Blog post written by Laila Cohen, UF/IFAS Extension Brevard County intern

Millions of people go boating in Florida waterways on the Fourth of July weekend. Some are locals who’ve been boating their whole life, others are tourists renting a boat for a day. No matter how much experience you have, it’s important to respect the rules and regulations on the water.

A wake is a wave created by a boat moving through water. Wakes can be large or small depending on the speed of the watercraft. In order to regulate the size of wakes and the speed of boats, there are wake zones in most Florida waterways. Wake zones are put in place to regulate boat speeds and the wakes they create. They are marked by waterway markers, which are signs that indicate the legal speed at which you can operate your vessel. There are three types of wake zones you will typically see out on the water:

• Idle Speed- No wake: In this area, the vessel should be creating no wake. They should operate at the slowest speed possible while continuing to move in the desired direction.
• Slow speed- minimum wake: The wake created in this area should be minimal. The vessel should be settled into the water, with no bow elevation.
• No Entry Zone: These areas prohibit any vessel or a certain type of vessel from entering the area.

Why are these zones important?

There are multiple purposes of implementing wake zones. They provide safety, protection, and preservation to all the different stakeholders of the waterways.

Manatees are incredibly susceptible to boat strikes. In order to protect them, there are many manatee protection zones in areas that are prime manatee habitat. Wake zones are in place to prevent accidents with boaters. Some of these zones are only enforced seasonally because of migration and aggregation of manatees.

Wake zones also protect our shorelines and marine habitats that can be damaged by large wakes. Living shorelines, such as mangroves and marshes, can suffer from erosion by high-speed boating. Marine habitats like coral and seagrass beds also sustain large amounts of damage from propellers and turbulent wakes. Both of these environments are incredibly important to the ecosystem.

Many of these zones are also in place to provide safety to people. Many wake zones are found in high-traffic areas like docks and residential canals. They are put in place to protect swimmers, paddleboarders, and kayakers.

Regulation and enforcement of wake zones are done by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the local governments. Failure to comply with the wake zones can result in fines and loss of boaters’ privileges.

Tips for boaters

• How to spot a wake zone: Wake zones should be clearly marked by signs in the waterways. Before going out on the boat, be sure you understand different signs and their meanings.
• If you are unsure what an acceptable speed is in a wake zone, go slower to be safe. It will protect you from unwanted fines and repercussions, and the marine life/ environment from unwanted damage.
• Using navigation apps and GPS can also help in locating wake zones if you are unfamiliar with an area.

References

https://www.boat-ed.com/florida/studyGuide/Boating-Regulatory-Zones/10101002_36329/

Manatee Protection Zones | FWC

https://myfwc.com/education/wildlife/manatee/for-boaters/

https://ccs.eng.ufl.edu/funwave-modeling-boat-wake-impacts-on-coastal-erosion/

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