Another safety concern is the consumption of alcohol while boating, and although boating, fishing and beer seem to go together, boating under the influence is a serious offense. There were 1,251 boating accidents in Florida last year, and 51 percent of them were attributed to alcohol use. As many as 40 percent of boating accidents involve personal water-craft, which Williams said require extra caution when operating. These zones, which are clearly marked, require boaters to travel at slow or idle speeds as marked to ensure the safety of the large manatees. Slow speed is defined at the speed at which your vessel is fully settled in the water and produces no wake.
Idle speed is defined as the slowest speed at which a vessel can maintain steerage.