A group of Exuma resorts and businesses is urging the Government to enhance maritime safety enforcement to protect swimmers and divers from speeding boats and jet skis in Bahamian waters.

“We cannot stand by and allow reckless boaters, many of whom don’t know how to read the waters of The Bahamas - and particularly the shallow banks of the Exumas - to carry on as if they were on the I-95 speedway,” said members of the SEA (Save Exuma Alliance).

The group, which was originally formed over concerns surrounding the $200m Rosewood Exuma project by the Miami-based Yntegra Group, sounded the alert that “more lives will be endangered if we don’t act swiftly and with resolve” following an incident earlier this month when a man snorkelling 20 feet from shore was run over by a 20-foot Boston Whaler.

The two men on the speeding boat did not stop. Police have one suspect in custody and have since seized the vessel they believe was involved in the accident. “While news coverage focused largely on the lack of an ambulance and emergency services in the rescue, the focus now should turn to what caused this in the first place and the answer to that is clear – reckless boat handling,” said SEA.

“That is the issue we have to deal with before another incident like this occurs.” The man who was injured was taken by truck to a local clinic and later flown by air ambulance to a hospital in the US where he is recovering from life-changing, but non life-threatening, injuries. His recovery period is expected to take months.

“Volunteers rushed to help him, and he survived, but suppose there had been no one nearby to get him out of the water. The end of that story could have been very different,” the SEA statement continued.

“It is time to take the issue of boat safety far more seriously. The Government is spending $250m on security measures, including a new prison. It is time to beef up security on the waters – the very thing that attracts millions of visitors to these islands. Reckless, careless boaters tearing through the waters are a greater danger than sharks and we have strong laws to protect the sharks, but not the people.”

According to the SEA, the rapid tour business expansion sparked by the discovery of swimming pigs has led to "literally dozens of boats" racing through the Exuma cays, ignoring 'No Wake' signs and speeding through areas where swimmers are.

“They visit the sandbars, Thunderball Grotto, the Swimming Pigs at Big Majors, and often have their lunch at Blackpoint or Staniel Cay,” SEA said. “But while there have been economic benefits, there are too many cases of captains operating at fast speeds very close to shorelines and right through anchorages.

"It is not unusual to hear yacht captains screaming on VHF channel 16 about a tour boat throwing a huge wake in the anchorage. These boats can run over 40 feet in length, powered by three or four outboard engines and carrying over 30 passengers.

"They’ve been seen flying through the small cuts at Fowl Cay Resort and Little Sampson Cay, even though both places have 'No Wake' signs clearly posted on the shore and floating in the water.” The July 1 incident, which drew international attention on CBS in the US, was not the first time visitors or locals had been impacted.

In March 2024, a husband and wife from the US were run over by a larger boat when they were in their dinghy near Staniel Cay in the central Exuma chain. The wife died and her husband nearly lost his life, and was in intensive care for an extended period of time. In January 2023, eight people were injured when the boat they were on crashed into a rock off Pelican Point, also near Staniel Cay.

“When are we going to take this seriously?” the SEA statement asked. “We insist that every driver of a vehicle on the road take lessons and pass a very challenging test before they are licensed to drive. We demand that they be insured. Yet we allow people to hop in a boat and do whatever they want.

"This must stop, and it can if we require that everyone pass a basic rule of the road test for boating and deputise a volunteer patrol force to monitor the waters. We suggest posting signs of 'no wake' or the speed allowed, advise boaters to remain 200 feet from shore unless travelling at under five knots and other reasonable practices. It is simple. Let us act now before it is too late.”

The grassroots coalition SEA includes Embrace Resort, Bahama Boyzz Adventurezz, Turtlegrass Resort & Island Club, Staniel Cay Yacht Club, Flying Pig Café, Hattie Cay, Over Yonder Cay, Little Major’s Spot, Wild Tamarind Cay, Staniel Cay Adventures and Makers Air.