Ocean City Fishing Center

Maryland sets no general minimum age for operating a motorized vessel other than a personal watercraft, but an operator under 16 is never unsupervised. Under Natural Resources §8-712.2, someone under 16 must both hold a boating safety certificate and have an eligible supervisor aboard. For vessels under 11 feet, the supervisor must hold a certificate; for vessels 11 feet or longer, the supervisor must hold one and be at least 18. Someone born before July 1, 1972, may also supervise.

Personal watercraft operators must be at least 16 and carry a certificate if born on or after July 1, 1972. The rental operator sets its own minimum, so confirm it when booking.

Source: Maryland Department of Natural Resources (mgaleg.maryland.gov)

Maryland does not issue a recreational boating license, but people born on or after July 1, 1972 generally must carry a boating safety education certificate when operating a numbered or documented pleasure vessel. This includes personal watercraft, whose operators must be at least 16. Anyone under 16 operating a motorized vessel 11 feet or longer without a certificate must instead be supervised by someone 18 or older who holds a valid certificate, or who was born before the cutoff. Exemptions include commercial operators, qualifying visitors, private waters, and those born before the cutoff. Renters of motorized vessels other than personal watercraft may be issued a 10 day temporary certificate after reading a safety sheet. Maryland Natural Resources Police administers the program.

Source: Maryland Department of Natural Resources and Maryland Natural Resources Police (dnr.maryland.gov)

You can boat from Ocean City into Assawoman Bay, Isle of Wight Bay, Sinepuxent Bay, Ocean City Inlet and the Atlantic Ocean. For shallow lagoon boating, choose Assawoman or Isle of Wight; NOAA describes them as a continuous lagoon, with deeper water generally confined to established channels. The 64th Street public ramp provides access to Assawoman Bay, while the West Ocean City Commercial Harbor has another public ramp.

Isle of Wight Bay connects with Ocean City Inlet, the marked passage to open Atlantic water; NOAA warns of a strong ebb current and changing inlet conditions. Sinepuxent Bay is narrow and mostly shoal behind Assateague Island, with direct access from Assateague State Park’s two ramps.

Source: Town of Ocean City (oceancitymd.gov)

Boaters from Ocean City make day trips to Assateague Island’s North End, Skimmer Island and the Bass Grounds. The North End offers a remote shoreline reached by boat, with no marked trails or facilities. Skimmer Island draws birdwatchers in kayaks and shallow-draft boats to see black skimmers and royal terns from outside the marked buffer; the island and its buffer are closed to public access from April 1 through September 15. Offshore anglers use the Bass Grounds, an artificial reef site that Maryland DNR describes as heavily fished.

Source: Maryland Department of Natural Resources (dnr.maryland.gov)