JUPITER, Fla. (WFLA) – A photo circulating social media show why boats and surfers don’t mix.
WPEC reports an errant boater endangered multiple swimmers and surfers in the waters off Jupiter Beach.
A photo obtained by the local affiliate shows surfer Jim Tolliver sitting on his board when a boat nearly runs him over, missing him by approximately 15 feet.
“He’s lucky he didn’t kill somebody. He came at us and swerved to the side and went just on the outside of us,” said Tolliver who was surfing in an unguarded section of the beach.
Tolliver estimates 60 surfers were in the water at the time. He says three or four were nearly hit.
“The boater went to the inside of the surfers all the way, 20 yards within the beach, turned around almost flipped over twice, almost hit a kid, and then caught air and almost hit another kid,” Tolliver said. “I thought somebody could possibly get killed, that’s how close he was to the kids.”
Another photo shows the same boat narrowly miss another surfer.
Tolliver told WPEC he’s been surfing all over the world for over 40 years and he’s never seen anything like this.
Tolliver says he’s spoken with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which is investigating the incident. He tells WPEC the boater may be charged with reckless operation of a boat, a misdemeanor crime. A FWC spokeswoman was not able to provide any information on the incident.
