Christmas lasers hindering Puget Sound marine traffic

Christmas lasers are relatively new to the market but are prevalent enough to cause trouble on the water and in the air.

The laser lights that shoot festive beams are usually aimed at homes. But the Coast Guard reports that beams from Christmas lasers are shooting beyond houses near the Puget Sound waterfront. Those beams are striking marine vessels, and could potentially strike helicopters and other aircraft — perhaps flying sleighs. You never know.

Whidbey Island man charged for shooting lasers at ferries

“There have been several complaints, directly from these holiday lights,” said Chief Petty Officer David Mosley with the Coast Guard. “We’ve found a few that have been (from Christmas laser displays), or they’re potentially malicious – people using laser pointer type devices to send a beam over to a vessel.”

“We do know there have been some cases directly linked to homeowners whose laser displays were shooting beyond the houses,” he said. “It comes down to the laser having a direct impact to somebody’s eyesight, especially at night.”

Christmas lasers and boats

Mosley notes that the problems with Christmas lasers is similar to issues that Washington State Ferries have recently dealt with. On a 2015 winter ferry ride, a man aimed a high-powered laser at the pilot house of a passing ferry. The laser interacted with reflective surfaces in the wheel house and temporarily blinded the captains.

Mosley said that the Christmas lasers can also interact with a vessel’s reflective parts, such as glass.

“These laser beams can actually light up their windscreen in the cockpit, causing them to lose their night vision abilities,” Mosley said. “This could directly impact their safety.”

“It’s having an impact beyond somebody’s home,” he added.

Mosley stressed that the Coast Guard is not telling people not to use the Christmas laser displays, but to make sure they are not shooting beams beyond their home.

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