On Friday afternoon, seemingly out of nowhere, a boat came barreling northbound up the coast near San Onofre State Park, and plowed through the crowded lineup at Lower Trestles. By all accounts, it was a serious close call; luckily no injuries reported.
The driver of the boat, however, has officially been cited for the action. In an email to SFGate, Jo Biswas of the California State Parks confirmed:
“California State Parks Peace Officers identified and cited the boater for reckless operation of a vessel following the incident at San Onofre State Beach on Friday. We are thankful no one was injured and remain committed to protecting the safety of all visitors on the water and along our coast.”
Under California law, a boater can’t drive their vessel within 200 feet of a beach, or 100 feet of swimmers (or surfers), unless the boat is going 5 miles per hour or less. This instance above was clearly a breach of that rule, and therefore illegal.
Related: Boat Goes Wild, Drives Through Lower Trestles Lineup (Video)
As for what it was like in the water when the boat came plowing through the Lowers lineup, here’s an account from surfer Brian Weber:
“It’s amazing that nobody died, honestly. All of a sudden, we started hearing the guys on the outside just hooting and yelling. We had maybe like three or four seconds to make up our mind on what to do. We started paddling as fast as we could to wherever we could be safe. Within four seconds, the boat flies right by us.
“Everyone was looking at the guy. I was thinking that maybe it was unmanned. Maybe someone fell off the boat. As far as I can remember, there were two guys on the boat. One guy was driving. Don’t know if he was impaired or doing it on purpose. But he definitely turned around once everyone screamed at him. So, he saw what he did.”
To all the boaters out there, do not do this. It is dangerous, and highly illegal.
Related: Boat Launches Off ‘15ft Waves’ During Hurricane Swell (Video)