A Hawaii operator could not produce the certificate when an officer asked. How does the rule let the operator answer the charge?Answer: By showing a court that a proper certificate was held at the time. Source: HAR 13-244-15.5(d)
A rental business in Hawaii does not ask for and inspect certificates or evidence of exemption. What does the rule say of the business?Answer: It is in violation of the section. Source: HAR 13-244-15.5(c)(2)
A visiting boater's voyage began outside Hawaii. How long may the boater remain in the State and stay exempt from the certificate rule?Answer: Less than sixty calendar days. Source: HAR 13-244-15.5(a)(4)
An operator stopped by a law enforcement officer on Hawaii waters is asked for the certificate. What may the operator present in its place?Answer: Acceptable evidence of being exempt from the certificate. Source: HAR 13-244-15.5(d)
Before a business rents out a power driven vessel in Hawaii, what must the person who will operate it receive?Answer: A safety briefing approved by the department. Source: HAR 13-244-15.5(c)(1)
Show all 121 questions (116 more)
Certificate of completion, continued
Hawaii accepts a nationally approved boating safety course only when the course also contains what?Answer: A part on Hawaii waters that the department approved. Source: HAR 13-244-15.5(a)
The Hawaii waters component of an approved course covers local ocean safety principles and practices. Which other subject does the rule name?Answer: Rules or laws on protected species and operating power driven vessels. Source: HAR 13-244-15.5(f)
How must the operator of a rented power driven vessel be identified on the rental or lease agreement in Hawaii?Answer: By name and age. Source: HAR 13-244-15.5(c)(2)
On what date did enforcement of Hawaii's certificate rule for power driven vessels begin?Answer: November 10, 2014. Source: HAR 13-244-15.5(g)
Up to what engine size may a motorboat be operated in Hawaii without the certificate of completion?Answer: Ten horsepower or less. Source: HAR 13-244-15.5(a)(3)
Which act with a certificate of completion is itself a violation of Hawaii's power driven vessel rule?Answer: Lending it to another person to use. Source: HAR 13-244-15.5(e)
Which federal document exempts an operator from Hawaii's certificate of completion?Answer: A valid merchant mariner credential issued by the Coast Guard. Source: HAR 13-244-15.5(a)(1)
Which operators are exempt from Hawaii's certificate rule because of the place where they ride?Answer: Thrill craft operators in a commercial thrill craft zone authorized by the State. Source: HAR 13-244-15.5(a)(2)
Who must possess a certificate of completion from an approved boating safety course under Hawaii's rule on power driven vessels?Answer: Anyone who operates a power driven vessel on State waters. Source: HAR 13-244-15.5(a)
Ages and supervision 7
An operator under sixteen in Hawaii has a certified adult of twenty-one beside them on board. What else does the rule ask of the young operator?Answer: To possess a certificate of completion too. Source: HAR 13-244-15.5(b)
Besides operating under age, what does Hawaii's thrill craft rule forbid about a person under fifteen?Answer: Permitting, or misleading another into permitting, that person to operate one. Source: HAR 13-256-16(a)
How old must the person be who accompanies and directly supervises an operator under sixteen on a power driven vessel in Hawaii?Answer: Twenty-one or older. Source: HAR 13-244-15.5(b)
In Hawaii, a person under what age may not operate a power driven vessel without both a certificate and a supervising adult on board?Answer: Sixteen. Source: HAR 13-244-15.5(b)
Under Hawaii's boating rules, whom may a vessel owner not knowingly permit to operate the vessel?Answer: A person incapable of operating it because of physical or mental disability. Source: HAR 13-244-12
What is the youngest age at which Hawaii law lets a person operate a thrill craft?Answer: Fifteen. Source: HRS 200-37(a)
What must the adult who supervises an operator under sixteen on Hawaii waters hold?Answer: The required certificate of completion. Source: HAR 13-244-15.5(b)
Personal flotation devices 7
Besides being underway, when does Hawaii's child flotation rule apply to a recreational vessel?Answer: When anchored or moored offshore outside a designated offshore mooring area. Source: HAR 13-243-1(b)
For Hawaii's flotation device section, what does the term 'vessel' leave out?Answer: Surfboards. Source: HAR 13-243-1(d)
On a recreational vessel underway on Hawaii's ocean waters, children under what age must wear a personal flotation device?Answer: Thirteen. Source: HAR 13-243-1(b)
What must a person towed on water skis behind a motorboat in Hawaii be equipped with?Answer: A lifesaving device. Source: HAR 13-244-18(f)
Where on a recreational vessel may a young child be without wearing the flotation device Hawaii otherwise requires?Answer: Below deck or inside an enclosed cabin. Source: HAR 13-243-1(b)
Which towed riders does Hawaii's ocean recreation chapter excuse from wearing a life-saving device?Answer: Surfers engaged in tow-in surfing. Source: HAR 13-256-22(k)
Who on a thrill craft must wear a personal flotation device in Hawaii?Answer: All operators and passengers. Source: HAR 13-243-1(c)
Slow-no-wake and careless operation 14
Hawaii's bow-riding rule gives way when a small motorboat is fitted with what?Answer: Adequate guards or railing that keep passengers from being lost overboard. Source: HAR 13-244-17
Hawaii's overloading rule measures a vessel's safe carrying capacity with what in mind?Answer: Weather and the other operating conditions at the time. Source: HAR 13-244-14
How close may a vessel come to a humpback whale in Hawaii waters under the State's boating rule?Answer: No closer than one hundred yards. Source: HAR 13-244-40(a)
How do Hawaii's boating rules describe reckless operation of a vessel?Answer: Operating in willful or wanton disregard for people's safety or property. Source: HAR 13-244-8
How does Hawaii's speed rule describe slow-no-wake speed?Answer: A speed at which the wake has no appreciable wave height. Source: HAR 13-244-9(a)
Inside a designated cow/calf area, what approach distance does Hawaii's rule set for humpback whales?Answer: Three hundred yards. Source: HAR 13-244-40(b)
May a vessel or raft be moored to a waterway marker or aid to navigation in Hawaii?Answer: No, making fast to one is prohibited. Source: HAR 13-245-10
On a motorboat of what length does Hawaii forbid passengers to ride on the gunwales or the decking over the bow while underway?Answer: Twenty-six feet or less. Source: HAR 13-244-17
Under Hawaii's careless operation rule, a vessel is too fast once its operator, using reasonable care, could no longer do what?Answer: Stop the vessel within the assured clear distance ahead. Source: HAR 13-244-7
When may a boater in Hawaii use a recognized distress signal such as orange-colored smoke?Answer: Only to show that a vessel is in distress. Source: HAR 13-244-6(b)
Which act counts as interference with navigation under Hawaii's rules when it is unreasonable in the circumstances?Answer: Anchoring under a bridge or in a restricted channel. Source: HAR 13-244-13(b)
Which craft may enter a marked bathing or swimming area that Hawaii's rules close to vessels?Answer: Patrol or rescue craft. Source: HAR 13-244-16
Which of these is on Hawaii's list of things a vessel must pass at slow-no-wake speed when within two hundred feet?Answer: A congested beach. Source: HAR 13-244-9(a)
Within what distance of a shoreline, dock or swimmer must every vessel on Hawaii waters hold to slow-no-wake speed?Answer: Two hundred feet. Source: HAR 13-244-9(a)
Water skiing, diver's flags and parasailing 22
A dive vessel in Hawaii is longer than sixteen feet overall. What is the smallest diver's flag it may show from its highest point?Answer: Twenty inches by twenty-four inches. Source: HAR 13-245-9(c)
A fallen skier in Hawaii clenches both hands overhead. What does the signal say?Answer: The skier is unhurt. Source: HAR 13-244-18(h)
A skier in Hawaii's water holds one ski vertical, as far out of the water as he can. What is the message?Answer: Pick me up, fallen skier, watch out. Source: HAR 13-244-18(h)
A vessel in Hawaii nears a diver's flag to take part in the diving. At what speed may it come inside the restricted distance?Answer: Slow-no-wake. Source: HAR 13-245-9(f)(1)
Diving goes on after sunset in Hawaii. From how far away must the lighted diver's flag be identifiable?Answer: At least one hundred feet. Source: HAR 13-245-9(d)
During which hours does Hawaii forbid a motorboat to tow a person on water skis?Answer: From sunset to sunrise. Source: HAR 13-244-18(b)
Hawaii calls a tow boat's rear view mirror adequate when the operator can see a skier within the wakes on a line of what length?Answer: Seventy-five feet. Source: HAR 13-244-18(a)
Hawaii law calls an activity 'water sledding' when the towed apparatus is wider than what?Answer: Twelve inches. Source: HRS 200-23
How close may a passing vessel come to a displayed diver's flag on Hawaii's ocean waters?Answer: No closer than one hundred feet. Source: HAR 13-245-9(f)
How close may a sailboard operator come to a dive flag in Hawaii's ocean recreation areas?Answer: No closer than two hundred feet. Source: HAR 13-256-20(a)(3)
How close to the shoreline or a marked channel entrance may a vessel carry on parasailing in Hawaii?Answer: No closer than three hundred feet. Source: HAR 13-256-19(a)(5)
How does a water-skier signal 'speed correct' under Hawaii's rule?Answer: An upraised arm with thumb and forefinger making a circle. Source: HAR 13-244-18(h)
How far from the diver's flag may a diver surface in Hawaii's ocean waters, except in an emergency?Answer: No more than one hundred feet. Source: HAR 13-245-9(e)
How many competent persons must occupy a motorboat that tows a water skier in Hawaii, unless an exception applies?Answer: At least two. Source: HAR 13-244-18(a)
In Hawaii's uniform hand signals for water-skiers, what does a palm pointing upward mean?Answer: Faster. Source: HAR 13-244-18(h)
Nobody is diving or snorkeling, yet a diver's flag stays up in a Hawaii water area. What do the rules say?Answer: Displaying it is a violation. Source: HAR 13-245-9(i)
On a navigable stream in Hawaii, what distance must vessels keep from a displayed diver's flag?Answer: Fifty feet. Source: HAR 13-245-9(f)
What equipment lets one operator tow a water skier in Hawaii without a second person watching?Answer: An adequate rear view mirror. Source: HAR 13-244-18(a)
What is the smallest diver's flag a free diver or scuba diver may display on the surface of the water in Hawaii?Answer: Twelve inches by twelve inches. Source: HAR 13-245-9(a)
What must a motorboat that tows water skiers in Hawaii have so that a skier can be taken from the water?Answer: A ladder, steps or similar means. Source: HAR 13-244-18(e)
Where do Hawaii's rules prohibit snorkeling, free diving, swimming and scuba diving, except in an emergency?Answer: Within navigation channels. Source: HAR 13-245-9(g)
Which hand signal means 'cut motor' in Hawaii's water-skiing rule?Answer: A finger drawn across the throat. Source: HAR 13-244-18(h)
Thrill craft and tow-in surfing 21
A rider holds the certificate from Hawaii's thrill craft course. What does that do under the power driven vessel certificate rule?Answer: The rider is exempt from that rule for operating thrill craft. Source: HAR 13-256-16(f)
A thrill craft, by Hawaii's statutory definition, is generally capable of exceeding what speed?Answer: Twenty miles per hour. Source: HRS 200-23
A tow-in team in Hawaii must leave a surfing break to other ocean users and stay at least how far from their activities?Answer: One thousand feet. Source: HAR 13-256-22(g)(4)
Between which dates each year does Hawaii law close the waters of west and south Maui to thrill craft?Answer: December 15 and May 15. Source: HRS 200-37(i)
Commercial thrill craft in Hawaii are limited to what radius around the permitted location, unless otherwise designated?Answer: Two hundred feet. Source: HAR 13-256-18(b)
Hawaii law says a thrill craft is generally less than how long as manufactured?Answer: Thirteen feet. Source: HRS 200-23
How many hand-grip handles must the rescue sled on a tow-in thrill craft in Hawaii have at least?Answer: Five. Source: HAR 13-256-22(m)(1)
How many people may a thrill craft tow in at any one time during tow-in surfing in Hawaii?Answer: One. Source: HAR 13-256-22(g)(2)
How many rental units and safety units may run in one commercial thrill craft operating area in Hawaii at most?Answer: Six rental units and two safety units. Source: HAR 13-256-18(b)
Outside Hawaii's designated ocean recreation management areas, where may recreational thrill craft operate?Answer: Seaward of five hundred feet from the shoreline or the outer edge of the fringing reef, whichever is greater. Source: HAR 13-256-17(b)
Since January 2005, what must every recreational thrill craft operator in Hawaii possess and show on demand?Answer: A certificate of completion from a state approved thrill craft course. Source: HAR 13-256-16(d)
State waters around which islands are closed to thrill craft by Hawaii's recreational thrill craft rule?Answer: Kahoolawe, Lanai, Molokai and Niihau. Source: HAR 13-256-17(b)
What is the shortest quick-release tow-rope allowed on a thrill craft used for tow-in surfing in Hawaii?Answer: Thirty feet. Source: HAR 13-256-22(m)(2)
What must the operator of a thrill craft used for tow-in surfing in Hawaii carry on their person?Answer: Dive fins and a safety knife. Source: HAR 13-256-22(g)(3)
When may tow-in surfing be conducted in Hawaii?Answer: Only during a high surf warning declared by the National Weather Service. Source: HAR 13-256-22(j)
Where does Hawaii's thrill craft rule forbid operation outright?Answer: In a marine life conservation district or marine natural area reserve. Source: HAR 13-256-16(b)
Where must the tow-in surfing decal be displayed on a thrill craft recorded with Hawaii's department?Answer: On the front half of the vessel. Source: HAR 13-256-22(d)
Which launch points may a recreational thrill craft use to reach the ocean in Hawaii?Answer: Launching or harbor facilities, or private beachfront property. Source: HAR 13-256-17(e)
Which of these subjects must the Hawaii portion of the thrill craft certificate course include?Answer: The historical, cultural and customary practices of Hawaii's ocean users. Source: HAR 13-256-16(d)
Which vessel may be used to tow a surfer into waves in Hawaii?Answer: Only a thrill craft. Source: HAR 13-256-22(b)
Within what distance of the shoreline must a recreational thrill craft in Hawaii stay at slow-no-wake speed?Answer: Three hundred feet. Source: HAR 13-256-17(a)
Operating under the influence 7
A person charged under Hawaii's boating rule on drugs was entitled by state law to use the drug. What does the rule say?Answer: That is not a defense to the charge. Source: HAR 13-244-11
At what breath alcohol figure does Hawaii's statute make operating a vessel an offense?Answer: .08 or more grams of alcohol per two hundred ten liters of breath. Source: HRS 291E-61(a)(3)
Hawaii's statute on operating a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant counts which of these as a 'vehicle'?Answer: A vessel. Source: HRS 291E-1
Hawaii's statute sets a blood alcohol figure of .08 grams. Against what amount of blood is it measured?Answer: One hundred milliliters. Source: HRS 291E-61(a)(4)
In Hawaii's statute on operating under the influence, what does 'operate' mean for a vessel?Answer: To navigate or otherwise use or assume physical control of a vessel underway on State waters. Source: HRS 291E-1
What does Hawaii's boating rule say about a person under the influence of intoxicating liquor and a vessel?Answer: The person may not operate a vessel or be in actual physical control of one on State waters. Source: HAR 13-244-10(a)
What may the owner of a vessel in Hawaii not do when a person is under the influence of intoxicating liquor?Answer: Authorize or knowingly permit that person to operate the vessel. Source: HAR 13-244-10(b)
Accidents, reports and enforcement 16
A boater in Hawaii strikes an unattended vessel and cannot find its owner there. What may the boater do on the spot?Answer: Attach a written notice with the required information in a conspicuous place on it. Source: HAR 13-242-2
A person finds a vessel adrift in Hawaii. What do the rules require?Answer: Reporting its whereabouts to the owner, a police officer or the department at the earliest possible time. Source: HAR 13-244-21
Actual damage above what amount places a recreational boating accident in Hawaii's forty-eight hour reporting group?Answer: $2,000. Source: HAR 13-242-4(a)(3)
After a boating accident in Hawaii with an injury needing treatment beyond first aid, how must the operator give immediate notice?Answer: By the quickest means of communication to a harbor official, a police officer or the nearest police station. Source: HAR 13-242-3(a)
An enforcement officer signals a vessel to stop on Hawaii waters. Besides giving a correct name and address, what must be exhibited?Answer: The vessel's certificate of number. Source: HAR 13-242-15
Hawaii keeps a boater's written accident report out of court with one exception. Which case is the exception?Answer: A case that prosecutes a false report. Source: HAR 13-242-5(b)
Hawaii's rule on termination of unsafe use lets an enforcement officer send an overloaded vessel where?Answer: Back to its mooring until the hazard is corrected. Source: HAR 13-242-16
Hawaii's statute defines a 'boating accident' partly by property damage. Damage to the vessel and other property totaling more than what amount meets the definition?Answer: $200. Source: HRS 200-23
Hawaii's written report rule gives forty-eight hours for the most serious boating accidents. How long does it give for every other accident?Answer: Seven days. Source: HAR 13-242-4(a)
How far does the duty to render aid after a boating accident in Hawaii reach?Answer: As far as the operator can help without serious danger to his or her own vessel or the persons aboard. Source: HAR 13-242-1(a)
How long does Hawaii's department keep the records of a boating accident before they are ordinarily destroyed?Answer: Five years. Source: HAR 13-242-12
The operator in a Hawaii boating accident is physically unable to write the report and does not own the vessel. Who makes it?Answer: The owner of the vessel. Source: HAR 13-242-4(d)
To whom does the written boating accident report go in Hawaii?Answer: The department, on forms it furnishes. Source: HAR 13-242-4(a)
Under Hawaii statute, when is a person who helps in good faith and without pay at a vessel accident liable for civil damages?Answer: Only for gross negligence or wanton acts or omissions. Source: HRS 200-28(b)
Which details does Hawaii's accident rule have a vessel operator hand to an injured person or a property owner?Answer: The operator's name, address and the identification of the vessel. Source: HAR 13-242-1(a)
Within how long must a written report follow a recreational boating accident in Hawaii in which a person loses their life?Answer: Forty-eight hours. Source: HAR 13-242-4(a)
Equipment, liveries and regattas 13
A kayak paddles more than a mile offshore in Hawaii with no radio or beacon. When is that lawful?Answer: When accompanied by at least one vessel that complies. Source: HRS 200-37.5(a)
Besides the hirer's name and address, what does a Hawaii boat livery's record of a hiring show?Answer: The vessel's identification number, the date and time of departure and when the vessel is expected back. Source: HAR 13-244-26(b)
Beyond what distance from shore must most vessels in Hawaii carry a working marine VHF-FM radio or an emergency position indicating radio beacon?Answer: One mile. Source: HRS 200-37.5(a)
How far ahead must an application to hold a regatta or marine parade with unusual hazards be submitted in Hawaii?Answer: No less than thirty days before the event. Source: HAR 13-244-19(a)(3)
How long must a boat livery in Hawaii preserve its record of each hiring?Answer: At least six months. Source: HAR 13-244-26(b)
Vessels over what length must carry a copy of the navigation rules on Hawaii's inland waters, where practicable?Answer: Sixty-five feet. Source: HAR 13-244-4
What does Hawaii's muffler rule say about cooling water discharged through the exhaust of an inboard engine?Answer: It is considered an adequate muffling device. Source: HAR 13-243-4
What may a boat livery in Hawaii not allow until a hired vessel has the equipment the rules require?Answer: The vessel's departure from the premises. Source: HAR 13-244-26(c)
When is the chairperson's authorization for a hazardous regatta or marine parade not required in Hawaii?Answer: When the event already has authorization from the Coast Guard. Source: HAR 13-244-19(a)(1)
Which boats does Hawaii's vessel equipment chapter leave outside its scope?Answer: Hawaiian design racing canoes, racing shells, rowing sculls and racing kayaks. Source: HAR 13-243-1(a)
Which craft does Hawaii's emergency communication device law exempt outright?Answer: Canoes, thrill craft, surfboards and paddleboards. Source: HRS 200-37.5(a)
Which exhaust arrangement does Hawaii's muffler rule prohibit outside races, speed trials and tuning runs?Answer: Cutouts or open exhaust stacks. Source: HAR 13-243-4
Which fuel may a vessel carrying passengers for hire on Hawaii waters not use for heating, cooking or lighting?Answer: Liquefied petroleum gas. Source: HAR 13-243-3
How this list was compiled: Written only from Hawaii's own boating law. (1) Hawaii Administrative Rules, Title 13, Subtitle 11, Ocean Recreation and Coastal Areas: chapter 13-242 (sections 1 to 5, 12, 15 and 16), chapter 13-243 (sections 1, 3 and 4), chapter 13-244 (sections 4, 6 to 19, 21, 26 and 40), chapter 13-245 (sections 9 and 10) and chapter 13-256 (sections 16 to 20 and 22), read on 2026-10-03 in the chapter files that the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation, publishes at https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/dobor/rules/. The division marks these files as an unofficial compilation; chapters 13-242 to 13-245 show amendments through December 31, 2018, and the chapter 13-256 file is dated April 2, 2025. (2) Hawaii Revised Statutes, chapter 200 (sections 200-23, 200-28, 200-37 and 200-37.5) and chapter 291E (sections 291E-1 and 291E-61), read on 2026-10-03 on the Hawaii State Legislature's data host, https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/. Each question names its section and links to the file that holds it; a rule question links to the chapter file, so open it and search for the section number. That a course exists is section 13-244-15.5: an operator of a power driven vessel holds a certificate of completion from an approved course. Neither the rules nor the statutes read give a number of questions or a pass mark, so none is stored here. Licence: Own work. Questions, answer choices and explanations were written for this site from the rule and statute text; nothing is copied from a boater handbook, a boating course, a course provider's study guide or another practice test.
How it works
This unofficial Hawaii boating license study guide asks state law only. The Hawaii Administrative Rules and the Hawaii Revised Statutes supply every question, and the section is shown each time. Navigation rules sit in a separate bank. Read October 2026.
Read the full guide
Ten horsepower, age 16, 200 feet
Section 13-244-15.5 of the administrative rules asks every operator of a power driven vessel for a certificate of completion; a motor of ten horsepower or less is exempt. Under 16, the operator also needs a certified adult of 21 on board. Hawaii issues no license. Every vessel holds to slow-no-wake within 200 feet of shore, docks, swimmers and diver's flags (13-244-9).
What the rules say about the course
The course must be approved by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators and carry a Hawaii waters component the department approves. Thrill craft have their own course (13-256-16). How many questions an exam asks, and what score passes, is in neither the rules nor the statutes.
Three distances to keep apart: 200 feet for slow-no-wake, 300 feet for thrill craft, 100 yards from humpback whales.
Thrill craft start at age 15; other power driven vessels need a certified adult of 21 aboard until 16.
Questions and answers
Do you need a boating license in Hawaii?
Hawaii issues no boating license. To operate a power driven vessel, section 13-244-15.5 requires a certificate of completion from an approved course. Exempt, among others: motorboats of ten horsepower or less, and boaters on a voyage from outside the State who stay under sixty days.
How old do you have to be to drive a boat in Hawaii?
Under 16, an operator of a power driven vessel needs a certificate and a certified adult of 21 or older on board (13-244-15.5). A thrill craft operator must be 15 or older under section 200-37 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes.
How many questions are on the Hawaii boating safety course exam, and what is the pass mark?
The rules and statutes read give neither figure; they require a certificate of completion from an approved course. In Exam mode you answer 25 questions, a length this site chose and Hawaii did not, and the score has no pass line.
Is this study guide from the Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation?
No. The division did not write or check these questions, and this is not a government website. Under each answer sits the rule or statute section it was written from, with a link to the published text.