Roads and Maritime Services are praising jetski users in Port Macquarie after a weekend-long educational campaign across coastal NSW.
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Locally, four RMS officers spent the weekend, January 5-6, informing jetski users on their obligations and necessary requirements both on the water and at boat ramps.
Rod McDonagh manager of operations north for RMS Maritime division said generally jetski users were well behaved.
“Across the state we had a 93 percent compliance rate for all jetski users which we were pretty pleased with,” Mr McDonagh said.
“In Port Macquarie officers were generally happy with the people they spoke to, although the weather was pretty poor which did put a dampen on things.
“Compliance itself can be users knowing the rules about where they can operate a jetski as well as where they can’t go.
“It could also mean knowing the rules around when they need to wear a life jacket.”
Mr McDonagh said RMS regularly conduct campaigns to bring awareness around certain aspects of boating.
“We hold educational campaigns every few months and at least once or twice a year with focus on jetski users,” he said.
“We are seeing an ever increasing number of jetskis out on the water and we want to ensure everyone stays as safe a possible while still having a great time.”
The educational campaign comes just weeks after Port Macquarie Marine Rescue commissioned a second jetski to the unit making the unit’s fleet the biggest in the state.
Greg Davies, unit commander for Marine Rescue Port Macquarie said the additional jetski will be able to strengthen the water resources in the Port Macquarie-Hastings region.
“The additional jetski is also an asset for our surf life savers and lifeguards who we work closely with especially over summer,” Mr Davies said.
“If needed we can deploy the jetskis in less than 10 minutes, which in the past have been sent as north as Point Plomer and down south to Dunbogan as well as all over the waterways in the Hastings.
“They are instrumental in searches closer to shore and work well in collaboration with other emergency services.”
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