Thats a good idea...has nobody tried that before though?
A licence to drive a jetski in lakes and sea and if your caught mucking about the guards can take your licence off your or suspend you for dangerous jetskiing. That would get rid of alot of the muppets ruining it for everyone and people might folow the rules then. Fines then for jetskiing without a licence.

Anyone any thoughts on that?

Hi PJ,
I have put alot of work into this piece alone...
I think its clear that sooner or later all jetskis will be banned in ireland - as more and more lakes & bays are banning them, mainly because of a few irresponsible jetskiers. I do know that the department of the marine have identified the need to have some regulation but they dont know where to start.
Once we form an irishjetskiers association/club we would gather all members at an AGM/event.
So my proposal on that AGM would be to present a proposal(That we would all contribute ideas to) to the department of the marine. I have consulted with a number of people on this and at a high level, the approach whcih works in the states is as follows:
- Each Jetskier must have a licence to drive a Jetski. (Cost of this licence will be as small as possible and if nessecary, subsidised by the Irishjetskiers association)
- A set of rules and guidlines must be agreed to upon receipt of licence.(eg: not to exceed 5 mph speed limit in marinas etc), not to exceed a certain speed limit within a certain distance of sailing boats or swimming areas/swimmers...etc...this would be a list of common sense safety oriented rules.)
- A licence would be required by law, otherwise the Jetski can be confiscated by the coast guard and/or Gardai.
- Approved lifejacket is compulsory(already a marine boating law)
- For breaking the rules, the jetskier would loose his/her licence for a period of time and/or fined.
Maybe only the Jetski ownder should need a licence but is held responsible for anoyone using his/her Jetski irresponsibly??

If we leave it up to the government ot regulate jetskis, it will be over restrictive as they will not consult Jetskiers, only yachters/sailors who hate jetskis, so If we approach them first with a common sense structured enforcable, approach, it will A) save lives, open up more/re-open Jetksi no go lakes/bays, and also save us from the government from "setting up a committee" to come up with their "common sense" guidlines.

I have also consulted the Gardai and they are crying out to the government to regulate Jetski use because apart from fining irrespobsible Jetskiers for out of date car tax or no light board on the jetski trailer, they are powerless.

This weekend I witnessed a muppet shouting at a friend of his to duck as he drove his Jetski over him. - No one was hurt but this kind of luncy is why people die on Jetskis.

90% of jetskiers are responsible, but its the remaining 10% that are causing jetskis to be banned from our waterways.

i agree i was out in killaloe during the week there was a few guys messing about the keeped spinning around and actin the fool ? the guy that owns the ski should be fined etc ? also they dont care what you say to them ? also park everywhere turning circles its hard to put in a jetski with horses in the slipway and as for the rubbish thats left around ? as you say a few guys wreak it for everyone .

Bow Waves is an RYA (Royal Yachting Association) and an ISA (Irish Sailing Association) accredited training school. Our PWC course is aimed at rescue professionals and the recreational user who use Personal Watercrafts/Jet-ski's. Whether in the ocean, swift water, or flood situations, the correct Personal Watercraft or Jet-ski training is essential for safe, competent operation.

Our Personal Watercraft Course is designed for both first time riders and those with experience. It covers launching and recovery, safety and navigation to high speed handling and care of your machine. It is a one day course for experienced users and two days for the complete beginner. The course is led by qualified instructors and we operate to the highest safety standard. The dates and costs are as follows:

Beginners Course (2 day)

Fri 10 and Sat 11 April or,

Sun 12 and Mon 13 April

This course normally costs €295. Our Easter Special price is reduced to €245


Experienced User (1 day)

Sat 11 April or

Mon 13 April 09

This course normally costs €195. Our Easter Special price is reduced to €145.

If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact me on 091 560 560 or e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Jetski/PWC clubs are the only way forward. In the areas whereclubs have being formed the incident rate has decreased and public opinion has started to change. If you dont believe me look at some of the other forums where you will see nice things said about jetskiers on lough Derg. Well done to Martin and Joe and all the members down at Lough Derg Jetski Club.
The ISA as the National Body for Boating in Ireland takes the threat to any watersport very serious, One of the reasons we established a motorboat Development officer was because of the threat to PWC use. Over the past year we have had some successes and some setbacks in dealing with the Local Authorities on your behalf.
To go forward, we need more input from you the users either in the form of clubs or as indivuals. Feel free to email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . In the past week alone we contacted two local authorities to promote the case of jetskiers.