Learn To Boat

To obtain a New Jersey Boating Safety Certificate, you must complete a boating safety course approved by the New Jersey State Police.

Bridge Marina offers the approved New Jersey Boating Safety Certificate Course in Lake Hopatcong and Highlands, NJ throughout the season. With flexible course options and times and online scheduling available, we make it easy to get your New Jersey Boating Safety Certificate. You can see a course schedule and register online.

Great question! As a leading boating safety certificate course location in New Jersey, we are asked this often. A boating license (or boating endorsement) and a boating safety certificate are separate. Here’s how it works:

NJ Boating Safety Certificate: A Boating Safety Certificate is proof that you have taken and passed a state-approved Boating Safety Certificate Course.

NJ Boating License or Boating Endorsement: In addition to a NJ Boating Safety Certificate, non-tidal boat operators also need a boating endorsement on their New Jersey driver’s license. To obtain the endorsement, you must first complete a boating safety course approved by the New Jersey State Police. After completing the course, you will receive a boating safety certificate, which you must take to the NJ MVC, along with other required identification documents, to get your boating endorsement on your driver’s license.

Do you need an endorsement on your NJ Driver’s License? If you plan to boat on non-tidal waters like Lake Hopatcong, then yes – this additional endorsement is required. If you plan to only boat in tidal waters like Sandy Hook Bay, then no – you only need your NJ Boating Safety Certificate.

For more details on how to get your endorsement, please visit the NJMVC.

All New Jersey boaters must adhere to speed limits, no-wake zones, and regulations regarding alcohol consumption. There are also specific rules regarding age restrictions, mandatory safety course completion, and other regulations that must be followed.

Boaters on Lake Hopatcong must comply with applicable federal and state boating laws, as well as those specific to Lake Hopatcong.

For more details regarding boating rules and regulations in New Jersey, visit the New Jersey State Police Marine Services Bureau

The Marine Services Bureau of the New Jersey State Police can provide a replacement if you have lost your NJ boat safety certificate. To request a replacement, please contact the Marine Services Bureau  by email at [email protected] and provide the following information:

• Full Legal Name
• Date of Birth
• Complete Current Address (and any prior addresses the certificate may be under)
• Copy of Driver’s License or State I.D. (any scanned copies or photos must be in .jpg format)
• Phone Number
• Email Address
• Reason for the Request

Please note that all requests for replacement must be e-mailed or sent through the United States Postal Service.

You can also read our blog post about what to do if you’ve lost your NJ Boating Safety certificate here.

Bridge Marina offers both small group and private, one-on-one lessons on Lake Hopatcong and Sandy Hook Bay in Highlands, New Jersey.

Our group training participants gain hands-on boat handling experience with a trusted captain aboard one of our beautiful Bridge Marina fleet boats. Group training sessions are designed for 2-4 participants and cover everything from boating basics to docking skills, as well as more advanced open water and tight quarter maneuvering skills. Each learning module is three hours in length.

Our private lessons offer participants a one-on-one, customized learning option, covering the modules of the participant’s choice aboard one of our fleet boats or the participant’s boat. The length of the lesson depends on the customized learning plan developed with the participant.

Learn more about our lessons and sign up here.

Bridge Marina’s hands-on learning programs typically utilize center console or bowrider boats, ranging in size from about 22 ft to 24 ft. Our boats are outfitted with single outboard engines. Boat owners can also choose to train on their own boat with our private training option.