Things You'll Need:
- A jet ski
- A calm lake without tons of people
- A life jacket
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Step 1
A jet ski is fairly easy to ride. Any 12-year-old can operate one. This means that a lot of people that do it are not always thinking about safety.
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Step 2
Look at your jet ski's controls. There's a pair of handle bars, a start button and a stop button. On the right-hand side there is a lever. This lever is not a brake; it's the throttle. Higher-octane models will also have another lever that controls a clutch and an LCD that shows speed, fuel levels etc.
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Step 3
The start button will start the engine. The stop button will stop the engine. If you turn the handle bars to the right, the engine's jet nozzle will direct the stream of water to the right, and vice versa. It's real elementary.
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Step 4
One thing that sets driving a jet ski apart from steering a boat is that a jet ski has no rudder. This means that the jet ski will only turn if the engine is propelling it in that direction.
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Step 5
Any jet ski worth driving will have a safety key. This is usually a bracelet tethered to a little plastic clip that attaches itself to a spot on the handle bars. This key needs to be engaged on the jet ski's handle bars in order for the engine to start and run. The tether should always be around your wrist; if you fall off of the jet ski and you are not wearing the tether, the jet ski will keep going. If you are wearing the tether, the plastic key will be pulled out and the engine will stop. This can be handy when it's time to swim back to the jet ski.
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Step 6
If the jet ski is beached, push it out into the water and turn it so that it is facing out toward the middle of the lake. Jet ski's don't reverse. If the jet ski is on a lowering mechanism, lower it into the water.
Push the jet ski out into the water deep enough that it won't churn up any rocks that might find their way into the engine intake. Between 3 or 4 feet is deep enough. -
Step 7
To mount the jet ski, swim to the back and pull yourself up, then scoot forward until you are in the driver position. If you have a passenger, make sure that he doesn't get on until after you and the jet ski are settled in the water again.
Never mount a jet ski from the side. You will pull it over on your head and look like an idiot ... but hey, maybe that's your thing. -
Step 8
If you haven't already, put the safety tether around your wrist. You should also be wearing your life jacket. If you're not, head back to the beach and think seriously about whether or not you're smart enough to handle heavy machinery.
Plug the safety key into the handle bars. -
Step 9
Push the green button. If nothing happens, find the owner and ask for help. Every jet ski is different ... some require a code, others need to be primed. On a lower-end model, all you should need to do is turn on the power and select a gas tank. I'm not covering how to do any of this because every jet ski is different and the owner should brief you on this before you strike out.
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Step 10
One the engine starts and settles down to a steady idle, pull the throttle back just a tiny bit ... enough to motor far away from shore. Now would be a time to start watching for boats, swimmers, other jet skiers etc.
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Step 11
Play a little bit with the throttle, learn how much juice makes the jet ski go how fast. Try not to pull all the way back on the throttle until you feel completely confident. All the while, be aware of what is going on around you. If you get too close to anything or anybody else, leave the area.
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Step 12
Once you're comfortable with speed, do turns. Learn how fast and how sharp you need to turn to spill.
If you end up in the water and your jet ski is upside down, don't panic. Jet ski's have foam-filled hulls ... they will float no matter what.
To right your jet ski, swim to the rear and flip the boat over in the direction indicated on the back of the jet ski. Every jet ski has a specific direction that it is easy to flip it back over and a direction that it is impossible. If you can't make it flip back over, try flipping the other way. It should be easy to right the jet ski.
Don't try to right the jet ski from the side, it could fall on you and you could die ... and it would be all my fault. This would make me sad. -
Step 13
Congrats! You can drive a jet ski. Now here's how to have fun on a jet ski: Find waves. Big ones. Ride over them. You can catch air by gunning the engine at the right moment (each jet ski is different ... tired of me saying that yet?)
If there's a speed boat on the lake, play around in its wake, but at a respectful distance. Boats pulling water skiers or inner tubes are best, as they tend to swerve around a lot. -
Step 14
Let me remind you again to be safe. A jet ski could easily kill someone if it were to land on top of them, or if it were to go over the top of a swimmer.
Just as in driving a car, you should be aware of everything that is going on around you at all times.
There is no shame in heading back to shore if the lake gets too busy to be safe. Leave it to more experienced riders.
