You should ask a friend what does idle speed mean😅

Many parts of the river are and have been no wake zones since i was a child and im 50. This is completely out of context.

Thank you for creating this awesome video I agree those boats are crazy!

Hey speedboat and jet ski people, Please think from a swimmer’s perspective for a bit. Why I absolutely can’t stand motor boats for it’s for obvious reasons! I wear a big bright colored buoy with a Diver’s Flag when ever I go for a swim and still don’t see me! It’s extremely scary having a speeding boat or jet ski come at you so fast and not see you until the very last second! Let me tell you it’s stinking scary! When you have your life flash before your eyes! I don’t like being on a speed boat or even near one! I know I see the damage boats do to the shoreline and under the water! They also pollute water too! The boat propeller can hurt/injure the manatees! It’s spinning fast and sharp! The blades on a propeller are sharp like knives and that to me sounds like a huge ouchie! I have read many stories about manatees getting injured because of boats and their propellers! Did you ever think of that? By the way It’s a whole other world under water. There are many beautiful plants under the water as well! It’s beautiful having fish swim by you and birds flying over your head. The turtles on logs are cute! By the way a River is NOT a gosh dang Racetrack! It’s a River, It’s an ecosystem and Rivers Are very fascinating with their beautiful currents! The nature is lovely and I think the way they were driving their boats up and down that river it made me cringe! Poor River! Did you ever Think about how loud the boats are and if you lived in your house, would you want to listen to that all day? I know I sure as heck would not! Also swimming and listening to the sound of boat motors underwater is deafening and holy loud! Just think about the fish and other animals have you ever thought of that? Think about the kayakers, canoes and other not motorized watercraft. When you create your big wakes it swamps them and can be very unsafe! So Think about other people who wanna enjoy the river! Please don’t be so reckless! Thank you!

It’s so upsetting! The injury to the manatee! There is no safe place to swim. And the racing boats are just mortifying . Total disrespect for the river, the environment and anyone who has come for a peaceful time. We went and and hour later we left. It was awful. Thank you for making the video

Boohoohooo, the river belongs to all boaters...sorry your land ownership ends at the water and you can't ban boats. Maybe you should go buy property with your own pond or lake then you can canoe to your hearts content without others around.

The upper Santa Fe is saf 6:52 e for paddling. Between 441 High Springs Boat ramp to 47 bridge boat ramp. More then 8 springs to play in and not to many boats. I’m on the river on a paddle board with a group every weekend. Any part past the beginning of 3 rivers has way to many boats. For the most part they slow down but that can be uncomfortable on a paddle board. I love the Santa Fe

Thought about moving there... Not after seeing this.. No Thanks.. Purchased a place on the Peace River in Charlotte County. Just mostly kayaks out there.

I haven’t seen anything unsafe ? Looks like you don’t like boats…..

Not to mention they are showing the video when the river is at really low tide as well not to mention it is memorial Day weekend? I don't know about you but I don't want to cook in the sunlight. Cuz I have to idle for an hour and a half down the river to get where I'm going more people keep having kids and babies and more boat traffic is going to be figure it out?

I've lived on the River all of my life been running boats forever the faster a bigger boat goes the less of a wake it makes when you make him go at idle speed they make more of awake or they make rollers is what we call them where I'm from in small boats like hydro streams and you know stv's and Allison's and stuff like that they don't make any kind of a wake ..

Sounds like you need to move to river rise or run island. Blame it on Covid record boat sales in 2019/2020. It’s like this everywhere

Nothing you can do. Enjoy the weekdays

I'm retired, I only go out to play during the week. You own the waterways then. Weekend's are for amateurs.

It's like complaining that cars are driving on roads😆

That's OK, we been laying pokers in tye river for years now

It’s only getting worse. The more people that move here the worse it gets. Please leave Florida you’re ruining our state

I agree there needs to be some sort of limit but be carful what you wish for , i also live on a river where they made it idle speed and now your boat is almost useless because it takes way to long to get anywhere , and I also dont agree with anyone who comes along and builds their fancy house on the river and goes out a places no wake signs just because they dont like the boats going by , in alot of areas the boaters were there first. its nice to be able to get to Elly Rays before the sun goes down. Just sayin

Ban powerboats period. No need for powerboats on the Santa Fe at all at any speed. Probably just ban all boats with 25 HP engines and above period.

Throw some logs out there

Big center consoles, and power boats over 16' belong in lakes or the gulf. No respect for conservation or sportsmen. I had a 19' center console and live 10 minutes from the Santa Fe, and never once ran it on that river. Only took it to the Suwannee twice. I spent it's time on the gulf of Mexico. I now have a 16 aluminum bass boat and it's in the gulf more than the river. When in the river I operate at idle speed or use the trolling motor.

Then move away if you dont like it i see no laws broken

FWC DOES NOT CARE

Love propaganda. The real complaint here isn't about boating safety it's the misleading perception that the wakes are going to destroy the river which won't happen. Cypress trees fall all the time. I remember kayaking areas of florida with downed cypress trees that look just like that in areas where boats can't access so you have NO IDEA whatsoever if that tree fell because of the boats. However I do agree that many of those boats are far too big to be on that narrow stretch of river at those speeds. The problem is even worse at Weeki Wachee where the river is more narrow. I would also like to see footage showing this is going on all day, every day versus this possibly being filmed on a weekend where everything is a hundred times more crowded and busy. YOu lost credibility with the tree reference so it brings everything else into question. I think there should be speed limits on the river. It shouldn't be a place for speeding but enjoying nature. If you want to speed go out in the gulf where you have all the room in the world. I don't think the size of the boats is the issue but the speed. Not because it's destroying the environment but because the rivers shouldn't be a racetrack. There are still plenty of places around the actual springs that are not populated by racing boats due to the number of people in the water

Didn’t see anything dangerous. Get a grip you damn libtard.

You don't own the water. Mind your business and find a hobby so you don't have to film ppl enjoying their life

I used to Scuba dive there. Drunk boaters tryed to kill me. Dive flags dont work.

Why isn’t this a no wake zone?

Have a few more beers and speed on you fools.

I dint look like that 35yrs ago there were high banks and trees to the edge of the water

In the 80. Not even a teen yet alone I would float for hrs and miles in an inner tube on that river and not see 1 person. This hurts my heart to see.

This is tragic to watch - the poor wildlife. Get some bod with a radar and slap some fines in those idiots.

Memorial day is not the best representation of what you are trying to accomplish. Secondly if it is damage by a boat wake just remember it is the medium speed boat, with the bow high and stern low, that produces the most wake, not the high speed boat. The boat at 2:40 is an example of a displacement wake and is a biggg wake! Wake is produced by displacement, the less hull you have in the water the less wake is produced. "unsafe" is an opinion only. Based on what you are saying in this video I would also bet I know who you voted for back in 2016!

Obviously developers were allowed to build facilities that brought all this traffic to this poor little stretch of river. A wise man told me once and it's true. If you are on the planing commission in your area and you have half a brain then you won't be on that commission very long. Only morons and greedy puppets survive. Money buys any and everything now. There was a time when men had dignity and did thier jobs to uphold thier good name. Not any more.

Stretch rope or cable or wire taught across river so it stays close to surface of water to entangle propeller. Float sealed 2x4s with long nails drivin in both sides. Place as many obstacles in the water as u want. It outa get the dip shits to slow down.

FWC needs to crack down on these 💩heads instead of issuing tickets for fishermen without licenses

bittersweet, there will always be dingleberries, rather in a boat or car. some stupid some respectful. I am a 5 th generation born and raised in fl and all had boats. first off i had to stop watching this video of someone who has nothing better to do than bitch about people enjoying life in our great state. second, you are probably a tree hugger, and they're not all bad, the shoreline is mostly limestone and would take 100s of years to put a dent in the shore line to make that dramatic of a difference. thirdly, the cypress was more likely washed away by natural river rise and some times flood natural, gods effect. natural causes do more damage than any human at this point in time. the busiest time of the year this was filmed, if you have any sense just be cautious of other people, there is always an idiot out there no matter where you are in life. My advice be respectful at all cost even to small-minded people like those who videoed this, maybe you should buy a boat and have some fun with your family too, or move out of our state and go ruin some other place where all yall can enjoy a utopia being miserable together. the law works hard at regulating things and can't be everywhere at once plus they got bigger fish to fry rather than harass people who are not breaking the law .our states in the south have some of the best units and trained l.e.o.s in the country. that goes all the way to our governor. in not a disrespectful way, leave and go back to where you're from or enjoy life in our beautiful state. all said there are some bad boaters and getting worse in Florida. just like on the highway

Put up a rock shoal,across the river about 2’ under the water. Guaranteed bottom end buster! That should help with the big boat traffic!!

did you know at this part of the river it is 100% legal to operate a vessel at whatever speed you please

Get a grip, Karen. I didn't see anyone driving like a maniac in that video. If you weren't at the river you'd be exaggerating the dangers of someplace else...

Karen

Wow that’s terrible

You're just jealous because your boat doesn't have a motor 😆

This is comparable to having a home on the shoulder of I-95. Good luck ever being able to sell your house on the banks of this river.

My Lord those punks are destroying our river! The greatest place in FL is open to the leftover idiot transplants

I've been fishing it for years. When my son was small, I'd take him up river into a small aluminum jonboat and larger power boats would run by at top speed, with no respect for the safety of others, or the sport of fishing. Respect is dead.

Time For Change..... when there was only a few the impact Was minimal. With so many, it spoils Everything Nature has provided for Countless years. Time for Change...

we have the same problem at hollingsworth bluff with jet skis! i hate them! they are like hell's angels or juvenile delinquents

Probably northerns

Kinda makes you miss low water conditions