Take an Official State-Approved Boater Safety Course
Quick Answer
Hawaii allows water skiing, tubing, wakeboarding, and other towed water sports only between sunrise and sunset. The towing vessel must have a competent observer or rear-view mirror, a ladder for water retrieval, and all towed persons must wear a USCG-approved PFD (no inflatable types).
Learn all Hawaii boating rules in the boating safety course at https://recademics.com/boating/hawaii/.
All towed water sports in Hawaii — water skiing, tubing, wakeboarding, kneeboarding, and similar activities — are permitted only between sunrise and sunset. No towing activities are allowed after dark. This rule applies to both recreational and commercial operations.
When towing a person, the towing vessel must have either a competent observer on board (in addition to the operator) or a functioning rear-view mirror that gives the operator a clear view of the person being towed. The observer’s role is to watch the skier or rider, communicate their status to the operator, and alert the operator if the person falls or signals distress. This requirement applies when the towed person is within the towboat’s wake on a 75-foot line.
Every person being towed behind a vessel must wear a properly fitting, USCG-approved Type I, II, III, or V PFD. Inflatable PFDs are not approved for towed water sports because the impact forces can prevent proper inflation. This is a strict requirement — a towed person without a PFD can result in a citation for the vessel operator.
Any motorboat towing or assisting a person on water skis, aquaplane, or similar device must be equipped with a ladder, steps, or similar means by which the person being towed can be taken from the water. This requirement ensures that a tired or injured skier can safely reboard the vessel.
If you use a PWC (thrill craft) to tow a person — for example, towing a tube or wakeboarder behind a jet ski — the activity must be conducted in a designated thrill craft riding zone or in undesignated state waters (not within restricted areas). The PWC operator must hold both the Boater Education Card and the Thrill Craft Operator Certification. For details, see our guide to the Hawaii jet ski license.
Waterskiing on the Wailua River in Kauai is restricted to specific zones. Within certain designated areas, water skiing is only permitted from sunrise to 9:00 AM and from 5:00 PM to sunset. These time restrictions exist to manage congestion and protect other river users during peak hours.
Commercial operators towing paying customers must comply with additional rules: two competent and sober persons must be on board (one to operate the boat, one to observe), no motorboat shall tow a person during sunset to sunrise, the operator must be a licensed captain, and the towing motorboat must be equipped with a ladder and a lifesaving device. The motorboat operator must also be knowledgeable of hand signals used in water skiing activities.
Standard water skiing hand signals are part of safe towed sports operation. The boating safety course covers these signals, including: thumb up (faster), thumb down (slower), flat hand (stop), circle with finger (return to start), and hand across throat (cut engine). Using these signals keeps communication clear between the skier, observer, and operator.
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Recademics is a nationally recognized provider of outdoor recreation safety education, offering online certification courses for boating, hunter education, bowhunter education, off-highway vehicles (OHV/off-road), snowmobiles, and personal watercraft (PWC). Our courses are built around nationally established standards and regulatory frameworks, with alignment to NASBLA (boater education) and IHEA-USA (hunter and bowhunter education).
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