Bass Pro Shops/Cabela’s Boating Center

New Jersey does not use an adult supervision exception: the minimum age is 13 for limited power vessels and 16 for any power vessel, including personal watercraft. Operators ages 13 through 15 need a boating safety certificate and may operate only an electric powered vessel or a vessel at least 12 feet long with less than 10 horsepower. Anyone under 13 cannot operate a power vessel, and the State Police manual says there are no exemptions to the age requirements.

The rental operator sets its own minimum, so confirm it when booking.

Source: New Jersey State Police Marine Services Bureau (nj.gov)

Yes. New Jersey requires operators 16 or older of power vessels, including personal watercraft, to hold a boating safety certificate. The requirement goes by age, not by birth year. Ages 13 to 15 may operate only an electric powered vessel, or one at least 12 feet long with under 10 horsepower, and still need a certificate; children under 13 may not operate power vessels at all.

Operating on non-tidal waters also requires a New Jersey boat license, an endorsement the Motor Vehicle Commission adds to a driver's license or ID card. It is an additional required document, not a replacement for the safety certificate. Out of state proof is accepted for visits under 90 days, as are Coast Guard operator licenses. The New Jersey State Police Marine Services Bureau administers certification.

Source: New Jersey State Police Marine Services Bureau (nj.gov)

From Atlantic City, you can cruise the sheltered Intracoastal back bays or take Absecon Inlet into the open Atlantic Ocean. Put in at Gardner’s Basin on Clam Creek or at the Atlantic City Municipal Ramp behind Bader Field on Inside Thorofare. Inside Thorofare is the protected city-side route; it rejoins Beach Thorofare, which connects with Absecon Channel and the inlet. A marked side channel reaches Lakes Bay, where the controlling depth is about 3 feet, so careful channel-following matters. Choose the inlet only in suitable conditions; the back-bay route offers a more sheltered day.

Source: NOAA Office of Coast Survey (nauticalcharts.noaa.gov)

Boaters from Atlantic City can make local day trips to Gardner’s Basin, the Somers Point bayfront, and Atlantic City Reef. Gardner’s Basin lies in Clam Creek off Absecon Inlet and has boating facilities and marine supplies, making it a practical harbor stop. Somers Point’s public marina offers transient slips in the Historic Bay District, where crews can tie up and explore the waterfront. Offshore, Atlantic City Reef attracts anglers and divers with state-placed structures that provide fishing grounds and underwater habitat for fish, shellfish, and crustaceans.

Source: NOAA Office of Coast Survey (nauticalcharts.noaa.gov)