'Ignorance not malice': safety blitz waters down jet ski offending

NSW Maritime officers hit the water for a targeted campaign to educate jet ski users and crackdown on rule breakers amid a surge in the activity's popularity.

Boat safety officer Jim Lawson said Operation Stay Afloat - Ride Safe came at a time when there was a massive influx of visitors to the Port Stephens area.

"When there's more jet skis, we see more offences," he said.

"There's just a few amongst them that do cause problems with unsafe operation and that's something we're really conscious to try and stay on top of."

Mr Lawson said dozens of checks were done on jet skis and he only had to hand out a couple of infringements.

He said one person was not wearing a life jacket when they were meant to, and another illegally had a child as young as nine as the observer while they were towing behind the jet ski.

"It was generally really good," he said.

"There were a handful of problems, but the ones that I experienced were more ignorance as opposed to malice."

A major part of the safety campaign was to educate and talk to riders, including about keeping a safe distance from swimmers and boaters.

"That's where problems happen - when they're going too fast, too close," Mr Lawson said.

"We're just encouraging everyone to give themselves plenty of room, it's a big waterway, there's no need to be on top of each other."

Mr Lawson said officers at Port Stephens had a focus on the busy Little Beach and Shoal Bay areas, where speed restrictions were in place.

"We want everyone to have fun out there but we want them to do it safely," he said.

Mr Lawson told the Newcastle Herald NSW Maritime had received feedback from the community this season that jet ski riders had been harassing wildlife like seabirds and dolphins.

"That's really disappointing and we definitely try and discourage that if we ever see it," he said.

Operation Stay Afloat - Ride Safe took place across the state on Saturday and Sunday and saw more than 70 boating and education officers on waterways, including Lake Macquarie.

There were 1560 jet ski offences recorded in NSW in 2023, which was a 53 per cent increase on the year before.

Jet ski licences have risen to 90,000 across the state, and the largest jump in users has been among Generation Z, which has coincided with an increase in speeding offences.

NSW Maritime said jet skis were over-represented in serious injury incidents.

Maritime police and lifeguards were also spotted out and about at Port Stephens on the weekend.