Fishermen asking Covehead Wharf jumpers to be careful after close call

After a close call at the Covehead Wharf, fishermen in the area are asking those leaping from the wharf to be careful, especially when boats are coming in.

Chris Misener was coming into the wharf with his boat on Friday when a young man swam around the corner of the wharf and started to climb a ladder behind the boat.

Misener said he didn't see him and almost sandwiched the young man between the boat and the wharf.

"I hit the wharf and there's passengers on board," he said. "There are other levels than people at the wharf I got passengers to look after also."

He posted about the incident on Facebook. He said it was upsetting and he doesn't want to see an accident.

"Just when you see a boat coming in over the channel just stop jumping for a couple minutes," Misener said.

Bridge barricade

Jumping from wharfs and bridges is nothing new on P.E.I.

In 2015, Parks Canada erected a guardrail along the Covehead Bridge that curves outward and was designed to make it difficult to scale. Anyone caught jumping from the bridge could face a fine.

However, those looking for a quick dip continue to jump off Covehead Wharf, which is inside P.E.I. National Park, but not part of it. Park officials can't do anything about people jumping from the wharf because it is outside their jurisdiction.

Wharf jumping increase

The number of people jumping from the wharf has gone up significantly the past couple years, said Mark Campbell, owner of Campbell's Deep Sea Fishing and the harbour master in the area.

"We have noticed a sizeable difference in traffic in the last two to three years of kids jumping off the wharf," he said.

The Covehead Wharf is home to commercial fishing and charter businesses all summer long Campbell said.

"When we were kids you never jumped when boats were around," he said.

There was signage posted over the last few years asking people to be cautious, but it gets torn down and people continue to jump recklessly, he said.

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