‘You will be caught up with’: Teen jet-skier facing charges over Safety Beach hooning

A teenage jet-skier is facing a string of charges after he was filmed harassing the occupants of a boat and deliberately spraying them with water off a popular Mornington Peninsula beach on Monday.

The 16-year-old boy, who obtained his marine licence shortly before the incident, faces the prospect of losing his permit for six months and paying thousands of dollars in fines if found guilty of the charges.

Footage of the incident obtained by Nine News shows the jet-skier riding at speed towards the boat for several seconds before taking a sharp turn and spraying the occupants with water.

The group said he had been tailing them for some time as they sailed off Safety Beach, about 57 kilometres south of Melbourne, when he came dangerously close to the boat.

Thirteen-year-old Zara Read, who was among those on board, said the experience had been frightening.

“It was pretty scary,” she said. “If he could just lose control, don’t know what can happen.”

Water Police deployed two boats to track down the jet-skier following the incident. He was eventually found by officers at the beach.

Police will charge the teenager with operating dangerously, driving faster than 5 knots within 50 metres of another vessel, and failing to maintain safety equipment over the incident.

He will appear in court at a later date.

The incident is the latest in a series of recent jet-ski-related incidents on the Mornington Peninsula, which has reignited debate around safety issues and the need for exclusion zones to protect beachgoers and marine wildlife.

On Saturday, a man was flown to the Alfred hospital with serious injuries after the jet-ski he was riding crashed into another jet-ski at Safety Beach. A woman believed to have been riding the other watercraft injured her foot but did not need to be taken to hospital for treatment.

And on Friday, two riders were filmed by beachgoers harassing a pod of dolphins in Port Philip Bay. The footage showed the pair riding at a slow speed very close to the animals.

Most beaches and waterways are subject to a vessel speed limit of 5 knots through “shared zones” within 200 metres of the shore. Jet-skis and boats are also supposed to stay at least 50 metres from swimmers and other vessels.

Mornington Peninsula mayor Steve Holland is among those spearheading a push to create jet-ski exclusion zones in sensitive areas along the peninsula, amid fears families are avoiding beaches due to safety concerns.

“We are sort of at our limit now,” he told Nine News. “We need the state government and the minister to step up and make sure that the Water Police are actively resourced so that they can patrol the bay here.”

Mechelle Cheers, who has campaigned for years against jet-skis at Rye beach on Port Phillip Bay, said the rising number of riders was a major source of concern for beachside communities.

She told 3AW earlier this week it was not uncommon for the stretch of beach west of the pier in Rye to be occupied by dozens of jet-skis, preventing others from enjoying the area.

The number of Victorians buying jet-skis soared during the pandemic, as cashed-up young Melburnians itching to leave the city spent their savings on watercraft.

A jet-skier takes to the water in Rye.Credit:Eddie Jim

At the start of 2022, there were more than 26,000 personal watercraft registered in Victoria, up 36 per cent since 2015.

Cheers, who chairs the Rye Community Group Alliance, wants stricter regulations preventing jet-skis from operating on the beachfront, and an increase in designated swimming-only areas.

“It’s not rocket science, it really isn’t,” she said. “But for whatever reason, the state government to date has refused to address that sort of issue.”

Water Police acting sergeant Michael Greenwood said police had strike teams deployed along the coast and would not tolerate dangerous behaviour on jet-skis.

“The bay is a shared space – be mindful of others when using it,” he said. “If you engage in this type of behaviour, remember our strike teams are not far away. You will be caught up with.”

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