Thread: Jet Ski Sydney Harbour - Environmental Facts

It has always been said that Jet Ski’s (Waverunner, Sea Doo, and Kawasaki) cause damage to the environment in many ways, causes erosion, unnecessary wash, damage to seagrass and sea life etc.

If you compare the impact a Jet Ski has on the environment compared to other water vessels, Jet Ski come out as having the least impact on the environment.


Standard boats with outboard motors have propellers protruding out of the hull and sit far below the hull of the boat deep in the water acting like a giant blender. This causes great damage to the marine life.

Jet Skis on the other hand have an intake grate that actually sucks up water from the bottom and disposes it out the back causing thrust. On the intake grate there is actually a grate to stop anything other than water from entering, protecting marine life and anatomies.

Tests have shown that today's personal watercraft is substantially quieter, new PWCs have vastly improved sound dampening systems and extremely low emission levels. Most are now more efficient and quieter than many other vessels, including those with stern drive and inboard engines.

It has been publicly known that they have less impact on the environment than the normal outboard motor.

They are quieter than most modern boats. With the new introduction of the 4 stroke motors in all skis they actually produce less emission than current boats and do not leave pollutants in the water as they now all use a closed loop cooling system. The propeller in the Jet Ski is inside the hull and doesn’t protrude out, therefore doesn’t harm the environment or cause erosion.

In defence of Jet Skis our ban from Sydney Harbour cannot be due to the impact Jet Skis have on the environment.

Despite what has been said regarding personal watercraft (PWC), modern science and common sense support the stance taken by their owners: that personal watercraft should not be discriminated against when government agencies like the NSW Maritime and Greens Lee Rhiannon develop regulations designed to protect the environment.

Study after study proves that when it comes to protecting the environment, the design of the hull around the engine does not make a difference.

PWC, also known by their brand names Jet Ski, Waverunner and Sea-Doo are actually among the most environmentally-friendly motorboats on the water today. The two-stroke engines that power the craft today are far cleaner than ones that power a majority of pleasure boats and in many cases are quieter too.

While sound is clearly a subjective topic, objective sound tests on motorboats have shown PWC to be much quieter than other, "conventional" boats.

In fact, a study conducted by the New Jersey State Police found that PWC sound levels were well below a majority of other type of boats. But sound is, as stated before, a subjective matter.

Once again, science is on the side of the PWC owners. The most recent test on motorboats' effects on wildlife show that birds react in an identical fashion regardless of the type of hull used to approach them. A Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission study on motorboat disturbance of waterfowl lasting three years and concluding in June of last year, found that "despite their reputation for noise and wildlife disturbance...PWC rarely elicited a greater flush distance." In fact, the study showed that "when there was a significant difference the conventional outboard-powered motorboat most often exhibited the larger flush distances.

Scientific study has also proven that the design of the PWC propulsion system, the water- jet, actually does less damage to sea grass beds and stirs-up less sediment than conventional propeller-driven boats. In addition, supporting a PWC-only ban because propeller-driven craft would run aground in shallow, sensitive habitats and PWC would not is ludicrous: When boats run aground and their propellers strike the bottom, it damages sensitive sea grass beds and increases sediments suspended in water. If boats should not operate in sensitive areas, then all boats should not operate there, regardless of their propulsion system or hull design.

Taking all of these things into consideration -- and the fact that PWC and conventional boats use the same types of engines that produce the same amount of emissions.

If the Greens (Lee Rhiannon) is truly interested in protecting the environment, it should develop regulations that will do exactly that; not create scapegoats and "red-herrings" because certain special interest groups want the waters of Sydney Harbour to themselves

Richie put on your tutu and take Lee Rhiannon out for a spin on your jet ski wear a wig and your in!