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These data represent marine waters used for swimming, which includes short- and long-distance surface swimming and wading any distance from shore, and body surfing. Excludes SCUBA/snorkeling and surface board sports.
Swimming occurs year-round throughout the study area, but is more common in summer. This use occurs predominantly along the sandy beaches, is generally confined to the nearshore (within approximately 100 yards of the tide line) and is highly dependent upon coastal access. The activity may be better defined as wading or playing in the surf zone, as it can be dangerous further from shore.
Tribal uses of the ocean were not mapped explicitly, though tribal chairs and/or their designated representatives were formally invited by BOEM to participate in the mapping workshops. The sharing of tribal use information was dependent upon each tribe’s determination of whether the mapping workshops were an appropriate forum for sharing such information. Any tribal use information shared during the workshops was incorporated into the defined use categories. Thus, the atlas data and map products do not explicitly depict tribal use. |