Florida Boater Safety Card for Jet Ski Rental: Easy, Fast, On Your Phone

• A jet ski is a power-driven vessel: the same right-of-way rules apply as for any motorboat.
• Stand-on vessel: keeps its course and speed. Give-way vessel: acts early and clearly (slow down, turn, pass behind the other boat).
• Crossing: the boat on your right (starboard) has the right of way. You slow down or turn and pass behind it.
• Head-on: both boats turn to their right and pass left side to left side (port to port).
• Overtaking: the boat that is passing gives way, from either side. The boat being passed keeps its course and speed.
• A powerboat keeps out of the way of sailboats under sail, boats fishing with nets or trawls, and vessels restricted in their ability to maneuver. Give kayaks and paddleboards plenty of room: they are slow and hard to see. Never cut in front of large ships in a channel: they cannot stop or turn quickly.
• In a narrow channel keep to the right side and don't block vessels that can only navigate inside it. Always keep a proper lookout (look around, behind you too) and ride at a safe speed for the traffic and visibility.
• Even the stand-on boat must act if a collision is about to happen. Being 'right' does not prevent an accident.

• 1 short blast: I intend to leave you on my left (port) side. 2 short: on my right (starboard) side. 3 short: I am backing up.
• 5 or more short blasts: danger, or I don't understand your intentions. 1 prolonged blast (4–6 seconds): leaving a dock or approaching a blind bend.
• Navigation lights: red shows a boat's left (port) side, green its right (starboard) side, white its stern or masthead.
• If you see another boat's red light, it is on your starboard side: you are the give-way boat. Seeing green, you are the stand-on boat but stay alert. Only a white light: you are coming up behind it, or it is anchored.
• In Florida a jet ski may not be ridden from ½ hour after sunset to ½ hour before sunrise, even with lights. Our rentals end by 6 PM.

• "Red, right, returning": when returning from the sea (heading upstream or into port), keep red markers on your right. Red markers carry even numbers; green markers carry odd numbers.
• Red buoys are often cone-shaped ("nuns"), green ones can-shaped ("cans"). Stay between the red and green markers in a channel.
• On the Intracoastal Waterway follow the small yellow symbols: heading south along Florida's Atlantic coast (the ICW direction from New Jersey toward Texas), keep yellow triangles on your right and yellow squares on your left, whatever the color of the marker.
• White regulatory markers with orange shapes: diamond = danger (rocks, shoals); diamond with a cross = boats keep out; circle = controlled area (speed limit, no wake); square = information.
• Idle speed / No wake: the slowest speed that still lets you steer. Slow speed / Minimum wake: fully off plane and settled in the water, not plowing, wake kept small.
• Manatee zones are posted with speed signs, some only in certain seasons. Obey them, wear polarized sunglasses to spot manatees, and keep at least 50 ft away from one. Manatees are protected by state and federal law.
• Diver-down flag: red with a white diagonal stripe. Stay at least 100 ft away in rivers, inlets and navigation channels and 300 ft in open water; if you must pass closer, go at idle speed.

• Minimum age to operate a jet ski in Florida: 14. Minimum age to rent one: 18 (at Jet Ski Miami 7 the renter must be 21+).
• Everyone on board must wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket. Inflatable life jackets are not allowed on a jet ski.
• If the jet ski has an engine cut-off lanyard, it must be attached to the operator (person, clothing or life jacket). If you fall off, the engine stops.
• Reckless riding is illegal: weaving through congested traffic, jumping another boat's wake unreasonably close or when visibility is obstructed, and swerving at the last moment to avoid a collision.
• A jet ski steers with its water jet: no throttle means much less steering (newer models add only a little assist). To avoid something, slow down early and steer with some power; don't just let go.
• There is no brake pedal. Some newer models have a brake/reverse lever that shortens stopping, but no jet ski stops like a car: leave plenty of room and slow down early.
• Board from the rear. If the jet ski flips, swim to the back and roll it upright in the direction shown on the sticker; the wrong way can damage the engine. Passengers never sit in front of the driver.
• Stay clear of the intake grate underneath and the jet at the back, and avoid water under 2 ft deep and seagrass: the pump sucks in sand, rocks and weeds. The most common jet ski accident in Florida is a collision with another vessel, followed by hitting a fixed object (dock, piling, seawall).

• One U.S. Coast Guard-approved, correctly sized, wearable life jacket for every person on board. On a jet ski it must be worn, and it must not be inflatable.
• In Florida children under 6 must wear a life jacket on any boat under 26 ft while it is underway.
• Jet skis have a built-in fuel tank, so they carry a Coast Guard-approved fire extinguisher (5-B rated on 2018 and newer models). Every vessel also needs a sound-producing device such as a whistle or horn. Rental jet skis come equipped.
• Carry the registration certificate; the registration number and decal are displayed on the bow.
• Engine cut-off switch: federal law (since 2021) requires the operator of a boat under 26 ft that has one to wear the link when on plane. Florida's jet ski rule is stricter: the lanyard is attached whenever you ride.
• Throwable flotation devices are required on boats 16 ft and longer; visual distress signals for boats under 16 ft are required only at night in coastal waters.

• Operating a vessel with a blood or breath alcohol level of 0.08 or higher, or while impaired by alcohol or drugs, is Boating Under the Influence (BUI), a crime in Florida.
• Operators under 21: 0.02 or more is a violation (community service and a mandatory boating course).
• Implied consent: by operating a vessel in Florida you agree to a lawful breath, urine or blood test. A first refusal means a $500 civil penalty. A first BUI conviction: $500–$1,000 fine, up to 6 months in jail and vessel impoundment.
• Sun, wind, noise, vibration and waves ("boater's fatigue") make alcohol hit harder on the water than on land.
• At Jet Ski Miami 7 there is no alcohol before or during the ride.

• Check the marine forecast before you go. In Miami summer thunderstorms often build in the afternoon, so mornings are usually calmer.
• Warning signs: dark clouds building, a sudden wind shift or gusts, a drop in temperature, distant thunder or lightning.
• If you can hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck by lightning. Head back to the dock right away; a jet ski has no cabin to shelter in. Wait 30 minutes after the last thunder before going back out.
• Rain or haze reduces visibility: slow down and keep a sharper lookout.
• Do not chase, feed or harass dolphins, manatees or other wildlife; keep your distance and slow down near them.
• Avoid shallow seagrass beds and never throw trash or fuel into the water.

• An operator involved in an accident must stop, help anyone injured or in danger if it is safe, and give their name, address and vessel registration to the others involved.
• Notify the FWC, the county sheriff or the city police without delay, by the quickest means, after a capsizing, sinking or collision with another vessel or object, or an accident with a death, a disappearance, an injury that needs more than first aid, or property damage of $2,000 or more. A written report is also required (for a rental, the rental company files it). Leaving the scene without giving aid and reporting is a crime.
• Person overboard: shout, point and keep watching the person, turn back slowly, and shut off the engine before they are alongside.
• If you fall off, the lanyard stops the engine. Swim to the back of the jet ski and climb on from the rear.
• In an emergency call 911, or use VHF channel 16. Then call the rental company.
• Heat and sun are real risks in Miami: drink water, use sunscreen and take shade breaks.

Florida has no 'boating license'. If you were born on or after January 1, 1988, you need a Florida Boating Safety Education ID card or a temporary certificate plus a photo ID to drive. Born before 1988: photo ID only. Passengers need nothing.

Most people finish in 20–30 minutes on a phone: 25 multiple-choice questions, 19 correct to pass (76%). Reading the cheat sheet first takes about 10 minutes.

$13.95 at BoatTests101 (checked October 13, 2026), paid by you directly to the test provider. Jet Ski Miami 7 charges nothing for the guide, practice test or upload.

No. The test is personal: the driver must take it under their own name. We help you prepare with the cheat sheet and practice test, and we accept your certificate.

90 days from the date it is issued, and only in Florida. It cannot be converted into the permanent card. If you ride often, take a full approved course for the Boating Safety Education ID card, which is valid for life.

The provider lets you retry. Review the topics you missed in our cheat sheet and run the practice test again.

Florida accepts proof of a NASBLA-approved course from other US states and territories, Canadian boating cards that meet NASBLA standards, and the International Certificate of Competency (ICC). Bring it with a photo ID. Other foreign licenses are generally not accepted; take the temporary test to be safe.

No. A card or certificate covers only the person named on it. Florida rental law requires the renter to show their own card or certificate, and at Jet Ski Miami 7 every driver born in 1988 or later must show their own. Each driver takes the test under their own name.

No. Only the person driving needs it. Every passenger wears a life jacket, which we provide.

A government photo ID for every driver and the certificate on your phone or printed. If you uploaded it here, we already have it attached to your booking, but keep a copy anyway.

It goes over HTTPS to our own server, is stored with restricted access, is used only to check your booking and is never shared. See our privacy policy.