Crazy boaters on scariest stretch of the NJ shore

This is the time of year when new boaters get their feet wet (literally) with running a boat. New Jersey is home to about 175,000 vessels. They come in all sizes, and they don't all come with good or experienced operators, which infuriates those who follow the rules of the water.

There are some YouTubers that set up their cameras at tricky spots around the East Coast where boaters routinely get in trouble.

One of those spots is right here in New Jersey on the Point Pleasant Canal. You would probably rarely notice the canal unless you are a boater in the area. There is a bridge that goes over it on Route 88 as you head into the back end of Point Pleasant.

The canal connects the upper end of Barnegat Bay and the Manasquan River. From there you can access the Atlantic Ocean through the Manasquan Inlet.

Off-season and mid-week, the canal is pretty easy to navigate. It's a no-wake zone and boats are supposed to keep their speeds low so as not to make too much of a wake when their boat passes since it is a narrow, walled-off canal.

That makes for crazy waves with heavy boat traffic and a strong ingoing or outgoing tide.

Without boat traffic, it is a pretty easy ride. When it gets crowded with boats it is scary, especially for small boats and inexperienced boaters.

You can occasionally see people fishing from the banks and they get a pretty good show when things get nasty. And things do get nasty. So you don't have to find your way down there, here are some pretty crazy videos of what goes on there.

If you're a new boater or considering making a boat purchase in the near future, the first thing you should do is take a safe boating course. Operating a boat is not as easy as some might think.

There is no substitute for lots of experience and common sense, but knowing everything about your boat and the rules and regulations of the water is extremely important.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Dennis Malloy only.

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