Environment Bay of Plenty’s maritime team have reminded people enjoying the region’s harbours and lakes to put safety first.

Regional Council boats have patrolled Tauranga Harbour, Whakatane and the Rotorua lakes every day to check on navigational safety, speeding, anchoring in the shipping channels and use of lifejackets. There have also been occasional patrols of Ohiwa Harbour. These patrols will continue throughout the summer months.

Regional Harbour Master Carl Magazinovic praised people for using the waterways safely.

“During summer thousands of people enjoy Rotorua’s lakes, Ohiwa Harbour, Tauranga Harbour and the offshore areas of the Bay of Plenty and it is important that they are safe,” Mr Magazinovic said.

“On the whole this summer, people have been well behaved. Unfortunately there are a few recreational users who treat the harbour like a speedway and there are also boaties going too fast within 200 metres of the shore.”

Mr Magazinovic’s key tips for safe boating are:

• Always carry the right size life jacket for every person on board including children;

• When towing a water skier always have an extra person on board as an observer, who can let the driver know immediately if the water skier has a mishap;

• Boaties and jet skiers must consider other people and stick to the five knot speed limit when they are within 200 metres of the shore or when they are within 50 metres of a boat, swimmer or diver; and

• Fishermen and women are reminded to keep out of the way of large vessels and cruise ships when fishing in the shipping channels of Tauranga Harbour.

“Large ships cannot manoeuvre easily in these narrow shipping channels and may not be able to move around smaller, more mobile fishing boats, so please, for your own safety, keep out of their way,” Mr Magazinovic said.

There are also volunteer Harbour Wardens patrolling the region’s waterways all summer to educate people about safety on the water.