Originally Posted by elbert
Another side to these boat accidents never seems to come to light.
The Boat captains feel horrible and the police, news and public immediately crucify them assuming their guilty, their licenses are suspended and threatened with jail.
I personally am angered when I pass stupid snorkelers in my boat who could be run over by me if i wasn't keeping a sharp eye out for the ignorance of others, knowing that if i hit one I could be jailed and my license revoked.I feel sorry for the poor captain and little sympathy for the tourist!


You generally talk sense. Every once in a while you say something really stupid. This is your "piece de resistance".

You are commercial Boat Captains. It is your duty to your tourist passengers to drive them safely. The story above yours was not and the Captain and his employer (so they can do something)should have been reported. As a Captain it is your duty to watch where you are going and know who has the right of way. Similarly to a car driver. The difference is you don't have to concentrate as much as there is no road to stay on and when driving a car you never take your eyes off the road for more than two seconds. Can you say the same when driving a boat? If driving a car and somone crosses the street in front of you and you run them over it is your fault for not concentrating. Same thing in a boat even if they are swimming where they shouldn't be you should be looking for anything that shouldn't be there from people to boats to anchor lines to logs. We do need guidelines on where the boats and swimmers should be but a swimmer ALWAYS has the right of way.