Jet-skiers should be required to wear protective helmets and speedboat drivers should carry someone to act as a dedicated lookout when towing behind them, according to the Marine Casualty Investigation Board.
The recommendations are made in a report on the death of a 15-year-old boy in a collision between a jet-ski and a speedboat in Youghal, Co Cork.
The investigation board says it cannot conclude with certainty how the accident occurred, but it is clear from vessel damage and eyewitness report that both vessels were on converging courses.
Patrick Daly from Youghal died shortly after the collision between the jet-ski he was riding and a speedboat owned by Michael Murray, also of Youghal, on August 11th, 2003.
Mr Murray sustained severe leg injuries when he was thrown into the water and was hit by the propeller of his boat, which had gone out of control.
Martin Pierce, a passenger on a "doughnut" inflatable which Mr Murray was towing at the time, was also thrown into the water but was not injured.
The investigation notes that James Leahy had given Patrick permission to take his jet-ski from the family yard in Youghal at any time. Mr Leahy was not aware that the 2001 Merchant Shipping Act restricts the age of jet-ski users to 16 years or over.
He told investigators that he had warned Patrick never to carry anybody on the back of the jet-ski nor to go into the quays at Youghal. Patrick never acted irresponsibly on the jet-ski, in his opinion.
Coincidentally, Youghal Urban District Council was about to introduce bylaws which would include regulating jet-ski use at the time of the accident.
Mr Murray had only recently bought his speedboat and had only bought the doughnut-shaped inflatable that day. He had had significant seagoing experience from the age of 12. He had been out on the boat, towing the doughnut, for several hours before the accident. The marine inquiry report says that the sun may have been in his eyes at the time of or prior to impact.
The speedboat's emergency stop switch, which automatically cuts the engine if the operator leaves or is forced from his position, was not attached to Mr Murray by cord, but was found to be faulty. Patrick was not wearing protective headgear at the time.
The investigators pay tribute to fisherman Denis McCarthy and Irish Coast Guard volunteers Anthony White and Mark Lee, who heard the loud bang on shore and were at the scene in about 30 seconds.
They managed to recover the three people in the water, even as the speedboat was circling out of control, while people onshore used mobile phones to alert the emergency services.
A doctor arrived on the scene, and it was decided to transfer Patrick to hospital by Irish Coast Guard helicopter. However, he died at the scene. An inquest into his death last year returned a verdict of accidental causes.
The report says people operating jet-skis should be required to wear appropriate protective headgear and it issues a reminder on safety regulations. It says where a person is being towed on a recreational craft, the towing vessel should have a dedicated lookout as well as an operator.
