Save Florida Waterways
Building awareness for wake surfing regulations
Building awareness for wake surfing regulations
Environmental Concerns of Wake Surfing
Wake surfing boats are larger and more powerful than other recreational boats. They are equipped with ballast systems that add weight to the boat to create a larger wake for surfing. These large and powerful wakes bring new concerns to our Florida waterways, they are dangerous to others and cause damage to shorelines and aquatic habitats. More specifically:
Public Safety. Close proximity of large wakes endanger recreational swimmers and paddlers by creating unexpected, hazardous conditions that can result in serious injury or death.
Erosion: Wake surfing wakes erode shorelines by washing away sand and other sediments, leading to the loss of beaches and coastal features.
Damage to aquatic life: Wake surfing wakes damage aquatic vegetation, such as seagrasses and kelp beds. This vegetation is important for providing habitat for fish, manatees and other aquatic life.
Increased turbidity: Wake surfing wakes resuspend sediment from the bottom of the water body, which increase turbidity, reducing the amount of sunlight that reaches aquatic plants, harming their growth.
Disturbance to wildlife: Wake surfing wakes disturb wildlife, such as fish, birds, and mammals. This can disrupt their feeding, breeding, and other behaviors.
Wake surfers have organized key principles to prevent their sport from causing harm to the environment and other people. By following these tips, boat owners and wake surfers can help to protect the environment and ensure that this sport can be enjoyed by future generations:
Wake surf etiquette and recommendations by experienced wake surfers.
Wake surf in open water. Choose areas that have plenty of space for wakes to safely dissipate without harm to the shoreline. Keep 200 feet away from shorelines, docks and other people in the water – swimmers, waders, divers.
Be mindful of your wake. Wake surfing creates a large wake, so keep distance from other boats, docks and swimmers. Your wake is large and disruptive by design, it is dangerous to other people and structures within 200 feet.
Be mindful of your music. Wake surfing is often enjoyed with loud music from powerful tower mounted audio systems. Loud music is noise pollution to the environment and disrupts natural behavior for fish, birds and mammals.
Be aware of your alcohol and drug consumption. Never wake surf while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Recent legislation in other states have been created based on scientific research that defines the distance from shore and depth required to protect the environment, prevent damage to property and keep people safe.
University of Minnesota - Peer reviewed research provides key insights into the differences between specialized wake surfing boats and typical recreational boats, and provides data for a safe distance from shoreline.
Water Sports Industry Association (WSIA) - Characterization of wake-sport wakes and data demonstrating the impact on shorelines.
National Marine Manufacturers Associate (NMMA) - Educating boat owners and renters on best practices with wake surfing, staying 200 feet from shore and in water depth of at least 10 feet.
Send an email your local representative encouraging them to propose new regulations for wake surfing in the state of Florida.
Working together we establish new rules that protect the environment and the people within our Florida waterways.
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