Photo/Illutration A life-size dummy falls from a personal watercraft during a demonstration of a jack-rabbit start in Fukuoka on Aug. 19. (Koki Furuhata)

FUKUOKA--Skimming across the water’s surface is the kind of thrill-seeking outdoor activity that many have taken up to escape from the doldrums of the ongoing pandemic.

But as more novices learn to drive personal watercraft and acquire small boat licenses, serious accidents have also been on the rise.

The Japan Coast Guard is raising alarm bells and calling for people to be more cautious, following a rash of accidents reported out of the Kyushu region and Okinawa Prefecture that involved personal watercraft.

“We believe that accidents have increased this year because of the fine weather we had on many holidays and a growing number of people who are enjoying recreational activities in less-crowded situations,” said a representative of the 7th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters.

Situated in Kita-Kyushu, Kagoshima and Naha, the 7th, 10th and 11th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters are responsible for waters off Kyushu, western Yamaguchi Prefecture and Okinawa Prefecture, respectively.

According to their data, 10 personal watercraft were involved in accidents in 2020 and four people were injured. This year, 13 people have been injured and 11 vehicles have been involved in accidents as of the end of August.

In late August, a watercraft overturned off Fukutsu, Fukuoka Prefecture, killing the male driver and injuring the two female passengers.

Not one was wearing a life jacket.

This marked the first time in six years that a fatal accident occurred under the jurisdiction of the three regional coast guard headquarters.

Four other individuals suffered bone fractures and bruises in the Kyushu region this year after falling from personal watercraft or tubes being towed by them. The accidents are believed to have been caused by speeding, sudden turns and other factors.

Similar incidents have occurred elsewhere in Japan.

On Sept. 15, two men and a woman were killed when their personal watercraft smashed into wave-dissipating blocks in Awaji, Hyogo Prefecture.

Officials said the driver likely mishandled the operation of the vehicle.

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An official, foreground, is nearly thrown off a tube towed by a personal watercraft during a demonstration in Fukuoka on Aug. 19. (Koki Furuhata)

The 7th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters noted that 57 percent of the 106 watercraft involved in accidents from 2011 to 2020 within its jurisdiction were driven by people with less than three years of experience in operating personal watercraft.

“We are concerned that the increasing number of small boat licensees could lead to far more accidents,” said an official of the regional coast guard headquarters.

Types of licenses are based on the size of the vehicle and the area for operating them. There are four types of small boat licenses: first-class; second-class; second-class for lakes and rivers; and a special license for operating personal watercraft along coasts.

According to the Japan Marine Recreation Association, which organizes national exams for the licenses, the number of people who passed the exams had remained steady over the past few years.

But the figure rose sharply, by 25.7 percent year on year, to 72,000 nationwide last fiscal year, including 22,000 who obtained the special license for personal watercraft, up by 26.7 percent.

In the current fiscal year, the number for the personal watercraft license already reached 8,300 during the April-June period, which is 60 percent higher year on year.

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