Jet ski safety
What we are asking
Council calls on the Victorian government to introduce stronger measures to address community concerns regarding personal watercraft (PWC) and threats posed to the safety of our residents, visitors and marine life.
The growing popularity and use of PWC requires stronger enforcement and regulation, so everyone can enjoy the water safely. Council continues to receive complaints regarding PWC negatively impacting community and visitor amenity, including noise and fuel pollution.
Together with the Victorian government, it is our responsibility to make sure residents and holidaymakers can safely participate in leisure activities around our coastal and marine environments and with due consideration of other users.
Council requires the following measures to be considered by the Victorian government:
- Greater physical separation of PWC and swimmers
- Better enforcement of the existing 5 knot speed limit:
- When riding 500m from the water's edge, from Martha Point to Point Nepean and within 200m elsewhere
- 50m of any person, vessel or structure, 100m from dive flags
- Clear markers to increase practical separation of PWC and swimmers in hotspots
- Expansion of swimming-only zones and targeted no-PWC areas in high-conflict locations
Regulatory changes:
Licensing restrictions:
- Change licensing to mirror vehicle registration power-to-weight ratio requirements
- Ban persons under the age of 18 from operating a PWC, even under supervision
- Cancel existing restricted licenses issued to persons between the ages of 12 to 16 years and remove supervised operation exemption
- Require PWC users to undertake practical license test, in addition to existing knowledge test, and improve training standards for testers
Greater enforcement:
- Additional resourcing from Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, Parks Victoria, Victorian Fisheries Authority, Safe Transport Victoria and the Water Police to increase surveillance, patrolling and enforcement during summer
- Ensuring PWCs are not within 300m of whales or dolphins and abiding by defined seal setbacks, in line with Wildlife Marine Mammals Regulations 2019
- Ensure those driving dangerously are identified and have their vessel seized, as per hoon laws
- Targeted CCTV pilots and CCTV camera enforcement program after the trial
- Trial drone monitoring in high-use areas and reporting hotline for inappropriate use of PWC
- A targeted education campaign for safe operation of PWC, along the southern end of the Mornington Peninsula, in association with jet ski clubs
What makes this unique
The Mornington Peninsula has 10 per cent of Victoria’s coastline and welcomes 8 million visitors annually. With peak visitation over the summer months and local beaches being a major attraction - swimmers and PWC users are more frequently at close proximity. Safety issues are significantly increasing across our beaches.
The ongoing failure of some PWC users, particularly those using jet skis, to comply with the five-knot speed limit, and frequently entering swimming-only zones, continues to be a serious issue that necessitates a much stronger Water Police presence at peak times.
Why this is important
In summer 2023-2024, there was particularly shocking behavior from jet ski riders around Safety Beach and Dromana that attracted national media attention, including chasing dolphins and harassing swimmers and boaters. A community petition following these events achieved over 6,000 signatures, supporting the need for stronger enforcement.
Council is aware of many near-miss incidents that are not adequately captured or reported to the appropriate authorities. This may lead to PWC being perceived as a lower threat to public safety compared to the reality of what is happening each summer across our beaches.
The benefits - supporting evidence and strategies
In 2018, the Shire collated 177 submissions, both written and oral transcripts, which were sent to Maritime Safety Victoria, Parks Victoria and the Water Police. The community consistently stated that current enforcement, patrolling and zoning did not satisfactorily address safety concerns. Submitters also indicated that the current swimming-only zones are not effective in managing the use of PWCs along Mornington Peninsula beaches. Seven years later, this negative community sentiment continues to grow.
The Shire sent letters to relevant Victorian Ministers in January 2025, December 2024 and October 2023, requesting action regarding significant long standing community concerns about increased PWC safety incidents.