The serenade of summer is in full swing. Once associated on this island with the swish of breaking surf on the beach and the nightly anthem of the tree frogs, the modern sounds of a Bermudian summer are becoming anything but tranquil.

This is the view of many residents, who look on (and listen) in dismay as the noise of a technology-driven world overtakes Bermuda, threatening the very attractiveness which, for so long, was reflected in the Island's cachet as The Isles of Rest.

Super-powerful car stereos, giant tape players, late night concerts -- all have made a growing impact on Bermuda residents' ears.

But nowhere, it seems, is the heightened noise factor more noticeable than on the water.

Power-boats, "booze-cruise'' boats, jet-skis, even the high-pitched wail of remote-controlled model boats are making summer something of a nightmare for those who live close to the water -- and in Bermuda, that's a high proportion of the population.

An attempt to deal with the problem was made with the 1989 amendment to the Summary Offences Act of 1926 which prohibits excessive noise within an area of 100 feet. This ruling applies to noise on the water as well as on land. But the fact that noise carries so clearly across large stretches of water has, in the opinion of many, made the amendment largely meaningless.

"Booze-cruise'' boats, of which there are now about 20, come in for much criticism.

Police report that, in spite of "sporadic complaints'', there have been no prosecutions against tour-boat operators.

Miss Alison Outerbridge, whose family own and operate the Bermuda Belle, agrees that some boats, especially those that come in and out of St. George's, often tie up alongside "and you can hear the music all over town''.

She says that one of the problems faced by operators is that the boats are chartered by people who bring their own music and sound systems on board: "When my father gets a noisy crowd, he puts plugs in his ears!'' Independent MP Stuart Hayward, Bermuda's "green MP'' has been fighting a sometimes lonely war on noise pollution for years. As he points out, "Boats do present a particular problem. Because of the hills, we tend not to hear bikes as much, but on the water it's different. You hear every sound, and the amplified music on some of them carries a long distance.'' For people at the east end of the Island, the noise of summer is becoming especially intolerable.

Says one St. George's resident who lives on the waterfront, "If you live near Ferry Reach, you get the planes, the power-boats, all the noisy tour boats which now carry on into the evenings because of the booze-cruises. Then you have the racing power-boats and even in the evenings, they're practising. And when all that's over, we now have the helicopter. It's Noise City down here!'' The problem of noise on the water takes on added significance in a place where there are few undeveloped spaces left on land. Those who have traditionally considered Bermuda's waterways the last refuge of peace and quiet, are concerned that soon there will be nowhere left to "get away from it all''.

"Bermuda's prosperity has added to the problem. More and more people have boats, and the equipment gets more and more sophisticated,'' says Mr. Hayward, who believes that noise, whether on water or on land, detracts from the Island's appeal as a resort.

"Any noise which intrudes on the privacy of an individual is a nuisance. And it's a nuisance if people can't sit out in their gardens in peace.'' But he also believes that noise pollution has dangers which have so far been largely ignored by Bermuda legislators.

"Loud noise can damage hearing. This is caused by the destruction of microscopic hair cells that transmit sound from the ear to the brain. As the cells are destroyed, hearing impairment occurs. The trouble is, people are so naturally adaptable that we gradually get used to higher and higher levels of noise.'' So, he explains, as people (such as musicians and D.J's) become deafer and deafer, they have to turn up the volume and "it becomes a vicious circle''.

He takes this theory further.

"Noise is being used as a weapon to dope peoples' senses. You don't have to have loud music on a boat in order to enjoy yourself but people associate noise with fun and, of course, if you drink, loud music helps to fill the gaps in conversation.'' A constant background of even relatively low-level but sustained noise, such as that produced by radios and air-conditioners, is known to be a major cause of stress and damage to the nervous system. Mr. Hayward says Bermudians have now reached the point where they suffer stress from deprivation of noise.

"A lot of people feel uncomfortable if they don't have a radio blaring out.'' The section on noise in the 1981 publication, Bermuda's Delicate Balance, was co-authored by Mr. Hayward and Kay and Raymond Latter. They classified racing boats and amplified music on tour-boats at the top of the list of high-risk noises confronting modern-day Bermuda.

The Department of Marine and Ports report that as at the end of June, 5,115 pleasure boats of varying sizes had been registered. Of these, 3,300 were over 17 feet.

According to Mr. Hayward's statistics, complaints about the general level of noise have been rising steadily, leaping from 114 in 1988 to 710 in 1991. A relative newcomer on the recreational scene is the jet-ski.

"When they were introduced here, no-one ever sat down and thought about the long-term implications. The same was true of motor-cars -- the fallacious argument of `don't worry about it because there won't be many of them' just doesn't stand up. We've all seen what happens with that. They were more careful over plants and pests, but no-one seems to have given much thought to machinery.'' According to Marine and Ports, there are 230 jet-skis on the registry -- up from around 180 last year.

President of the Personal Water Craft Association, Mr. Buddy Ford acknowledges that jet-skis tend to go back and forth "and that can be a problem''. But in an effort to "encourage law-abiding citizens'', the Association was formed about three years ago and now has around 60 members.

"The Marine Police complimented us last season and there were no reported complaints,'' he says.

Surprisingly, the one area where there have been consistent complaints is around Hawkins Island -- serving for the past 35 years or so as the ideal place for holding parties without disturbing residents on the mainland.

But the few families who have summer homes around the area of Paradise Lakes have, according to Bermuda Island Cruises president, Mr. Derek Morris, been engaged "in a running battle'' with his company.

He claims that the future of his cruises, especially popular "Pirate Parties'' are in jeopardy because of complaints about noise.

"We can appreciate that people don't want to be subjected to noise,'' he says, "that's why Hawkins Island has always been seen as the ideal location for entertaining tourists as well as locals. I would like to emphasise that our parties are not late affairs, and almost always over by 10 p.m. We do not take our cruises down the North Shore or near any heavily-populated areas.'' Mr. Morris says that the 100 feet ruling, contained in the 1989 amendment, takes away "all the rights'' of anyone offering outside entertainment.

"There were no provisions in that Act for people in the hospitality industry.

"At some point, Bermuda has to decide if it's serious about tourism. Visitors already complain that there is little to do in the evenings and it seems preposterous that even though we are taking our groups out to an area that's well away from the main-stream of residents, we are still threatened with prosecution.'' Conceding that "some tour-boats'' are excessively noisy, Mr. Morris claims that Bermuda Island Cruises provides "pleasant'' calypso and soca music for a clientele that is 80 percent tourist.

"If we are closed down, the 45 Bermudians whom we employ face the prospect of losing their jobs.'' GREEN MP Hayward: Fighting a lonely war against noise pollution.