Personal Watercraft Safety Course

Registration PWCs must be registered with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). The regis- tration numbers must be applied left to right on the forward sides of the bow using 3” block letters of a contrasting color. The state decal must be placed 3” aft (towards the back) of the numbers. Letters are separated from the numbers by hyphens or spaces equal to the width of the numbers. The registration numbers should be placed above the water line for easy identification. The registration certificate and California Boater Card must be carried on the PWC when under way. It is best to keep them in a waterproof container. Restrictions for PWCs It is important to know that PWCs are subject to the same boat operating and navigation rules as other powerboats. Furthermore, many waterways in California may have unique local regulations and it is your responsibility to know what these rules are. Ignorance of the rules does not exempt the operator from the law. To help make PWC a safer form of boating, the law prohibits the operator of a PWC from: „ „ Undertaking unsafe or reckless practices. „ „ Jumping another vessel’s wake within 100 ft. of the vessel creating the wake. „ „ Operating at a speed in excess of 5 mph within 200 feet of a beach or within 100 feet of swimmers, surfers or anyone else in the water. „ „ Operating at a rate of speed and proximity to another vessel causing either operator to swerve at the last minute to avoid a collision. „ „ Operating a PWC toward any person or vessel in the water and turning sharply at close range so as to spray that vessel or person. „ „ Altering the self-circling device on a PWC equipped with such a device. „ „ Operating a PWC without a properly attached lanyard that runs from the cutoff or “kill” switch to your body. „ „ Operating a PWC between sunset and sunrise.

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