Do you want to learn how to ride a personal watercraft (jet ski) safely? Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is offering a FREE personal watercraft (PWC) safety course on Fresno Reservoir, on Aug. 20 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. The class will begin at the Walleye Pavilion for the classroom portion, and then move onto the main boat ramp. The class will be limited to eight participants, so please plan to register early!

The course will consist of learning about PWCs, operating regulations, and on-water demonstrations and practice; including a variety of maneuvers such as cornering, how to re-board your PWC, how to turn over a flipped PWC, and safety concerns and dynamics of wave/wake jumping and operating in a crowded area.

“We have seen too many accidents on PWCs on Fresno and throughout Montana,” said Warden Andy Matakis, who is organizing the course. “Many operators just don’t know how to safely operate their PWC in certain situations. We hope that this course can give folks the confidence and skills they need to stay safe.”

Participants must provide their own PWC and personal floatation device. Owners of the PWC and operators will assume all liability for any damages to the PWC or any injuries to the operator that may occur.

Registration for the course will be done on a first-come first-serve basis at the Havre FWP office during the normal business hours of 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Mon.-Fri. The course is limited to eight participants, but a waiting list may be created if interest in the program is high. Participants must be at least 15 years of age, but 13 and 14-year-old participants may be accepted if they have completed a Montana motorboat operators safety course and can show a completed certificate. Participants under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian at the beginning of the course and throughout the first hour.

The course will be weather and water level dependent, and participants will be contacted if the course needs to be cancelled or rescheduled. If there are any questions, please contact the Havre FWP office at 265-6177.