Top 5 tips for your first time out on a jet ski

As Australians holiday at home in the wake of the pandemic, more people than ever before are taking to the water.

It means there are a lot more first-time riders on jet skis and personal watercraft, and social media pages are full of questions about the bare essentials you need to take with you out on the water.

Here are our top five tips for ensuring your first time out on a jet ski is a fun day.

The sun is brutal and the spray off the water at speed can easily wash-off sunscreen. So lather up before you leave the house, add another coat of sunscreen again when launching, and then throughout the ride.

A long-sleeve rashie and board shorts (or long pants made out of rashie material such as those worn by mountain bikers) will do a better job than sunscreen for the most part. Then you only need to cover your face and neck with sunscreen.

An extreme option is to wear a helmet designed for personal watercraft or mountain biking.

Most riders don’t favour this option, but it’s the best way to stay protected from the sun.

A helmet can also keep goggles in place.

Without a helmet, the lips and ears cop a beating, so choose your favourite lip gloss – or invisible zinc, or similar.

When shopping for a jet ski life jacket, lean towards one that has a pocket on the front so you can carry small items such as a compact bottle of sunscreen.

Most riders will go through two or three pairs of sunglasses before biting the bullet and buying dedicated jet ski goggles.

There are various types. Snow ski goggles are a good interim measure but the lenses fill with water and don’t drain easily.

Jet Pilot makes dedicated floating jet ski googles, and some are polarised, which helps reduce glare on bright days.

You can’t have enough water out there. Most modern sit-down-style Jet Skis and personal watercraft have good storage pockets (particularly the new Yamaha FX range and any Sea-Doo based on the ST3 hull such as the Fish Pro, RXT-X 300 and GTX 300 Limited).

However, the bottles can get knocked around, split, or open. So you want to make sure you wrap them in a towel or a soft cool bag, to give them a chance.

I ride with a water bladder backpack (similar to a Camelbak and those worn by mountain bike riders and hikers) that can hold up to three litres of water.

It means I can grab a drink through the suction tube at a moment’s notice, without having to stop, open the storage compartment, undo a plastic lid and then take a swill.

A water bladder backpack is faster and easier and I’m more inclined to drink more – it’s easy to get dehydrated out there.

Gloves give you sun protection but they may also reduce the chance of blisters.

Most watercraft use quite aggressive handgrips and, even with decent gloves, it’s easy to develop blisters, especially as the gloves get wet and they start to rub on your hands.

Be mindful of exposed stitching inside the gloves which can cause blisters (but the blisters will be way worse without gloves at all).

You can buy specialised watercraft gloves, but mountain bike gloves also work. I’ve also used gloves designed for heavy machinery.

Specialised slip-on shoes designed for jet skis and personal watercraft are recommended because they give you more grip on the top deck of the ski, and may prevent injuries from shrapnel when you’re standing in shallow water.

If you don’t want the added expense of dedicated slip-on jet ski shoes (similar to those worn by divers, they're about $40 to $50), an old pair of running shoes might work, but their soles could be too slippery on the top deck and do more harm than good.