Jet Ski Licence Nirimba

From Nirimba, a ski's first few minutes on the water are slow ones. The nearest ramp, June Street on the north bank of Bells Creek, is flagged low tide restricted, and the lower reach of the creek is a gazetted 6-knot zone for every vessel. Just past it, the two Military Jetty ramps at Raleigh Street, Pelican Waters, aren't tide restricted. Our Caloundra course trains on the Pumicestone Passage, the water all of those ramps lead to. The theory is online. The course day adds a theory recap, the assessment and a one-on-one practical on our ski. We supply the jet ski and every bit of gear. No boat licence yet? The Boat and Jet Ski Combo covers both classes.

Nirimba only became a locality on 14 June 2019, carved from parts of Bells Creek and Meridan Plains for the Caloundra South Priority Development Area. It's a young suburb, still filling in. What it doesn't have is anywhere to put one in. No public boat access exists inside the locality, and that's been checked against both the council layer and the MSQ database. So every ride starts with a short tow east and a choice between ramps. Get that choice right and the rest of the ride is simple. Get it wrong and you can spend the afternoon sitting off a ramp waiting for water.

Think of a Nirimba ride in four stages, because each one asks something different of you.

Stage one is choosing a ramp. June Street is closest. Maritime Safety Queensland records it with a slope of 10 and flags it low tide restricted. The two Military Jetty ramps at Raleigh Street, Pelican Waters, sit only a little further on and both are listed as not restricted at low tide. So on a low tide morning, the short extra drive to Raleigh Street can save you a long wait.

Stage two is the launch. ABC Boating's ramp guide says to walk any ramp you haven't used, and to keep a line on the bow so the ski can't float off once it leaves the trailer. Where a ramp drops off at low water, it says to time your retrieval so the tide has come up first. At a tide-limited ramp like June Street, that advice does real work.

Stage three is the slow bit. The lower reach of Bells Creek is a gazetted 6-knot zone for all vessels, effective 4 March 2022. On a jet ski that's off-the-plane riding, where you steer with small inputs and hold a steady line. Operating at 6 knots or less is a task in the boat licence practical assessment, and slow-speed control is something we practise on the ski too.

Stage four is the Passage. Bells Creek is one of the streams council lists as feeding the Pumicestone Passage, a long, shallow tidal waterway where about 80% of the water is under two metres, flushed from Caloundra and from Deception Bay. Reading depth is part of every ride there. That's also where our Caloundra course trains, so the practical happens on the same water you'll ride from home.

Now the licence itself. A jet ski is a personal watercraft. Riding one on your own takes a recreational marine licence and a PWC licence. If you've got a current boat licence, book the jet ski course alone. If you don't, the Combo gets you both. The online theory needs to be done within three months before your practical. Your one-on-one ski time is on our Seadoo, with braking, reverse and a learner mode, and it's stable enough to make docking and the figure 8 easier. You must be at least 16 to hold the licence, and it doesn't expire once issued. 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.