everybody asks me: do you need a license to drive a boat in hawaii? the answer is: no. anybody could just go buy a $100,0000 boat, turn on the key, and drive it anywhere they wanted to in the ocean. when you think about it, it’s pretty crazy. BUT, things are changing. after thousands of boating accidents and deaths, the government is finally going to implement some new rules. starting november 2014, every person operating a boat will need to be licensed. you have to take a boating course and pass the exam. the course is about 7 hours long and you can either take it in a class, or online. if you pass, you’re legal, if you don’t, you can’t drive a boat. and if you get caught driving a boat without a license after november, you can get fined $1,000 and or spend 30 days in jail.
the law is going into effect to prevent accidents like this. a big boat in the water can kill people.
and if you don’t know what you’re doing, you can run your boat on the reef. this happens many times a year in hawaii and it destroys the reef forever.
so here it is, the hawaii boating state requirements. i know there will be many people that won’t get it. old timers don’t want to go back to school. it’s a hassle, it’s time consuming, and it’s a pain in the ass. i spent my 7 hours online this past week reading the materials and taking my time. then last night i stayed up late to take the 75 question exam. right in the middle of the exam, i lost internet connection!!! omg!!! i tried again, got to question 55, and lost connection again!!!! omg!!! then the third time i lost it again!!!! i spent 2.5 hours online getting frustrated and finally gave up. i will try again tonight and hopefully i will pass. good luck to you too!
CLICK HERE TO TAKE YOUR BOATING LICENSE ONLINE FOR FREE!!!
