Bayside Council will consider requesting Maritime Police increase the jet-ski exclusion zone distance from the Botany Bay shoreline this summer.
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The recommendation was made by Bayside Council's city services committee as the council starts to prepare its 2023-2024 Summer Foreshore Program (SFP), which runs from October to April each year.
In recent years there has been an increase in the amount of private water craft (PWC) or jet-skis in Botany Bay which has exclusion or restriction zones.
The council does not control the use of water leisure crafts, including the use of jet-skis.
Instead, NSW Police and Transport for NSW (TfNSW) are responsible for issuing PWC licenses and enforcing rules.
In a Notice of Motion submitted in June, Councillor Heidi Lee Douglas called for a council report on how Bayside Council could include information about safe jet-ski activity as part of the Summer Foreshores program.
"We are doing everything we can but the jet-skis continue to exacerbate every summer. The next step is to ban the jet-skis form the beach which is a bit divisive," Cr Douglas told the August 2 city services committee meeting.
"Is there anything other measures we could take that have not been done already.?"
A council officer said the council had met with Maritime Police to attempt to ban the jet -kis from the beach.
The Maritime Police said there the council can't ban jet skis.
"The only way you can ban the jet-skis from the beach is to have an endangered species of some sort," the council officer told the committee.
The council has show extensive CCTV footage to Maritime Police showing how jet-skis have come up to the shore, going between swimmers and families.
The council also asked whether they could have a designated jet-ski parking area on the beach but that was also ruled out by police.
"We have attempted to find solutions but they, the police, said no, otherwise every other council would want to ban jet-skis," the council officer said.
There are jet-ski exclusion zones in Sydney Harbour but this is because of the number of vessels coming into the harbour. There are also exclusion zones on the Parramatta and Lane Cove rivers.
The committee decided that the only solution for next summer was to request an expansion of the jet-ski exclusion zone from the shoreline along Botany Bay.
Another option was to increase Maritime Police presence in the bay.
The report will go to the next council meeting for endorsement.
