Can Kids Ride on Jet Skis? Both As Passengers & In Control

Have you ever wondered if the little humans amongst us are allowed to ride on a jet ski? Well, I got wondering that myself recently and did some research.

After all, I too wanted to take my son with me riding along our local canals but hadn’t really seen any others with PWCs actually do this. Here’s what I found:

In most states and jurisdictions, children need to be at least 2 years old to be allowed to ride on a jet ski either behind or in front of an adult who is aged 18 years or older. In other areas, teenagers can start riding their own jet skis once aged 16 years or older. As for being a spotter for water sports, the age minimum is generally 12 years old.

Let’s go into further detail about the responsibilities of parents while children are riding.

Kids and Jet Skis

Certainly, children are allowed to ride on jet skis and the legalities differ slightly between countries and local laws. Most kids don’t start riding as a pillion passenger until they are aged 4 to 5 and even then, the speeds travelled are often 20-knots or less.

There are things that we need to really think about first. Namely, you’ll need to get them a kids lifejacket specifically for jet ski usage and doesn’t cause them to overheat out there on a hot day.

Top Speeds

Taking kids along for a day of jet ski riding means that you’ll be sacrificing speed for life experiences. Yes – taking children along for the journey is fun, but you’ll probably be cruising around at 20 to 30 knots. You can let your kids have a turn of throttle control but switch your jet ski into learner mode prior just in case (assuming it has this function, that is).

Weather Conditions

Something to be mindful of is heading too far away from the boat ramp. If the weather conditions do change then you’ll get yourself a little stuck and potentially an embarassing situation on the evening news. I’d aim to stay less than a mile away from the boat ramp at all times and only head maybe 100 yards off any beach if necessary.

Safety Lanyard

What I think is best is if you have the child’s cut out switch connected to the jet ski. If they do fall off (unlikely) then it will immediately depower the jet ski. If you’re a heavier human and you’re wearing a thick jet ski then you may not feel the grip of a child when you’re bouncing around and listening to that Rotax engine.

Sun Protection

It can get seriously hot out there without any sun protection. I’d aim for a hat, long sleeve rashie and some sunscreen. Also avoid riding in the hottest part of the day and take plenty of water stored in the front locker. Kids toast quite easily and you’ll want them to have an enjoyable time out there as much as you are, so they keep begging you to head out again!

Children Riding Solo

Once kids get to a certain age, they’ll want to have some fun riding a jet ski on their own. People in more remote areas generally let their kids ride on their own from age 10, but this of course has some risks involved including fines for the parents. If you do want your child to start learning how to ride, then be their pillion passenger and let them get a real sense of how to ride safely.

In Summary

It appears that children can certainly join us in our passion of jet ski riding. As I’ve outlined, there are some considerations that you’ll need to follow to have a safe time out there on the waterways!