I tested it for you… jet skiing in New York
I took the plunge for a jet ski adventure in New York Bay. Thrills guaranteed!
Jet skiing is one of the newer activities to try in New York. We headed to Hoboken marina in New Jersey to meet Charlie, one of the guides at New York Harbor Jet Ski. First stop: the locker room to change into a swimsuit. Then Charlie showed me the machine—a 160-horsepower Kawasaki jet ski capable of reaching nearly 100 km/h (62 mph). I listened carefully to every instruction before taking the controls.
We left the marina at low speed, then once we hit the middle of the Hudson River, I opened it up. Charlie followed at a distance. We headed straight for the Statue of Liberty. I’ve crossed the Hudson countless times by ferry and cruise ship, but this jet ski ride felt completely different: the speed was exhilarating, and the World Trade Center grew larger as we approached.
Unique perspectives
One huge advantage of jet skiing: instead of approaching Liberty Island from the front like all the ferries and cruise ships do, a jet ski lets you circle the entire island at low speed. You see parts of the island normally hidden from view.
The jet ski also gets you much closer to the statue than any boat. Charlie signaled me to cut the engine so we could take in the view of the Statue of Liberty and the skyline. At water level, the perspective was unlike anything I’d seen before.
Then one of the ferries heading to the statue pulled alongside us, and Charlie decided to put on a show. In front of the astonished ferry passengers, he hit the waves created by the ferry and literally launched into the air. Impressive. I stuck with a more conventional approach before opening the throttle again to head up the East River toward the Brooklyn Bridge. This was the other highlight of the trip: passing under the bridge. Charlie again invited me to cut the engine beneath it to enjoy an unusual view.
A burst to 50 km/h
One drawback: the inevitable splashing makes it risky to bring a camera on a shoulder strap. The jet ski’s small storage compartment won’t fit a large camera either, and the repeated impacts from waves would quickly damage electronics. Not worth the risk. Fortunately, Charlie has a solution. He carries a reinforced iPhone and offers to take photos for you at several spots along the route.
On the way back to New Jersey, I tested the machine’s full potential: a quick burst to 50 km/h (31 mph) on the Hudson. On a jet ski, that’s thrilling.
If this sounds like your kind of adventure, New York Harbor Jet Ski offers several tours of New York Bay ranging from 1 to 3 hours. You can also ride with a passenger, who pays an additional $50 to $75. Visit the New York Harbor Jet Ski website for all the details. Have a nice ride!
Jet skiing in New York in photos
