Lake Te Anau open water swimmers are demanding more is done to protect them from speeding boats and jet skis.

TOWS (Te Anau Open Water Swimmers) member Prue Fraser says she had a few close encounters over the summer months near Steamer's Beach.

Motorboat drivers and jet ski riders are supposed to limit their speed to 5 knots within 200ms of the shore, and within 50m of other craft and people in the water.

There are also areas zoned for passive recreation, both on the beach and on the water.

But Fraser says there's a lot of ignorance about the rules.

She's written to harbour master Lyndon Cleaver and Department of Conservation (DOC) Te Anau Operations Manager John Lucas, as DOC created the on-water passive recreation corridor there as part of its National Parks Plan, on behalf of the swimmers and Marakura Yacht Club.

But she says no one is taking responsibility.

"Neither Lyndon nor DOC seem to want to do anything about it," she says.

"One incident in particular gave me a fright," she says.

"I was swimming and having a pause next to the 5kn buoy in the ‘DOC corner’ when a jet ski came speeding in not much more than 1m from the buoy.

"It didn’t slow down until it got to the beach by the boat ramp. I yelled out ‘Slow Down!’ as they went past but they ignored me. Soon after a speedboat raced in only a few meters from the 5kn buoy. I yelled at them to slow down. A passenger turned and waved, but the boat didn’t slow down until the beach.

"The children on the yacht club jetty heard me yell and commented on the rudeness and speed of the craft when I got back to the jetty."

Fraser says boaties don't take kindly either to being asked to move from the passive recreation area on the beach, which was put in place by Southland District Council.

Harbourmaster Lyndon Cleaver, who's employed by Environment Southland, says ES "does not have the authority to regulate either" of the passive recreation areas.

"But we do proactively advise power driven craft when they are on the passive recreational areas of the beach."

Cleaver says he understands the concerns and has been working with TOWS members to address them, as well as encouraging them to report speeding vessels.

"Lake Te Anau is a busy space, shared by a number of recreational activities. Environment Southland has responsibility for boating safety and education, and we run a number of campaigns reminding lake users of the rules and highlighting any arising issues.

"There is a five-knot speed limit near the shore, swimmers, divers, structures and other boats and after hearing about the concerns from the TOWS group, we reiterated this during our last summer education campaign and will continue to do so."

Cleaver says both ES, in conjunction with Maritime New Zealand, undertakes regular patrols in the summer months, focused on educating users.

He's also suggested TOWS members do not swim near the DOC corner where the boat ramp is.

"This area is a high traffic area for vessels and there is always risk associated with spaces like this."

He also recommends swimmers have a safety person on hand in a kayak.

But Fraser says that's impractical and shouldn't be necessary.

"We shouldn't need a support boat in the so-called passive area," she says.

Swimmers already wear brightly coloured swim gear and tow a float so they can be more easily spotted.

Fraser says TOWS and Marakura Yacht Club would like to see a line of buoys from the 5kn buoy in the DoC corner to the beach, parallel to the boat ramp.

But that would require a change in the Navigation Safety Bylaw to restrict vessels from this area, Cleaver counters.

"We don't believe this is the appropriate or practical solution to the issues being raised due to its location between the yacht club and the boat ramp," he says.

Steamer's Beach, Lake Te Anau. Photo: Great South

DOC manager Lucas did not respond to a request for comment from the Southland App.

But he told TOWS by email he is of the view that "anything associated with boat safety . . . is the responsibility of ES".

He believes all the agencies and user-groups should have a meeting about the issue, and Cleaver says he is "happy to have further conversations about this with the group and respective agencies".

Southland District Council, meanwhile, is attempting to wash its hands of the problem.

"Southland District Council has no jurisdiction over the water," a spokesperson tells Southland App. "The lake is part of Fiordland National Park."