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The use of personal watercraft (PWCs) is restricted within the boundaries of Fire Island National Seashore. A new regulations published on July 6, 2005, includes the following provisions:
* PWCs are allowed within park boundaries in the Long Island Intracoastal Waterway and in marked channels into any private communities on Fire Island that allow them.
* PWCs are not allowed in Sailors Haven or Watch Hill marinas or at the Barrett Beach or Old Inlet docks.
* PWCs are prohibited within 1,000 feet of the Atlantic shore of Fire Island and, in the Great South Bay, within 1,000 feet of shore of East Fire Island, West Fire Island, and Fire Island from the eastern boundary of Robert Moses State Park to the western boundary of Sunken Forest, with the exception of navigational channels marked by buoys or identified on the NOAA navigational chart (12352) to include access channels to and from Fair Harbor, Dunewood, Lonelyville, Atlantique and to the communities of Kismet, Saltaire, 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.
* PWCs are prohibited within 4,000 feet of Fire Island in the Great South Bay from the western boundary of Sunken Forest to Moriches Inlet, 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, Davis Park and the community of Water Island 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.
* PWCs may not be used in the channels to Bellport Beach or Great Gun Beach.
* PWCs may not be used to access any of the small islands within the boundaries of Fire Island National Seashore, regardless of land ownership.
PWC restrictions do not preclude access to the shoreline by other appropriate modes of transportation where not otherwise restricted.
Personal Watercraft must comply with State and Federal laws, including age restrictions and navigation rules of the road. The State of New York has implemented new requirements that all PWC operators must earn a safety certificate. All PWC users must wear a U. S. Coast Guard approved personal flotation device (PFD) or life jacket. See , page 59, for further information. Responsible boat operation is enforced by the National Park Service, U. S. Coast Guard and Suffolk County Police Marine Bureau within the waters surrounding Fire Island.
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