Jet Ski Licence Golden Beach

Ride a jet ski along Golden Beach and a boat ramp is never far off. Council records six active public ramps in the locality, and all of them are on the Pumicestone Passage. Queensland's jet ski rules say a PWC must not exceed 6 knots within 60 metres of a boat ramp. The shore gets the same 60 metres, with a few exceptions we cover below. That's the local riding picture, and the course trains you in it. Our Caloundra venue is in Golden Beach, on this same Passage. Finish the theory online first. Then come in for a recap and the theory assessment, followed by a one-on-one session on a ski we supply.

Golden Beach riders get a rare deal. You're assessed on the water you'll ride from home. That makes the rules for this stretch worth learning properly, because you'll meet them every weekend. Here's the Passage from the seat of a ski, and the rules that come with it.

First, where the course is. The venue sits in the Golden Beach locality and trains on the Pumicestone Passage. You'll get the meeting details when you book. We don't list a street address or a ramp on this page, and the ramps along the shore are public ramps, open to everyone.

Now the water. The Passage is a long, shallow tidal waterway. About 80% of it is under two metres deep, and it's flushed by the tide from Caloundra at one end and Deception Bay at the other. It's also part of the Moreton Bay Marine Park, where go-slow areas keep every vessel off the plane and ban motorised water sports. The zoning maps show where those areas are.

The ramps are where the jet ski rules start to bite. Council's register puts six active boat ramps in Golden Beach, every one on the Passage. Section 82 of the Transport Operations (Marine Safety) Regulation 2016 says a PWC must not exceed 6 knots within 60 metres of a person in the water; a ship at anchor, moored, made fast to the shore or aground; a jetty, wharf, boat ramp or pontoon; the boundary of a bathing reserve; or the shore. It must not exceed 10 knots within 30 metres of another moving ship. The shore part doesn't apply when the PWC is being operated for waterskiing. Nor does it apply where the waters are less than 120 metres wide and you keep to the centre or a marked channel and go straight through, or where complying would endanger someone. The maximum penalty is 200 penalty units. On a shoreline with this many public ramps, you'll be slowing down often. That's normal here. Plan your ride around it.

Section 86 is the one for play riding. In coastal waters, which include tidal waters, a PWC rider must not freestyle, surf or wave jump within 200 metres of the shore if one or more dwellings are within 100 metres of the shore and visible from where the PWC is being operated. The Passage is tidal, so it counts. Before you start throwing the ski around, look back at the bank. If you can see homes near the water, get well clear first.

Then there's the new gap in Bribie Island. In 2022, big waves cut a channel through the island's northern tip opposite Nelson Street, Golden Beach. It widened into a new ocean opening about 1.4 kilometres south of the Caloundra Bar, and soon after, the old bar closed over. Cyclone Alfred widened the breakthrough in 2025 and made a further one, and the Coordinator-General has been directed to carry out emergency works. MSQ's Passage guide already called Caloundra Bar extremely shallow and dangerous, and said most vessels can't cross it for lack of water. From a Golden Beach bank, open sea can look close. The course doesn't teach you to cross a bar. ABC Boating's bar guide says if there's any doubt, don't do it.

The ski you learn on is a Sea-Doo. It has braking, reversing and a learner mode, and ABC says it's very stable, which helps with docking and the figure 8 at assessment. At the Caloundra venue the jet ski practical is published as approx 45 minutes, one-on-one. A jet ski is a personal watercraft with its own licence, and you need a recreational marine licence as well to ride one. If you already hold a current boat licence, book the jet ski course alone. If not, the Boat and Jet Ski Combo covers both. ABC says openly that you may not be competent in just one day on the water. If you need more time on the water to feel competent, we'd rather you took it.

The course itself is the same wherever you sit it: the theory online first, in your own time, then a day on the water with a trainer before the assessment. You need a licence for any boat with an engine over 4.5 kilowatts, which is nearly every tinny, runabout and cruiser. Pass, and the Queensland licence never expires. Pick the date that suits you and book online.