Jet skis (personal water craft) are a lot of fun, and we love having fun on the Great South Bay, but full throttle jet ski riding in the marshlands can do some real harm to nature.
Marsh sidewalls are sensitive and the propulsion from jet ski’s can cause them to deteriorate. Additionally, marshlands serve as nesting areas for Terrapin turtles and other marine life. Jet skis have a much greater risk of doing damage to the marsh than kayaks or canoes or standup paddle boards.
FINS Restricted Areas
Fire Island National Seashore has restricted the use of jet skis within its boundaries as follows:
PWCs are allowed within park boundaries in the Long Island Intracoastal Waterway and in marked channels to some private communities on Fire Island.
Robert Moses – Sunken Forest
In the Great South Bay from the eastern boundary of Robert Moses State Park to the western boundary of Sunken Forest, PWCs are prohibited within 1,000 feet of shore of East Fire Island, West Fire Island, and Fire Island, with the exception of navigational channels marked by buoys or identified on the NOAA navigational chart (12352) to and from Kismet, Saltaire, Fair Harbor, Dunewood, Lonelyville, Atlantique, Ocean Beach, Ocean Bay Park, Point O’Woods, and Oakleyville at “flat-wake speed” (maximum 6 mph). PWCs may not cross restricted areas to access private piers or waterfront residences.
Sunken Forest – Moriches
In the Great South Bay from the western boundary of Sunken Forest to Moriches Inlet, PWCs are prohibited within 4,000 feet of Fire Island, with the exception of navigational channels marked by buoys or identified on the NOAA navigational chart (12352) to include access channels to and from Cherry Grove, Fire Island Pines, Water Island, and Davis Park at “flat-wake speed” (maximum 6 mph), and in navigational channels in Narrow and Moriches bays. PWCs may not cross restricted areas to access private piers or waterfront residences.
In the Atlantic Ocean, PWCs are prohibited within 1,000 feet of Fire Island.
PWCs are not allowed:
– in Sailors Haven or Watch Hill marinas or at the Barrett Beach dock.
– in the channels to Bellport Beach or Great Gun Beach.
– to access any of the small islands within the boundaries of Fire Island National Seashore, regardless of land ownership
For more information, visit www.savethegreatsouthbay.org.