324.80209 Operation of personal watercraft; distance requirements; exceptions.

Sec. 80209.

    (1) Except when traveling at slow--no wake speed perpendicular to the shoreline, a person who operates a personal watercraft on 1 of the Great Lakes that is under the jurisdiction of this state shall maintain a distance of 200 feet from the shoreline.

    (2) Except as provided in subsection (4), a person who operates a personal watercraft or a person who is being towed by a personal watercraft on a water sled, kite, surfboard, parachute, tube, water ski, or similar equipment on the waters of this state shall maintain a distance of not less than 100 feet from a dock, raft, or buoyed or occupied bathing or swimming area, a person in the water or on the water in a personal flotation device, or a vessel moored, anchored, drifting, or sitting in dead water.

    (3) A person who operates a personal watercraft or a person who is being towed by a personal watercraft on a water sled, kite, surfboard, parachute, tube, water ski, or similar equipment on the waters of this state shall maintain a distance of not less than 200 feet from a submerged diver, vessel engaged in underwater diving activities, or a flotation device displaying the international diving insignia.

    (4) Subsection (2) does not apply under either of the following conditions:

    (a) The personal watercraft being operated or the person being towed is proceeding at a slow--no wake speed.

    (b) The personal watercraft being operated or the person being towed is in a navigable channel, canal, river, or stream not otherwise posted.