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PWC Encountering PWC

It is extremely important that a PWC encountering another PWC follow the same navigation rules that apply to motorboats or any other power-driven vessel.

Most fatalities involving PWCs result from injuries caused by collisions and not from drowning.

  • The operator and passengers ride on top of the PWC instead of down inside it. There are no hulls or other enclosures to provide protection from the impact of a collision.
  • Due to the lack of protection, PWC collisions are more likely to be deadly for the operator and any passengers.
PWC meeting PWC head-on
Meeting Head-On: Neither vessel is the stand-on vessel. Both vessels should turn to starboard (the right).
PWC crossing the path of a PWC
Paths That Cross: The vessel on the operator’s port (left) side is the give-way vessel. The vessel on the operator’s starboard (right) side is the stand-on vessel.
PWC overtaking another PWC
Overtaking: The vessel that is overtaking another vessel is the give-way vessel. The vessel being overtaken is the stand-on vessel.