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Hire and drive personal watercraft safety consultation paper

Hire and drive personal watercraft (PWC) are a popular tourism activity and it is critical from a public safety perspective that the operators maintain the highest safety standards.

A recent Coroner's report into a fatality occurring at a hire and drive operation resulted in a number of recommended changes to PWC hire and drive operations with wider safety implications for all PWC operators.

Maritime Safety Queensland sought the views of PWC hire and drive providers and people with an interest in this marine sector through a consultation paper which presented initiatives that could be adopted to improve hire and drive PWC rider safety in Queensland.

The consultation outcomes report (PDF, 175 KB) is now available to be read in conjunction with:

• model safety management plan (PDF, 89 KB)
• enforcement guideline (PDF, 93 KB).

The new rules include:

• A maximum speed limit of 30 knots for all hire and drive PWC.
• A 10 knot speed limit for safari tours through high boating-traffic areas.
• Compulsory competency tests of customers before being allowed to operate a hire and drive PWC.
• Speed limiters will be introduced over the next two years to limit PWC speeds to 30 knots.
• Regular audits of the industry to ensure that it is complying with the new requirements.

For more information about these changes, contact a Maritime Safety Queensland regional office.