The businessman behind the jet ski tours set to launch at Lake Illawarra in the coming weeks says his operation will be resident, business and public friendly.

Speaking to The Illawarra Flame after concerns were raised about the noise, environmental and safety aspects of his operation, Malcolm Barry, the owner of Play Hard Jet Skis, said the people of the Illawarra should have nothing to fear from his business.

When he first pitched his business to Shellharbour City Council, Mr Barry received a cool reception. However, as reported last week in The Flame, despite objections to Wollongong City Council, the independent planning panel approved the development application with a number of conditions. The new jet ski hire business is restricted to four craft per tour and there's a two-year limit at this time.

Play Hard will set up adjacent to the Lake Illawarra Yacht Club at Warrawong. It will operate for 10 months a year, from 8am-5pm Thursday to Sunday, except school holidays when it can operate seven days a week.

Mr Barry said he hopes to have final approval from Transport for NSW (Maritime) soon, in time for him to get the first jet skis on the lake for the school holidays, which start at the end of September.

He said while pleased to get approval locally, "unfortunately they cut the tours in half". The original application sought eight jet skis, which was deemed to be too many. He also decided to reduce the length of his lake circuit from 19km to 16km to stay away from the southern shore.

Plan to close Sydney and move to Wollongong

Currently working out of Georges River and Botany Bay, in Sydney's south, Mr Barry says his plan is to move the entire operation to Wollongong, closing down his Sydney base. He said cost-of-living pressures in Sydney, "too much red tape" and "being presented with a fresh opportunity" on Lake Illawarra convinced him to relocate. He plans to move his wife and children into a family home in Mount Warrigal.

Moving the jet ski business out of Sydney and into the Illawarra, however, hasn't all been plain sailing.

"I first went to Shellharbour Council in about 2023, and hoped to set up at Reddall Reserve," Mr Barry said. "Shellharbour Council advised me not to even lodge a DA because they had too many concerns. They didn't even want us on that side of the lake."

So, he shifted his focus further north into Wollongong LGA, where he received a much warmer welcome.

"They want tourism down here, which is great," he said.

Play Hard 'will bring tourism'

The new business has found supporters in the local tourism industry. 

For the past nine years, Bec Dunning has operated her successful standup paddleboard business on the lake at Reddall Reserve in Shellharbour LGA.

"Initially when Malcolm approached me with his plans I was scared," Bec said. But she said Lake Illawarra measures 38 square kilometres and there's room for everyone.

"When a business comes along that's going to provide education, that business will never do the wrong thing."

Bec said she was happy to put her support behind a fellow small business, and she hopes one day they may collaborate.

"It looks like they'll be here this summer and I'm looking forward to it. A business owner just wants to put their best foot forward and what's best it will bring tourism to the area."

'He's done the right thing' – sailing club

Also backing the jet ski hire business is the IYC Sailing Club. Its chair, Bruce Benoit, said the club and Mr Barry had "come to a mutual satisfaction".

"There were concerns when we spoke to Malcolm and we're now quite happy with the situation. He's done the right thing," Bruce said.

He felt there would be no dangers for sailors in the area. "The jet skis are limited in speed when they're near us. We now have no concerns on safety or the environment. I give him a credit for giving it a go."

Locals critical of lack of consultation

As reported by The Illawarra Flame on Monday, many community groups with links to the lake have claimed they weren't made aware of the plans and so had no opportunity to object.

Wildlife watchers and a local bird rescuer have shared their fears that birds will get run over and Mr Barry was given short shrift when he approached objectors at the lake edge on Sunday.

"It sucks that the birders get emotional," he said, claiming "they're campaigning against the business".

In a promotional letter Play Hard Jet Skis handed out to support their Wollongong bid, the company says "we pride ourselves on trying to deliver the best education to water users as possible".

Mr Barry says he will be one of the guides taking tour groups on laps of the lake. 

"We understand some jet ski riders create a nuisance or annoyance for some people, and that some jet ski riders are just dangerous which is where the enforcement needs to come in," the Play Hard promo letter says.

We have the 'best GPS system'

"We can guarantee our operation will be resident, business and public friendly because we literally have the world's best GPS system fitted to all our jets which is automatically controlled by a GPS geofence, so the speed is dropped if they leave the permitted borders," the promotional letter reads.

On dealing with issues of noise, it says: "While older two-stroke jet skis were noisy, our newer four-stroke models operate quietly. Contrary to popular belief, boats pose a more significant environmental threat than jet skis. In my research on Lake Illawarra's coastal management plan and related studies, I realised that I will not be contributing to the problem; instead, I can help provide solutions."

Mr Barry told The Illawarra Flame he was confident his business would be so warmly embraced on Lake Illawarra that after his first two years of operation he would be reapplying to run tour groups of eight jet skis. "By them cutting the number in half, it impacts on revenue and the number of jobs," he said.