The minimum age a person can apply for a licence to ride a Jet Ski – or personal watercraft – in NSW could soon increase from 12 years to 16 years.
The revelation follows a deadly crash in Sydney’s south earlier this week involving two unsupervised boys barely in their teens, who were believed to be operating the craft well in excess of the speed limit.
However, authorities today revealed to Radio 2GB’s Mark Levy that the review into minimum age requirements for Jet Ski riders was underway before this week’s tragedy.
At approximately 6pm on Sunday 20 July 2025 – which is after dark in Sydney’s winter months – two riders sharing a Jet Ski crashed at speed into a barge moored near Tom Ugly’s Bridge.
A 15-year-old boy, Mitchell Irvine, was killed and his 14-year-old friend, Noah Watkins, was rushed to hospital with a severed arm after the crash.
A police officer and a paramedic braved the cold water and swam about 50 metres to rescue the boys.
Footage of the aftermath shows a high-powered Sea-Doo being recovered from the water after it was ripped in half due to the impact.
Investigators believe Noah was operating the Jet Ski when it crashed. NSW Police are investigating whether he held a valid personal watercraft (PWC) licence.
While NSW Police will prepare a report for the coroner, water safety experts have already noted several possible contributing factors, including:
- Riding at night (Jet Ski use is strictly prohibited after dark in NSW)
- Speeding around moored vessels
- Speeding near a bridge or “no wash” zone
- Excessive speed for a rider aged 12 to 16 years (10 knots unsupervised, 20 knots supervised)
- Riders were unsupervised despite exceeding 10 knots
- Vessel operator not keep proper lookout
The tragedy sparked renewed outrage from the community, prompting a response from NSW Maritime which, it says, was already looking to increase the minimum age requirements for Jet Ski riders even before this week’s fatal crash.
In an exclusive interview with 2GB Radio’s Mark Levy, the Executive Director of NSW Maritime, Mark Hutchins, explained the logic behind the review.
“It’s an undeniable fact that Jet Skis are getting more powerful over time,” said Mr Hutchins.
“We look back to the 1990s and (Jet Skis) had 60 horsepower and a 70kmh maximum speed. Now they have up to 325 horsepower and can do over 100kmh.
“We are concerned about that, but we are looking at – and we are considering – making changes moving forward, particularly in relation to the juvenile licences.
“We’re looking at whether or not we would increase the minimum age for a (Jet Ski) PWC licence to 16.
“If people follow the rules and behave responsibly, we haven’t got an issue. But unfortunately, young kids on these powerful machines, we’ve just got to face reality here and we are considering changing those licensing laws.
“Part of the reason why we exist is to provide access to waterways for everyone, and what keeps you safe is experience.
“So laws were passed years ago to enable kids aged 12 and over to be able to be on a Jet Ski with an adult. And if they are on one without an adult, they can’t go over 10 knots.
“And to give you a bit of an example, if you’re travelling at 4 knots, it’s a slow walk, 6 knots is a fast walk, and at 10 knots you’re just getting on the plane.
“So it’s a fairly safe (speed) range if people stick to the rules.
“If you’re over 16, you can get a full licence, and then you’ve just got to make sure that you drive safely to the speed limits and to the conditions at the time.
“But we understand that things have changed. There are more Jet Skis on the water than we’ve ever seen.
“They make up a third of all new boat sales, and they’re extremely popular.”
Radio 2GB’s Mark Levy made the salient point that it is difficult for parents to supervise their 12- to 16-year-old child from the shoreline, therefore making speed restrictions easy for novice riders to flout – and difficult for NSW Maritime officers to enforce.
“I don’t want to take the opportunity away from people to enjoy Jet Skis and enjoy waterways,” said Mr Levy.
“But given what we’re seeing at the moment and some of the complaints we’re receiving from our listeners who live along these waterways and enjoy the waterways, maybe the age of 12 is too young for someone to get on the back of a Jet Ski and hoon around.
“It’s not as if Mum and Dad can walk out there and grab the keys off them. They’re out in the middle of the water!”
The NSW Maritime boss, Mark Hutchins, said: “And that’s a perfect way to sum up why we’re looking at it.
“We want people to be safe out there, but the temptation is always there for kids. These Jet Skis are getting bigger and more powerful, but equally, we will be working to look at better ways to educate as well.
“We also have a mechanism in place to suspend licences, which we do from time to time.
“We’ve got a licence sanctioning panel with all of our experts from NSW Maritime. They look at the circumstances of each case.
“In the last 12 months, we’ve suspended between 10 to 15 juvenile licences. So if people don’t adhere to the speed limits, or they’re a constant pest, we will deal with them.
“We can suspend their licences, but they also face hefty fines. But what we prefer is to do is actually educate people to adhere to the laws that we already have.”
Earlier in the Radio 2GB interview, the NSW Maritime boss said he recognised that most Jet Ski riders were safe and law-abiding.
“We don’t want to put everyone in the same box and (we recognise) … not all people that are going on the water are doing the wrong thing,” said Mr Hutchins.
“Jet Skis, whether we like it or not, are extremely popular. We have 92,000 licence holders across the state, and 20,000 registered Jet Skis.
“But we just cannot walk away from the fact that … they’re very popular (and) in some areas, they have completely changed the dynamic of the on-water experience.
“So we are pivoting to make sure that we can respond from an operational point of view.
“There are a lot of rules and regulations out there already, and basically what we’re saying is, ‘if you follow the rules, you’ll be safe’. And that applies to both juvenile licence holders and any adults that get on to Jet Skis.
“As a result of (the increase in the number of Jet Skis) we are seeing a dramatic increase in complaints about (Jet Skis), and we’ve had to work with government to make sure that we’re across it as we move forward.”
Radio 2GB’s Mark Levy rounded out the interview with the following observations and sage advice.
“We don’t want the small minority ruining it for the vast majority of people are doing the right thing,” he told his radio audience.
“I’m thinking to myself … a 12-year-old on the back of one of those powerful Jet Skis is a bit too young, especially at a time when we’re talking around the nuisance that these e-Bikes and e-Scooters are causing.
“People are worried about a kid on an e-Bike travelling 50kmh or 60kmh. What about a kid on a Jet Ski going even faster than that?
“I just think (novice) Jet Ski riders not being accompanied by an adult is fraught with danger.
“I’m enlightened by the fact that Mark Hutchins and NSW Maritime are looking at reviewing the minimum age for Jet Ski riders.”
According to research by Watercraft Zone, the latest death brings the total to four Jet Ski fatalities over the past five years in NSW (versus at least 87 boating fatalities over the same period).
LISTEN: Radio 2GB interview with NSW Maritime chief Mark Hutchins
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