Jet ski rules in Queensland: distances, speed, passengers and gear

Jet ski speed near people and the shore: 6 knots inside 60 metres

A jet ski in Queensland must slow to 6 knots or less generally when it's within 60 metres of a person in the water, a boat that is anchored, moored, tied to the shore or aground, a jetty, wharf, boat ramp or pontoon, the boundary of a bathing reserve, or the shore. That's section 82 of the Transport Operations (Marine Safety) Regulation 2016.

A second limit covers other traffic. Within 30 metres of another moving boat, a jet ski must stay at 10 knots or less.

The jet ski distance is double the one for other boats, which section 81 sets at 30 metres from people in the water, moored boats, jetties and ramps. Bathing reserves are swimming areas controlled by local councils, and Maritime Safety Queensland suggests checking with your council for where they are. The maximum penalty for breaking either section 82 limit is 200 penalty units. Maritime Safety Queensland adds plain advice on top of the numbers: the busier the waterway, the slower you should go.

When a jet ski may go faster than 6 knots near the shore

The 60 metre shore limit has three exceptions, and each one only lifts a jet ski's speed as far as the speed limit for those waters. First, a jet ski towing a water skier or tube may go faster than 6 knots near the shore. Second, on waters less than 120 metres wide, a rider may go faster if they keep along or near the centre or inside a marked channel and travel straight through, or by the most direct route. Third, the shore limit gives way where slowing down would put someone in danger.

These exceptions cover the shore only. A jet ski near a swimmer, a moored boat or a jetty still drops to 6 knots. The collision regulations keep applying throughout, and Maritime Safety Queensland says a jet ski skipper must keep a proper lookout.

Where waters already have a fixed speed limit of 6 knots or less, section 82 switches off the 60 metre rule and its exceptions, leaving the posted limit to follow.

Freestyling and wave jumping: not within 200 metres of homes on the coast

A jet ski must not freestyle, surf or wave jump within 200 metres of the shore in coastal waters when one or more homes sit within 100 metres of that shore and can be seen from where you're riding. Section 86 of the regulation sets this rule, with a maximum penalty of 200 penalty units. Wave jumping means driving over a breaking wave, wake or swell to get the craft airborne, other than in the ordinary course of navigation.

Coastal waters include Queensland waters that rise and fall with the tide, so tidal rivers and estuaries count as well as open beaches. Maritime Safety Queensland notes that the restriction does not apply to dams and inland waters.

Wash is a separate rule that applies to every boat. Section 83 bans running at a speed where your wash could reasonably cause a marine incident or damage to the shoreline, and it applies even inside a posted speed limit.

Where jet skis are banned: the Noosa River marine zone

Private jet skis must not be operated in the Noosa River marine zone, which covers the river and its adjoining waters, including Lake Cootharaba, Lake Cooroibah, Doonella Lake and Lake Weyba. Schedule 5 of the regulation also bans freestyling, surfing and wave jumping by any boat in the zone. Most side creeks sit outside it, though Cooloothin, Cooroibah and Weyba creeks are inside. Commercial jet skis with a class 2 or 4 certificate of operation are exempt in gazetted commercial PWC areas (schedule 5, part 2, section 3(1)).

For private jet skis there is a narrow transit exception for parts of the lower river, Weyba Creek and connected canals. There a jet ski may pass through to or from a commercial PWC area set by gazette notice, or on a transit voyage, by a straight or most direct route while keeping to the centre or a marked channel. The schedule's example: a jet ski travelling from Laguna Bay along a marked channel to a pontoon beside Gympie Terrace, Noosaville.

Riding without a licence: only with the licence holder on board

You can ride a jet ski in Queensland without a licence only when a supervisor licensed to operate a jet ski, meaning a recreational marine licence plus a PWC licence, is on board, under sections 57 and 60 of the regulation. Section 60 then sets the conditions. The licence holder must supervise directly and be able to take over immediately, the two of you must be the only people on board, and a kill switch safety lanyard must be attached to the licence holder and the jet ski. The licence holder faces a maximum of 50 penalty units.

The lanyard disconnects when its wearer falls into the water, which shuts the engine down and stops the jet ski. Maritime Safety Queensland strongly recommends wearing one at all times and says it is mandatory for a supervising licence holder.

Riding on your own takes two licences: a recreational marine licence plus a personal watercraft licence, and you must be at least 16 to get a Queensland marine licence.

Towing a tube or skier: licence, observer and lifejackets

A jet ski can tow a skier or tube only with a licensed operator, an observer aged 13 or more, and a towed rider wearing a lifejacket. The Queensland Government says only a person with a valid marine licence may operate a boat or personal watercraft that is towing someone. Section 60 also bars a licence holder from letting an unlicensed rider drive while towing, with a maximum penalty of 100 penalty units.

Section 199 treats anyone towed on a line as a skier, including on a toboggan or tube. The skier must wear a lifejacket level 50, 50S or 100, and the operator must not tow unless it's being worn. A competent observer aged 13 or more must be on board watching the skier at all times. The observer must report any danger, skier signal or mishap to the operator immediately. Breaching the observer rule carries a maximum of 100 penalty units.

A towing jet ski therefore carries at least two people.

Lifejackets on a jet ski: everyone aged 1 or more wears one

Every person aged 1 year or more on a jet ski needs a lifejacket, and on a jet ski it has to be worn. Section 15 of the regulation says a jet ski must be equipped with a required lifejacket for each person aged 1 or more, then treats a lifejacket that someone isn't wearing as missing. A spare jacket stowed in the hull doesn't count for anyone.

The level depends on the water. Section 22 sets a level 50 or level 50S lifejacket for jet skis in smooth waters, and a level 50 in partially smooth waters and beyond. Level 100 jackets are not on the jet ski list, which differs from the list for other boats.

Skiers and tube riders towed behind a jet ski have their own rule in section 199: a level 50, 50S or 100, worn the whole time they are towed. For lifejacket rules across all recreational boats, see our Queensland life jacket rules guide.

Safety gear: what changes as you head further out

Jet ski safety gear depends on the water, and Maritime Safety Queensland's MSQ-311 sheet sets out three bands. In smooth waters you need a worn lifejacket for each person, plus a signalling device such as a torch between sunset and sunrise. In or beyond partially smooth waters, section 15 adds a V sheet, 2 handheld red flares and 2 handheld orange smoke signals. That extra kit isn't needed during an aquatic event held under an aquatic event authority, or beyond partially smooth waters within 0.5 nautical miles of land.

Beyond partially smooth waters and more than 2 nautical miles from land, MSQ lists a 406 MHz EPIRB as required. MSQ-311 allows a PLB instead of an EPIRB if it is GPS-enabled, floats, meets AS4280.2 and is registered with AMSA. Wear it on your body.

At night or in poor visibility, jet skis must show navigation lights. Once you leave smooth waters, MSQ also recommends a suitable anchor and a compass and chart or an electronic navigation device. Drinking water is recommended everywhere.

Learning the jet ski rules on the Sunshine Coast

Every course is run by experienced local instructors on sheltered Sunshine Coast water. Our Jet Ski Licence course is priced from $275: a one-day course with all equipment provided and online theory included. If you hold neither licence yet, the Boat & Jet Ski Combo covers both licence courses in a single day and is the usual choice for first-timers, because Queensland requires a recreational marine licence as well as the PWC licence before you ride on your own.

Courses run from three venues: Golden Beach in Caloundra on the Pumicestone Passage, Maroochydore on the Maroochy River, and Noosaville on the Noosa River. Before riding the Pumicestone Passage or the Maroochy River on your own ski, check the posted speed limits and Maritime Safety Queensland notices for that water, as local limits sit on top of these state-wide rules. On the Noosa River, a private jet ski may only pass through parts of the lower river under the schedule 5, part 2 transit exception.

Training delivered by Australian Boating College, RTO #3399.