• Home
• /
• Letters

Watersports companies should be regulated

Watersports companies operating at Sharjah's Mamzar beach don't have enough checks and balances in place to ensure safety of all who undertake various activities (Pakistani doctor dies in jet ski accident in UAE; KT, Jan 15). The jet skis, for instance, are not even insured most of the time. And the safety vests provided by the jet ski rental companies are not good. The problem starts if you meet with an accident. Most of the time, there are no safety instructions and training given before you ride a jet ski. The operators are simply eager to get customers and make money.
I had a massive accident when I was riding a jet ski with my daughter. We got hit by another rider while I was parking my jet ski. I had life-threatening injuries (My femur shaft broke, ribs broke, I ruptured my spleen and my lungs collapsed). It has been one and a half year and I am still recovering from the accident.
We incurred huge medical expenses. The jet ski wasn't insured, so we could not claim the money from there, and I was between jobs, so I had no personal health insurance cover available either. Moreover, the jet ski owner filed a case against us saying that we had broken their jet ski. They repeatedly called my wife to give money to repair the jet ski when I was lying unconscious in the hospital for five days.
I am grateful to the first aid team and doctors who saved my life and treated my daughter as well. I do not recommend anyone to indulge in adventure sports at Sharjah's Mamzar Beach considering lack of safety for riders. I was saddened to read about the Pakistani doctor who lost his life recently there. We are praying for his wife and family.
- Alok Nanda, KT website