A personal water craft (PWC), commonly known as a jet ski, is a craft propelled by an inboard motor powering a water jet pump. The operator sits, stands or kneels on the vessel and uses handle bars to steer the craft.
PWC, power boards and similar craft are considered to be power boats and must be registered.
You must have a Recreational Skipper’s Ticket to operate a PWC and must comply with:
- age restrictions
- rules on how far they can operate offshore
- safety equipment requirements
- speed limits
- collision rules.
Every person on board a PWC must wear a lifejacket (minimum level50s) at all times, from launching until retrieval.
Transcript
[Visual: Safe boating ambassador David Mundy sits on a personal water craft (PWC), wearing a lifejacket.]
Mundy: The thing you need to understand about personal water craft, they're not toys. The average PWC weighs about 400 kilos, which is like one of these racing across the water.
[Visual: Mundy points to a computer-generated elephant running across the surface of the water.]
Mundy: That's why it's really important you travel at a safe speed on your PWC.
If you're out here, you can have some fun, but if you're in shallow water, a high traffic area, or close to swimmers or the shore, slow down.
[On-screen text: Slow down]
Mundy: In other words, don't be this guy.
[Visual: A person rides a PWC quickly through shallow water near swimmers.]
Swimmer: Oi, slow down mate!
Mundy: Remember – personal watercraft aren't toys. Cool your jets.
[On-screen text: Cool your jets. Stay in control. Government of Western Australia. Department of Transport.]
End of Transcript
Rules of use
Distance offshore
The length of a vessel no longer determines how far from the shore it can travel. It is now the responsibility of the skipper to determine how far from shore is safe to operate after considering weather conditions, capability of the vessel, including the vessel length, and experience and ability of the skipper.
Skippers ticket and age limits
You must hold a Recreational Skipper’s Ticket to operate a PWC.
You must be 14 years or older to get an RST.
A person aged between 14 and 16 years who holds an RST must only operate a PWC during daylight hours and at a maximum speed of 8 knots.
Transcript
[Visual: Safe boating ambassador David Mundy sits on a personal water craft (PWC), wearing a lifejacket. He’s speaking to the camera.]
Mundy: If you think just anyone can operate a personal water craft, you must be a bit of a dill.
[Visual: Mundy, sitting back-to-front on a PWC, can’t get it to accelerate.]
Mundy: Come on… This is not working.
[Visual returns to Mundy, speaking to the camera.]
Mundy: To operate A PWC, you must have your Recreational Skipper’s Ticket and carry it with you. And if you’re between 14 and 16 years of age, you can only ride during the day and stick to the speed of a fast jog. If you meet all the requirements, you’re good to go.
[Visual: Mundy drives his PWC off into the sunset.]
End of Transcript
Freestyling, wave and wake jumping
Freestyling is driving a PWC in a way that the skipper of another vessel would be unable to predict your course and speed to avoid a collision with you. For example, doing ‘doughnuts’, 180 degree turns and hops.
Wave and wake jumping is driving your PWC over a wave or swell with the aim of becoming airborne. The wave or the swell may be formed naturally or by the passage of a vessel.
Freestyling, wave and wake jumping are prohibited within:
- any speed restricted area
- 30 metres of another PWC
- 50 metres of another vessel or person in the water.
Freestyling is prohibited in the Swan and Canning Rivers except in the gazetted freestyle area downstream of the Narrows Bridge.
Transcript
[Visual: Safe boating ambassador David Mundy sits on a personal water craft (PWC), wearing a lifejacket. He’s rapping to the camera.]
Mundy: Word. Word. My name is Dave. I'm a big fan fave. Game’s mine to save. Watch me kick and you rave.
[Visual: Mundy, a camera operator and a boom mic operator stop what they’re doing and look towards a second camera, positioned 10 metres away]
Director (off-screen): Uh, yeah guys, what's going on here?
[Visual: Returns to Mundy speaking to the first camera]
Mundy: Some people just shouldn't freestyle, but if you’re going to freestyle on your personal water craft, here's some simple rules to follow. Stay away from other swimmers and vessels. Don't freestyle in a prohibited area. And if you're unsure, check the signs at your boat ramp, grab a local boating guide or check Deckee.
[Visual: A close-up shot of a smartphone, running the Deckee app]
[Visual: Returns to Mundy speaking to the first camera]
Mundy: So remember: freestyling is fun but stick to the rules and don't be a fool 'cause it ain't cool, you’ll look like a tool.
[Visual: Cuts to the second camera]
Director (off-screen): Guys, please. Seriously, let's just to stop it there.
[Visual: Returns to Mundy speaking to the first camera]
Mundy: Cool your jets.
End of Transcript
Using a PWC in water ski areas
When using a PWC to tow a water-skier you must follow all rules and regulations for water-skiing.
Transcript
[Visual: Safe boating ambassador David Mundy holds a water ski handle and speaks to camera. Behind him, a comically unconvincing backdrop races past. Mundy enthusiastically bounces around, pretending to be towed across the water.]
Mundy: Oh, hi. I'm David Mundy. This video is all about water skiing safety with personal water craft (PWC). Shot on a budget. Woo-hoo.
[Visual: We cut to a second camera to see Mundy standing in front of a green screen in a production studio. The ski handle is attached to a stationary PWC on a trailer. Two people sit on the PWC – one in the driver’s seat and the other looking back towards Mundy.]
[Visual: Returns to Mundy speaking to the first camera.]
Mundy: Water skiing is heaps of fun, but there are some rules around doing it safely with PWC. Allow me to demonstrate.
[Visual: Close-up of the two people on the stationary PWC. They grin and sway dramatically, committing fully to the illusion that they're travelling at speed.]
Mundy: If you are water skiing, you need least two people on the PWC: A skipper who must be over 17 and have a recreational skipper's ticket and an observer who must be 14 or over and be facing backward.
[Visual: Returns to Mundy speaking to the first camera.]
Mundy: PWC drivers need to know the rules for each ski area. Learn the rules by reading the signs at your boat ramp, grabbing a local boating guide or checking Deckee.
[Visual: A close-up shot of a smartphone, running the Deckee app.]
[Visual: Returns to Mundy speaking to the first camera.]
Mundy: Have fun out there but remember to ski safely. Cool your jets.
End of Transcript
Safety equipment requirements
Every person on board a PWC must wear a lifejacket (minimum level 50s) at all times, from launching until retrieval. This includes moving your PWC to a tie up position or beach area following launch.
Transcript
[Visual: Safe boating ambassador David Mundy strikes fashion-model poses during a studio photo shoot as cameras flash around him.]
Mundy: You might know me through footy, but making a fashion statement is what drives me.
[Visual: Cut to Mundy, still in the studio but no longer posing. He speaks to the camera.]
Mundy: And you won't catch me out on the water without my favourite jacket. Did you know that everyone on board a personal water craft (PWC) must wear a life jacket? And not just any jacket, but one with a minimum level 50S.
[Visual: Mundy, on a PWC in the water, drives off. The video is then reversed to show him coming back.]
Mundy: You must wear your life jacket when launching and retrieving your PWC, but you can take it off here...
[Visual: Two people sit in a living room watching TV while wearing life jackets.]
[Visual: Returns to Mundy speaking to the camera in the studio.]
Mundy: So remember to make your own fashion statement out on the water and always wear a life jacket. I call that blue steel.
[Visual: Mundy turns to the camera and delivers an over-the-top runway-model stare.]
End of Transcript
Unprotected waters
When operating beyond 400 metres from the shore in unprotected waters, you must also carry:
- a GPS-enabled EPIRB or wear a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB)
- at least 2 handheld red flares and 2 handheld orange flares. Electronic Visual Distress Signals (EVDS) may be carried instead of flares if a GPS-enabled EPIRB is carried or PLB is worn
- a marine radio when travelling beyond 4 nautical miles from shore.
Prohibited areas for PWC
You cannot use a PWC anywhere in the Swan Estuary Marine Park.
All waters upstream of the Windan Bridge in East Perth are closed to PWC.
Always check the information signs at boat launching ramps for any restrictions before using your PWC.
Download our boating guides or the Deckee app for more information on water activity zones in popular waterways in WA.
Aerial freestyle devices
Aerial freestyle devices, such as jetpacks, hover-boards and fly-boards are devices which can be connected to a PWC and use the water pressure to propel the person using the device at the surface of the water, into the air and/or underwater.
For information including where the activity may be conducted, who may participate and what conditions must be met view Western Australian Marine Act 1982: Closed Waters Order - Aerial Freestyle Devices.
You should be familiar with the safety advice and instructions from the aerial freestyle device's manufacturer. Operating the device in conditions which are not in line with the manufacturer's advice could raise the risk of injury or incident.
Commercial operation
Commercial operation of Aerial Freestyle devices is regulated by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) under the Marine Safety (Domestic Commercial Vessel) National Law Act 2012. Visit the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) website for more information.
Frequently asked questions
No. While most areas on the Swan Canning Riverpark are open and available to use PWCs, there are several zones that are closed, or ‘off limits’. All waters upstream of the Windan Bridge are closed to PWC.
View the Swan Canning Riverpark: Boating guide for more information.
The speed limit at Blackwall Reach is strictly 8 knots and this applies to all boats. Blackwall Reach is a busy waterway subject to heavy boat traffic of varying sizes, and an area with a large number of moorings. Restricted speed limits through this area help to reduce erosion and ensure the safe passage and water usage for everyone.
No. There is only one freestyling area in the Swan Canning Riverpark. This area can be accessed from the Mill Street boat ramp. Freestyling outside of this area is not permitted.
5 knots from sunset to 9.00am. A person shall not cause a vessel to travel at a speed exceeding 5 knots upstream of the Canning Bridge except inside the Mount Pleasant water ski area between the hours of 9.00am and sunset. The speed limit for PWC and other vessels close to shore around Deepwater Point area is 8 knots.
Yes. The area immediately downriver from the point, near the Esplanade, is closed, or ‘off limits’ to all boats and/or vessels with motors, including PWCs.
No. Freestyle driving, wave jumping, and surfing are not permitted on Logue Brook Dam. Approximately 70% of cautions at Logue Brook Dam are due to PWC users performing freestyle actions.
View the Logue Brook Boating Guide for more information.
The speed limit for PWC close to shore in the Lower Canning area is 5 knots.
The speed limit in the Mandurah Estuary, upstream of the Mandurah Bridge, is 8 knots, however the speed limit drops to 5 knots when entering the canals. The speed limit also reduces to 5 knots downstream of the Mandurah Bridge.
The speed limit in the mooring zones of Mangles Bay is 8 knots. The 8-knot limit also exists between the ski take-off zone and the closed waters zone on the foreshore. These areas have yellow in-water navigation markers as indicators. You should always read the information signs at the boat ramps that explain the speed zones and identify the in-water navigation zone markers.
The speed limit in Perth Waters is 8 knots, except for the channel that runs adjacent to Riverside Drive. This area extends from Heirisson Island through to the Narrows Bridge, excluding Elizabeth Quay where the speed changes to 5 knots.
The length of a vessel no longer determines how far from the shore it can travel.
It is now the responsibility of the skipper to determine how far from shore it is safe to operate after considering weather conditions, capability of the vessel, including the vessel length, and the experience and ability of the skipper.