Chapter 3 Promotion of Measures to Ensure the Safety and Sound Growth of Marine Leisure
I. Current State and Future Trend of Marine Leisure
As a result of recent factors such as the improvement in the standard of living and shorter working hours, the Japanese people have a heightened interest in leisure activities. Of these, the popularity of marine leisure activities, such as motorboating, sailing, waterbiking, scuba diving, windsurfing, surfing, and shore fishing, has especially increased broadly among people of all ages in recent years, because they can be enjoyed with relative ease. It can be assumed that these activities have taken root among the people as a part of their new life-style.
Amid this state of affairs, accidents involving marine leisure activities show no signs of abating. Of ships requiring rescue, although the number of marine leisure craft, such as pleasure boats, declined temporarily in 1992, this number has been increasing thereafter. JMSA fears a continued increase in the number of accidents hereafter as marine leisure sports become more popular, deeply rooted, and active.
II. The State of Occurrences of Marine Leisure Accidents and Their Causes
1. The State of Occurrences of Pleasure Boats, etc., in Distress and Their Causes
(1) The State of Accident Occurrences by Type of Vessel
By type of vessel, motorboats are involved in the greatest number of accidents, followed in order by sailboats, pleasure fishing boats, waterbikes, and rowboats. Furthermore, compared with 1994, motorboat and waterbike accidents have increased.
(2) The State of Accident Occurrences by Type of Distress
By type of distress, collisions are the most frequent, followed by engine failure, running aground, and capsizing.
(3) Cause of Distress Occurrence
By cause of distress occurrence, human causes account for 81%. This includes insufficient vigilance, errors in engine operation, inappropriate piloting, and inattention to weather and oceanographic conditions. This is a high percentage when compared with
