Many of you are undoubtedly now looking forward to enjoying a well-deserved holiday at your favourite seaside location. This year, there’s one leisure activity that we strongly recommend trying that offers a whole lot more benefits than you could imagine: riding jet skis.
Although it may seem like only fun and excitement, a few hours riding a jet ski is also a great way to stay fit and healthy. Due to the effort needed to keep your balance correctly, you’ll be actively working and strengthening your arms and legs. But not just that, trying to manoeuvre a jet ski also forces you to work intensively on your coordination and balance, and this is another important health benefit that’s developed when cutting through the waves.
And there are other benefits apart from the purely physical rewards. When you’re out riding a jet ski you get to release huge amounts of adrenaline since you reach high speeds, usually very close to the water, you get the feeling that you’re actually moving a whole lot faster. Doing sport out in the water also reduces stress levels as creates hormones that make you forget about all your worries.
Aside from the health benefits, you can also reach places that would otherwise be almost impossible to get to, and you’re in close contact with the natural aquatic environment. So, when you think about it as tourism experience, the enjoyment and feeling of freedom combined with the flexibility, speed and safety makes the experience completely different to what you’d experience on another type of water vessel.
In addition to guaranteed fun and excitement, and after seeing everything that riding a jet ski has to offer, it stands to reason that when summer comes along, you’ll want to try one or return for more if you’ve already done it… but watch out, it can become a very very addictive activity!
Precautions when using jet skis
However, you must be aware of the precautions to take when you decide to use jet skis. These are motorised vehicles that can travel at high speeds, and as you often use them in open spaces, it’s up to you to set the limits.
The Spanish Maritime Safety Agency recommends a series of basic tips for both beginners and experts. So before setting sail on the high seas, take note of the following recommendations:
- Check the fuel gauge before heading out on the water with your jet ski.
- Remember that you’re not allowed to use jet skis at night.
- Respect the marked bathing areas and always stay more than 200m from the beach. Be conscious of the fact that you could possibly endanger the lives of swimmers and the noise from your jet ski is annoying for everyone else.
- Stay clear of other jet skis and floating devices, scuba divers, sailing vessels and boats (at least 50m).
- Don’t use your jet ski inside or near regatta courses as you may get in the way of the athletes.
- Always use a wetsuit to protect yourself from hypothermia. Make sure it has bright colours, so you can be located easily, and you should also carry light signals and some energy foods.
- Fasten the ignition key to your wrist so the engine cuts off if you fall into the water. If you experience problems, stay on the jet ski and don’t try to swim to the coast. Signal for help with your arms outstretched and wave them up and down.
8. Avoid sailing through access channels to ports, mooring areas and places with a heavy concentration of boats. In any case, you should never exceed a speed of 3 knots in these areas.
- Use the signposted access channels to beach your jet ski. If there aren’t any, sail perpendicular to the coastline and remember to keep your speed at less than 3 knots as you approach.
- Do not ride a jet ski under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.
