed to bring Britain in line with an international convention to prevent collisions at sea.
It would mean that all sea craft played by the same rules, he added.
“You can’t have a situation where motorbikes and motorcycles are not subject to the Highway Code in the same way cars are,” he said.
But Mark Wesson from the British Surfing Association said: “This is going to be very difficult to regulate.
“These sports are already well-regulated with surfing schools and lifeguards at clubs and on the beaches.”
A DfT spokesman said: “Everyone should be free to enjoy themselves on the water in the knowledge that there are sanctions in place to deal with those who would put their safety at risk.
“These proposals will ensure that appropriate measures can be taken to prevent the irresponsible few from spoiling the fun of everyone else”.
Brett Simpson (Huntington Beach, CA), 24, has claimed the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Qualifying Series (WQS) 6-Star Hurley U.S. Open of Surfing over former ASP World Champion Mick Fanning (Coolangatta, AUS), 28, in front of an ecstatic hometown crowd, netting surfing’s biggest victory purse ever – US$100,000.
An event that will go down in surfing history, the 2009 Hurley U.S. Open of Surfing was treated to incredible surf (waves reaching as high as ten-to-twelve feet), an unprecedented number of elite ASP Dream Tour competitors in attendance as well as the biggest winner’s prize in surfing history. The young local’s emphatic victory in front of the hundreds of thousands on the beach provided the storybook ending and vaulted the event to unprecedented heights.
Simpson wasted no time in putting his opponent on the ropes in the Final, collecting a 6.83, a 7.83 and a 9.10 in the opening half of the heat with razor-sharp turns, explosive aerial maneuvers and a supernatural rapport with the Huntington Beach sandbanks.
“I knew the tide was coming up and there weren’t going to be as many waves,” Simpson said. “I knew I needed a quick start. We (Mick Fanning and I) both got off to pretty quick starts. We both picked up some good scores off the bat and I was able to build a little momentum throughout my opening waves. I couldn’t believe it when the heat finished – I’m still at a loss. I can’t ask for more than to beat Mick Fanning in the Final at home. With that, and the $100,000 and the 2,500 ’QS points, I’m nearly in tears at the moment.”
Each one of Simpson’s maneuvers was met with a thunder of cheers from the hundreds of thousands of spectators on the beach, and the young Californian’s win was caused an unparalleled eruption of excitement to ripple through the Hurley U.S. Open event site.
“When you’re riding on the ski in front of the crowd and you hear the applause it definitely pumps you up,” Simpson said. “Every time I was feeling a bit tired, the energy level of the crowd would lift me right up. It’s unbelievable to have all the support and my family and friends here with me. This is the best day of my life.”
In addition to taking away professional surfing’s biggest first prize in history (US$100,000), Simpson earned 2,500 ASP WQS points solidifying his campaign in the qualification race for the 2010 ASP Dream Tour. The progressive natural-footer is in excellent position for a berth next season at professional surfing’s most elite level, the ASP World Tour.
