The Ultimate Introduction to Jet Ski Riding

Newbie goes from zero experience to 310 horsepower

I’ve been working behind the scenes at PersonalWatercraft.com since before it launched more than seven years ago, but never had the opportunity to really get out and ride. That all changed recently when Kawasaki sent out an invitation to ride its 2015 Jet Ski lineup in San Diego and our regular field editor/test rider, Jeff Hemmel, couldn’t go. I jumped at this very rare opportunity.

Prior to Kawasaki’s invitation, the only time I’d spent on a PWC was on the back of a rental when I was barely a teenager, a brief five-minute demo ride at the 2008 IJSBA World Finals, and a guided tour around Turks and Caicos aboard a neutered craft that topped out around 15-20 mph with my wife and three-year-old daughter on the back.

Before leaving for San Diego, I asked Jeff what I kind of gear I needed for the ride. He suggested a wetsuit with long sleeves, flotation vest, water shoes, and gloves. He also gave me a very good piece of advice – don’t wear cotton underwear under the wetsuit!

To protect myself from the elements, I picked up a wetsuit, vest, water shoes, and gloves from Slippery Wetsuits.

With shopping list in hand, I started researching various manufacturers and reached out to Slippery Wetsuits. After talking a bit about where I was riding, we settled on the Breaker John and Jacket wetsuit, Surge Neo vest, Amp shoes, and Circuit gloves. I also bought a pack of lycra-blend boxer briefs to wear underneath everything. I’ll have more information on the gear in a future article.

The morning after arriving in San Diego, Kawasaki led the way to Paradise Point Hotel and Resort, where a fleet of 2015 Jet Skis was waiting for me and the other members of the PWC media. We all suited up and headed out to Mission Bay after a brief safety talk from Kawasaki.

The 310-horsepower Kawasaki Jet Ski Ultra 310LX is nearly twice as powerful as my car!

A sexy looking green and black Jet Ski Ultra 310LX was my ride for the day. I never thought to bring my iphone with me on the ride, but soon regretted that decision as the LX is equipped with a Jet Sounds sound system and a dry bag for electronic devices. Though I was a little bummed out I wouldn’t get to hear my music pumping during the ride, I forgot about it as soon as I got to squeeze the throttle.

Despite its close proximity to the open ocean, Mission Bay was as calm and smooth as could be. This was good news for me, as it gave me the opportunity to tear around the bay without having to worry about being knocked around by big waves. And tear around I did! I’ve had plenty of seat time in ATVs, UTVs, and snowmobiles from my work as editor of ATV.com and Snowmobile.com, so the Jet Ski did not feel totally foreign to me. It shares some similarities with snowmobiling, only without the fear of biting cold, rocks, and trees. They share a similar riding stance and both require you to think well ahead when it comes to slowing down. The Ultra 310LX, however, can accelerate like no snowmobile I’ve ever ridden.

It didn’t take long before I got comfortable enough to start carving sharp (at least to me) corners.

It only took a little practice before I was able to comfortably carve a corner at speeds I’d never consider on any ATV or snowmobile. Kicking up a wall of water and accelerating out of a corner was exhilarating. I happily could have spent the entire day messing around in Mission Bay, but the open ocean was calling my name.

Before getting to the big water, we had to slowly ride through a lengthy no-wake zone. Kawasaki made that part easy, as a simple push of a button settled the craft into a smooth 5 mph no-wake speed without having to touch the throttle.

As we closed in on the open ocean, I could really start to feel its power. The smooth, calm waters of Mission Bay were replaced with a constant rising and falling. If you ever want to feel how insignificant you really are, hop on a very small craft and head for the ocean. It’s a humbling experience.

Once we hit the open water of the ocean, my spine told me it was time to stop sitting down and start using my legs as shock absorbers.

Though I was assured it was a relatively calm day, it felt like a different world once we got to the open water. I found it difficult at times to keep the craft steady when weren’t moving. And once we did start to open things up, I quickly realized I wouldn’t be spending much time sitting down.

Kawasaki is known for producing perhaps the best rough-water craft in the industry, with the ability to cut through waves like no other. But that doesn’t mean you’re in for a relaxing ride. The more experienced riders seemed to know how to almost skip across the waves, but I was a bit clumsy and bounced around more than the others. That improved fairly quickly, but I certainly wasn’t pinning the throttle; choosing instead to keep the speed around 35 mph as we cruised along and took in the sights.

Cruising along at 35 mph in the open ocean was more taxing than going 65 mph in the calm waters of Mission Bay.

It’s amazing how fast the day seemed to go by, but that’s usually the case when you’re having as much fun as we were. Whether it was making passes by the photographer’s boat in racer-boy poses or just goofing off and going for a swim, I enjoyed every minute of this adventure. Riding on a Jet Ski made me feel so much more connected to the experience than I would have in a big boat. It got me thinking that a long PWC tour would be great fun. Hopefully I’ll be able to find a way to do that some time in the next seven years.

Finally getting out from behind my desk and experiencing the awesome power of the Ultra 310LX was more than enough reason to celebrate.