The history of jetksiing

You might not know it, but Jet Ski is actually a brand name that Kawasaki used when they invented the first Personal Watercraft back in the crazy'n'wild 70s. Since then, other well known brands have come onto the market including SeaDoo and Yamaha with the much-loved WaveRunner, but all are generally known as jet skis these days. What's more, the design hasn't really changed and they all work in a similar way, with powerful little onboard motors.

The two types of jet ski

One thing's for sure, these are very versatile water craft. The easiest to master is the sit down version. These come as single seaters for solo riders, or as larger two and three seater models. They are ideal for cruising around the sea or pottering around inland lakes and reservoirs, making them the perfect choice for beginner riders.

Those with a little more jet-skiing experience will want to progress to the stand up type. These are an altogether different kettle of fish as they are trickier to master. Even though you can start off by kneeling on them, the ultimate aim is to ride them standing up. If you do get your sea legs and your balance right, you'll find them agile, super fast and even capable of doing freestyle tricks in, under and on top of the water. And if you needed any more convincing that jet skis are cool, watch this little video of jet skiers doing freestyle tricks .

Where to ride jet skis in the UK

As for where you can ride these types of craft in this country, we've got fresh water and sea venues for you to choose from. Some experiences are in the form of sightseeing tours where you can pop in and out of normally inaccessible coves around the coast, whilst others test your mettle as you swerve around slalom courses laid out with buoys.

Our most popular jetski experiences are the ones that combine several different craft into one session. Start off with a jetRIB, then try the sit down jet skis. The finale is a whizz around on a stand up jetski,

So, if piloting a jet ski or cruising on jetbikes isn't enough to satiate your waterborne desires, we can highly recommend the jetRIBs. These little vessels offer a whole different world of craziness as this craft combines a mini Rigid Inflatable with a jet ski to make for a stable, but very agile craft for sliding around the water on.

In essence, jet skiing makes watersports accessible to all, without the need to learn lots of theory before you can get started out on the water. They are, of course, powerful watercraft, so prudence is the order of the day, but they are a shedload of fun!