If your ski is going to pull a tube or a skier, the licence stops being optional. Here's what the towing rules mean for a Woombye rider.
If the plan is a jet ski that tows the kids around on a tube, the licence stops being optional. Queensland lets an unlicensed person operate a ski with a licensed supervisor aboard, but only a licence holder can operate while towing someone. The creek that starts in Woombye has banned water skiing since 1997, so the towing happens elsewhere, usually on the Maroochy River. That's where our course runs, at the Maroochydore venue. The theory is online first. On the course day you get a recap, the assessment and a one-on-one practical on the jet ski, with the ski and all gear supplied. No boat licence yet? The Boat and Jet Ski Combo covers both.
Towing is where a lot of family skis earn their keep, and it's also where the rules get strict. A tube counts as water skiing under Queensland's marine regulation, which defines it as towing a person by a line attached to a vessel, and names a toboggan or tube as examples. So every rule that mentions skiing covers the tube behind your ski too. That includes the creek bans closest to Woombye.
Start with who can drive. The supervisor exemption lets an unlicensed rider operate with someone aboard who holds a valid marine licence and can take control at once. It stops the moment a person is being towed. The Queensland Government says you can only operate a boat or personal watercraft that is towing someone if you hold a valid marine licence yourself. So a 14-year-old who's fine to ride with a parent behind them can't take the ski out towing a sibling. Neither can an adult who hasn't got around to the course. You must be 16 to hold the licence.
Next, where you can tow. MSQ records Paynter Creek as rising at West Woombye, and water skiing has been prohibited on it since 28 February 1997. The same ban covers Petrie Creek next door, from the same date. With a tube counting as skiing, neither creek is a towing spot. MSQ also runs a water skiing restriction on part of Eudlo Creek, where only boats up to 6.4 metres with one tow line may ski. Check the MSQ map for that area before you tow anywhere near it.
Then, how close to the shore. Normally a jet ski must stay at 6 knots or under within 60 metres of the bank. The regulation makes one exception for towing: a ski being operated for water skiing may run above 6 knots in that strip, up to the posted limit. The exception is only about the shore. A person in the water, a moored boat, a jetty, a pontoon or a ramp within 60 metres still holds you to 6 knots, tube or no tube.
MSQ has recorded no marine incident on Petrie or Paynter Creeks since July 2000. That record sits alongside the ski ban, not in spite of it. Keep towing on water where it's allowed and it stays that way.
Getting the ski onto the Maroochy takes a little planning too. For the northern hinterland, the closest recorded Maroochy trailer ramp is Muller Park at Bli Bli (MA21), and MSQ flags it Low Tide Restricted. The Cod Hole on Bradman Avenue (MA11) and the Fishermans Road ramp (MA14) don't carry that flag. A day of towing usually ends late in the afternoon, so check what the tide will be doing at retrieval time, not just at launch. ABC Boating's ramp guide says the same thing in its own words: where a ramp drops off at low tide, wait for the tide to rise before you pull the craft out. It also suggests running a line from the bow, so a ski that slides off the trailer early doesn't drift away without you.
The course won't turn you into a tow operator in a day. It gives you the foundation: throttle control, the figure 8, docking and handling a ski that's slowing and turning with weight behind it. You'll learn on a stable Seadoo with braking, reversing and a learner mode, which gives novices a head start on those assessed tasks. If you need more time on the water to feel competent, we'd rather you took it.
Bring photo ID, sun protection, a towel and a change of clothes. Once it's issued, the licence doesn't expire.
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.
Families know the supervisor exemption and assume it covers everything, as long as someone licensed is aboard.
The Queensland Government is clear that only a valid marine licence holder may operate a ski or boat while towing a person. The exemption doesn't stretch that far.
We spell out what the supervisor rule allows and what it doesn't, so the right person is at the handlebars before anyone climbs on the tube.
Nobody on a tube thinks of themselves as a water skier.
The regulation defines water skiing as towing a person by a line, and gives a toboggan or tube as examples. Every skiing rule applies to the tube.
We cover the definitions on the course day, because a rule you think doesn't apply to you is the easiest one to break.
Paynter Creek starts at West Woombye and Petrie Creek runs close by, so they're the obvious water.
Water skiing has been prohibited on both since 28 February 1997. MSQ also describes Paynter Creek as usable only by the smallest craft.
We point Woombye riders to the Maroochy River for towing, where the practical runs, and to MSQ's published maps before they pick a spot.
Riders learn the big zones and skip the smaller notes on the map.
MSQ restricts skiing on part of Eudlo Creek to boats up to 6.4 metres with one tow line. Two tubes on two lines is the kind of setup that breaks it.
We walk through the MSQ Maroochy River maps with you, so you know where towing rules tighten before you arrive.
Riders hear that towing is allowed above 6 knots near the shore and stretch it to everything.
The towing exception only covers the shore. Within 60 metres of a swimmer, a moored boat, a jetty, a pontoon or a ramp, a ski stays at 6 knots or less.
We talk through the exceptions and where they end, so the fun part of the day stays legal.
Where you train
Maroochydore
Apex Park, 107 Fishermans Road, Maroochydore QLD 4558
The course venue is on the Maroochy River at Maroochydore, and the Queensland Government's BoatSafe register lists Australian Boating College there under 0427 110 025. Training is delivered by Australian Boating College, whose company, ABC Licence Training Pty Ltd, holds RTO 3399. Karen K came for both licences and summed it up: 'Recommended to go to Darren for my boat and jet ski licence ... no short cuts'. In Queensland a marine licence can only come from an approved BoatSafe provider, so that listing is the one that counts. The training organisation behind the courses, Australian Boating College, is current on the national training register. Every approved provider works to the same floor: trainers hold a commercial marine qualification and pass a criminal history check, the training vessel is commercially certified and carries sun protection, and the organisation running it has to carry public liability cover of at least 20 million dollars. Maritime Safety Queensland audits providers and can suspend one that cuts corners.
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Approved by Maritime Safety Queensland to deliver the BoatSafe recreational marine and PWC licence courses.
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Courses are delivered under the registration of Australian Boating College, RTO #3399, so the training is nationally accredited.
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Part of the Australian Boating College network, which delivers boat and PWC licence training across Australia.
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From Woombye, near the Big Pineapple, it is down through Nambour and along the Nambour Connection Road to our Maroochydore base on the river. Woombye is a hinterland town near the Blackall Range foothills, so training is held on the sheltered Maroochy River at Maroochydore. We run the jet ski licence there with all equipment provided, so Woombye locals can get licensed close to home.
Tell us the date that suits you near Woombye and our team will come back to you, usually within one business day. Prefer to talk it through? Give us a call.
No. The supervisor exemption covers ordinary riding, but the Queensland Government says only a person with a valid marine licence can operate a boat or jet ski that's towing someone. Being aboard as the licensed adult isn't enough. The person at the handlebars must hold the licence.
Yes. The marine safety regulation defines water skiing as towing a person by a line attached to a vessel, and gives a toboggan or a tube as examples. Any water skiing ban or restriction covers tubing as well, including the creek bans near Woombye.
No. Water skiing has been prohibited on Paynter Creek since 28 February 1997, and tubing counts as water skiing. The creek is also rated by MSQ as fit for only the smallest craft, the dinghy and kayak kind. Petrie Creek carries the same ski ban. Take the tube to the Maroochy.
Sometimes. A jet ski normally stays at 6 knots within 60 metres of the shore, but a ski operated for water skiing may go faster there, up to the posted limit. That exception covers the shore only. Within 60 metres of swimmers, moored boats, jetties, pontoons or ramps, you're back to 6 knots.
No. Riding with a licensed supervisor aboard is allowed, but towing a person needs a valid marine licence held by whoever's operating. The licence can't be held until 16. Until then, the licensed adult does the towing and the teenager enjoys the tube.
Yes. MSQ's Maroochy River safety system includes water skiing prohibitions, among them an area of Eudlo Creek where only boats up to 6.4 metres with one tow line may ski. MSQ publishes maps for each area of the river. Look at the one you plan to use before you hook up the tube.
It gives you the control towing depends on. The practical is built around the assessed tasks, like docking, the figure 8 and other manoeuvres, on a stable Seadoo with braking and reversing. Towing adds weight and a person behind you, so build up to it. Ask your instructor about it on the day, and start with slow, wide runs on open water.
No, they are separate classes in Queensland, and they are not independent: the jet ski (PWC) course assumes you already hold a current recreational boat licence. If you hold one, you can book the jet ski course on its own. If you do not, the Boat and Jet Ski Combo covers both licences in one day.
One day on the water. You complete the online theory beforehand, then spend a hands-on day on sheltered Sunshine Coast water at Caloundra, Maroochydore or Noosa. You sit the assessment the same day, and once you pass you leave with the BoatSafe certificate you need to apply for a Queensland licence. If you need more time on the water to feel competent, we would rather you took it.
Pick whichever is most convenient, since the course and the qualification are identical at all three. Caloundra trains on the sheltered Pumicestone Passage, Maroochydore on the sheltered Maroochy River, and Noosa on the Noosa River. You can view dates for every location on our Course Dates page and book the one that suits you.
What a personal watercraft licence covers in Queensland, how it differs from a boat licence, the age rules, and how to get your jet ski licence in a day on the Sunshine Coast.
A simple checklist for your boat or jet ski licence course day on the Sunshine Coast: ID, what to wear, sun protection, and what we provide so you can just turn up and learn.
Sort the licence before summer's tubing season, so whoever tows is the one allowed to. Pick a Maroochydore date, or call 0427 110 025 and tell us which licences the family already holds.
