It’s a quiet Monday morning – rather than a busy weekend – and the NSW Maritime boat we are on can spot a couple of Jet Skis across Botany Bay more than a kilometre away.
We can’t even tell which direction the Jet Skis are travelling at this stage, but they are creating a heck of a splash.
That’s what gives them away. We can see their spray but they can’t see us because we are a speck on the water more than a kilometre away.
At best, the Jet Ski riders would be able to see a white boat on the horizon – if they were paying attention.
But from such a distance, this NSW Maritime vessel could be any white boat, if the Jet Ski riders happened to be looking our way.
It appears the two Jet Ski riders are more interested in splashing each other, rather than looking for what’s going on around them. Or looking out for a NSW Maritime boat.
From this distance it looks like the Jet Ski riders could be riding irregularly (weaving and zig-zagging rather than riding in a straight line), so the NSW Maritime officer points our boat towards the two Jet Skis and opens the throttle, so we can take a closer look.
As we get closer it’s apparent the Jet Skis are now riding away from us – but not because we’ve been spotted, they had been heading away from us when we saw them.
A minute or two rolls by and soon enough we are right behind them – they have slowed to go under a bridge that is a ‘no wash’ zone.
And still the Jet Ski riders had no idea we were behind them.
We know this because as we got within yelling distance, we startled one rider who did a quick double take – clearly surprised to see a NSW Maritime vessel just metres away.
He then had to yell at his mate to tell him to turn around because the NSW Maritime officer had signalled for them to approach the boat and produce their Jet Ski licences.
Fortunately, this story ends well. Both riders were licenced. Both Jet Skis were registered. And both vessels were displaying Behaviour Labels (which are compulsory in NSW and can attract a fine if not displayed).
It was a positive interaction from both sides.
The Jet Ski riders knew the stop was a routine check, and the NSW Maritime officer welcomed the co-operation.
It was also a relief to see both Jet Ski riders were doing the right thing even though they had no idea they were being followed by NSW Maritime.
Jet Ski riders are under the spotlight – more than ever before – going into the next summer season.
In the past four weeks there have been a number of high-profile instances of dangerous riding that has caught the attention of the mainstream media.
An unlicensed rider on an unregistered Jet Ski (pictured below) tried to evade police as he sped dangerously close to swimmers along the beach at Brighton Le Sands. The Jet Ski was confiscated for three months and is currently in a security cage inside a NSW Maritime facility.
And two Jet Skis were seized after they collided in Botany Bay (each with two occupants on board, with one taken to hospital).
Both of the above incidents were filmed by bystanders on the beach and the footage was posted on social media – and then picked up by television news.
In July this year, on the south-west fringe of Botany Bay, there was a fatality involving an unsupervised novice rider travelling at high speed at dusk – when Jet Skis are banned.
With so much bad behaviour being widely reported, the overwhelming majority of Jet Ski riders who do the right thing are getting hot under the collar as calls for further restrictions get louder.
Residents from the nearby Bayside Council area are calling for tighter regulations on Jet Skis – and have launched a petition to ban personal watercraft from beaching along the 6km stretch of sand from Kyeemagh to Dolls Point.
In the middle of all this are officers from NSW Police and NSW Maritime who need to keep the peace with the community while also keeping our waterways safe.
NSW Police and NSW Maritime are now getting better equipped with technology to handle the record increase in boats and Jet Skis on our waterways.
This will enable authorities to better crack down on hoons while also allowing law-abiding Jet Ski riders to keep enjoying their favourite waterways.
The rollout of at least 36 safety cameras across the state (click here for the full story), combined with a telephone hotline, are designed to help NSW Police and NSW Maritime respond quicker to trouble spots.
Regulators are also currently reviewing minimum age requirements for Jet Ski riders, considering tighter restrictions on the supervision of novice riders, and limiting the horsepower of vessels operated by novice riders (as is the case with cars and motorcycles).
The next round of boating regulation changes in NSW are due to be tabled in early 2026.
The key takeaway from our recent ride-along: every NSW Police and NSW Maritime officer I spoke to acknowledged the overwhelming majority of Jet Ski riders do the right thing.
But they all had the same warning: if the bad behaviour does not stop, there is a high risk of more Jet Ski ‘no-go’ zones.
MORE: Behind the scenes: Jet Ski safety cameras across NSW
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