Proper education is one vital step leading to a safe and enjoyable experience on the water. Whether you are new to boating, or wanting to gain further experience, there will be a course suitable to your needs.
Here at Tauranga Coastguard we run a monthly Maritime Restricted Operators Certificate, which is an internationally recognised radio licence course, administered by the Department of Internal Affairs. This provides the necessary level of qualification to legally use a marine VHF radio in non emergency situations. As we run the course ourselves, we are able to keep the the cost to a minimum.
Once you have the licence it is a good idea for purchase a callsign, which is unique to you and lasts for life. This is a much easier way to identify a caller over the radio, than by the boat name, which can be difficult to hear and obtain the correct spellng, and is often a name shared by a great number of other boats. Callsigns can be purchased from Coastguard Boating Education Service, by calling 0800 40 80 90, or by going to their website and making the purchase on-line.
Several times a year courses are also run here covering the Day Skipper, Boat Master, and Coastal Navigation Syllabuses. Click on the link below to find out the current scedules.
View scheduled couses held at Tauranga Coastguard for this year
A greater selection of courses is offered by Coastguard Boating Education Service, and some include homestudy packs which will give you all the necessary material to study for the examination. More information can be obtained from their web-site www.cbes.org.nz.