Did you know that jet ski hire has become super affordable? This is due to COVID-19 and fewer tourists on the beaches of Miami.
So whether you’re a local or visiting from interstate, I’ve done a lot of the groundwork here to find you the most affordable options for hiring a jet ski or going on a tour.
Just keep in mind that the machines you’ll hire are typically underpowered. While they can take 2 people, it’s going to be a slow ride and nothing like riding a full-sized performance-orientated PWC.
Miami Jet Ski Hire Shops
You certainly can hire a jet ski for less than 70 buckaroos. Problem is though…this will be a 30-minute ride and you’re back to the dock. Just when you’re really about to open the throttle…BAM! You’ll be told that the time is up.
Miami jet ski rental: how to get riding for $70! 4
It’s for this reason that I really recommend that you get yourself a decent rental for at least an hour, if not two. This is going to cost you $150 to $300 but well worth it, and the first time you go I recommend going with a tour guide.
Here are the most popular places to hire jet skis in Miami:
1. BJM Jetski Rentals
One of the most popular places to hire a jet ski is BJM. Their reviews are pretty high and the prices are pretty affordable. It’s where I’d be going if it’s my first time out there.
2. Miami Beach Jet Ski Rentals
Another great spot to go to is these guys. I’ve heard great things and their prices are quite reasonable. They’re right on the beach so you can jump in for a swim afterwards!
3. Just Jet Ski Rentals & Tours
I recommend tours for first-time riders and Just Jet Ski is perfect. The pretty friendly team over there can get you organized and riding in about 10 minutes.
4. Jet Skis in Miami
Interesting name and you’ll get pretty good service here too. You can tell that the owners really know their personal watercraft very well. They’re not my first choice but that doesn’t mean that they’re bad.
Getting Started
It’s pretty easy to get out there and start riding, and no – you won’t need a PWC licence even if you’re from interstate or overseas. Some valid photo ID is all that is necessary.
Keep in mind that there is certain etiquette that you need to abide by such as not capsizing your jet ski or doing 70 miles per hour. Typically the jet ski models they use are recreational-lite which means the GTI90 is the model of choice. Max speed on the waterways is typically 40 knots.
In recent years I’ve seen some troubling videos on the internet of jet ski riders getting themselves in trouble. There is nothing worst (in my opinion, at least) than coming across this now-famous scam.
One that leaves people ruined financially and emotionally, and with little recourse. I’ve been to Thailand several times and have seen this happen first-hand in Patong Beach, Pattaya and Phuket and things can get real bad real fast.
In this guide, I hope to save you from being yet another victim of this case of greed in an otherwise beautiful part of South-East Asia.
Here’s How The Thailand Jet Ski Scam Works
It’s quite a simple process and after you realize it, you wonder how the tourists fell into this notorious trap without any help from local police. This is how it all plays out…
What is the thailand jet ski scam? (you have been warned) 8
1. Dumb Tourist Interest in Hiring a Jet Ski
Because they’re on holiday in this beautiful part of the world, they decide to hire a jet ski for some exploring. The unsuspecting victim won’t even need a licence…it’s that easy!
2. The Thailand Jet Ski Rental Shop Takes Their Money
They charge ’em a very affordable rate by western standards. It’s premium pay for them and cheap for any westerner. They won’t even check if you know their way around this thing. While the tourist is paying, they’re actually sizing ’em up to see if they scam them later in the day. If they appear weak physically or emotionally, then they’re the perfect victim!
3. Secretly, They Don’t Let Anyone Know Of Pre-existing Damage
The jet ski they’re hiring probably has pre-existing damage but they don’t advise anyone of this purposely. Instead, they cover it up with black paint just under the waterline. Most tourists won’t even spot it because chances are they’ve never dealt with a jet ski before and won’t know what to look for.
4. Dumb Tourist Heads Out For 30 to 60 Minutes of Fun Riding
They’ll show anyone where they can ride and will keep an eye on you. They’ll actually encourage tourists to ‘let loose’ for a little while to really have some fun. Ultimately, they’re trying to get the paint that’s covering the damage to dissolve in the waves and wake that is created from the bow of the jet ski.
If this part doesn’t work, then they can’t scam anyone. One challenge is that the jet skis in these operations are typically 10 to 15 years old so don’t quite have the power that they used to.
5. When The Tourist Returns, Some Damage ‘Magically’ Appears
Immediately upon beaching the jet ski, they’ll point out some ‘fresh’ damage that western tourists did. Of course, it wasn’t there before right…? Of course, it was! They all know it, including the locals but the foreigner has no evidence to the contrary.
6. Dumb Tourists Is Treated…Like A Dumb Tourist
This is where these Thailand guys (some call them the Thai mafia) start to get quite aggressive. They’ll make a mockery of any westerner. Apparently, you sign a contract that appears to be legit, but it isn’t.
7. They MAKE Them Pay Up To $1,000 in ‘Damage Fees’
Yep, this is where they truly scam unsuspecting victims. Initially, it becomes quiet but they ramp up pretty quickly and become aggressive. You’ll be pushed for over-inflated fees in order to extort as much money from the rich foreigner (aka farang) as possible. This is how they get people to really pay up big, including following westerners with handguns to the local ATM for cash withdrawals.
What’s worst is that often the local police are in on the scam too so they can’t help you. Essentially, it’s corruption. Fortunately, in some of the more tourist-friendly areas, there are tourist police whose sole job is to help individuals get out of these difficult situations.
How to Avoid Being Scammed
The #1 tip I can give you is to NOT hire a jet ski in Thailand. That’s always rule #1. It might look cheap and fun, but it might turn out to be an expensive experience and the operators have fun this scam many times before.
Now – if you did REALLY want to get out there, then I’d aim to:
Take extensive photos before you hire and look at any suspect areas on the hull
Don’t let them hold your smart phone or else they may delete the photos
Bring a Thai-speaking friend with you. The locals won’t like friend though…
Tell the operators that you know of the scam….even share this very page!
Keep your distance away from other vessels. Others might try to ram you on purpose.
If you have any issues, then start recording video and upload to YouTube!
There are of course some safe and legitimate operators out there who actually do the right thing. Not every one of these hire shops is bad, but there are a few that give the honest guys a bad name.
So you’ve seen some others riding around and having some serious fun out there on a jet ski. Perhaps you’ve curious just how much this costs to just hire or rent one for a few hours.
Generally speaking, it costs $75 to $100 to hire a jet ski in most areas, but individuals will be limited to 30 minutes to 60 minutes of restricted usage. To get some serious riding fun in, we recommend hiring a jet ski of between 2 to 4 hours which will cost between $180 and $350 depending on if it’s self-drive or an organized tour.
There are some factors that can play into that pricing, including if you require additional instructions or assistance. In this guide, we’ll examine this further.
Jet Ski Rental Pricing
When you look at it from one perspective, it looks quite expensive to hire a jet ski. Surely these rental companies must be making a fortune!? Not really, especially as it’s a seasonal business.
The places where you can hire a jet ski, otherwise known as a rental business, are quite expensive to actually run. One of their biggest issues is the rising cost of insurance.
How much does it cost to rent a jet ski? (2022 prices) 12
Also, they sometimes have to pay the local authorities a lease on the spot that they’re hiring from as part of their contract conditions. Then you’ve got staff wages with often 2 to 3 people on shift, then the cost of fuel too. It certainly adds up! Let’s not forget all the marketing that has to be done to get someone to their front door.
Self-Hire
The cheapest way to hire a jet ski is to self-drive one without a tour leader. What will happen is that they will have a specially marked area with life buoys right by the hire shop where you can let loose on their pre-determined ‘track’ which has been laid out.
You won’t really get to explore anywhere but it’s a great chance to learn how a jet ski is operated. Actually, that part is simply as the throttle is in your right-hand. If you’re using the jet ski in this enclosed area then they won’t need you to display a jet ski licence, only if you were to want to ride away and explore the waterways unsupervised. This increases the insurance cost and thus you will pay a little extra for this privilege.
Tour
It’s more expensive to go on a jet ski tour because they need to cover the cost of fuel, salary and wear and tear on the lead jet ski. For large groups, they will also have a sweep rider whose main job it is to keep the group moving along from start to finish.
I’d still recommend that you go on a group tour anyways as this is a great way to build up some confidence and experience while exploring in style! Even if it means that you’ll need to wave up some extra dollars…it’s worth it!
Cheapest Place to Hire
Definitely, the place to hire a jet ski if you want a bargain is south-east Asia. In Thailand, for instance, you can hire out a jet ski for $50 an hour including fuel. However, be warned that they have the jet ski scam where you’ll need to pay money for existing damage. We’ll explain more about that one.
In Summary
Compared to owning a jet ski, it’s much less expensive to hire one every month or so, or just go for a ride casually. Sometimes you can find some great deals on discount deal sites too.
Ah so you’ve just bought your new jet ski and you’re keen to get some fun things that you can do. Or perhaps you’re still in the research stage.
Either way, I’m here to help you out with this guide. I’ll show you how to make the most out your time out there!
Here are 9 ways to have fun on a jet ski:
1. Jump Waves
Yep, who’d have thought? But seriously…it’s heaps of fun! Keep in mind though that there are 2 ways to jump waves with a jet ski:
Head to an uncrowded beach and go ‘down the back’ to get the deep water waves at low speed.
Look for large cruising vessels that leave a deep yet high wave behind them. These create some epic wake that I love to challenge myself on.
Pro-tip: Don’t go out there and do this alone as it’s quite risky. Also wear your protection gear when riding waves such as a helmet, gloves and thick-as-possible PFD.
2. Go Jet Ski Fishing
It’s become quite popular in recent years to head out jet ski fishing. In fact, Sea-Doo came out with their own unique model specifically for riders who are mostly using their ski to drop some lines in the water.
Generally, you’ll go jet ski fishing on your own, so this isn’t so much a group activity. Nonetheless, it’s lots of fun and we’ve written an extensive guide here and a list of fishing accessories here to make your life easier.
3. Tow Tubes, Waterskiers and Wakeboarders
This is where the real fun starts to happen! If you have a more powerful ski (i.e. NOT a Sea-Doo Spark) then you can tow tubes and have some serious fun. Of course, the Spark can tow tubes as well but at low speeds and it’s quite a drain on that poor slow engine. They can tow wakeboarders and skis with less of an issue given there is less drag on the water.
9 really fun things to do on a jet ski worth sharing 18
There are numerous tubes to tow out there. I’d recommend max 2 people on any tube of 3 children. One of the challenges is that there isn’t much space on a jet ski in case they need to be rescued, given that legally you can only have 3 people on there at a time.
4. Race Your Buddies
If you get a jet ski, then next week your buddy is probably going to get one too. It’s an addictive hobby after all, albeit a little expensive at the same time. If you’re looking for true fuel burn, then it’s time to start up some obstacles and friendly racing. ????
Look for areas where you’re not restricted with speeds. Some waterways are 25 or 40 knots even when there is no one else around. Also, keep it friendly and a good distance before the both of you since jet skis don’t have brake lights and it’s hard to see a ski slowing down behind a wake.
5. Go Camping With Your Jet Ski
Did you know that you can load up your camping gear on your jet ski and head out on a single-night or multi-night adventure? It’s starting to rise popularity and it’s something that I’m looking forward to doing next weekend actually.
In fact, I’ve written a guide on exactly how to do this right here.
6. Explore Islands
Island hopping with your jet ski is pretty fun in both salt and fresh water environments. Given the low draft, you can really get up there on the beach and anchor yourself in good.
This is where parking some flip flops or sandals will come in super handy. Make use of that front locker and don’t forget to take the keys with you while you’re exploring inland.
7. Go Hunting
I recently found out that some guys use their jet skis to go hunting. The mobility of these vessels allows you to get into some pretty remote areas and hunt for deer, pigs and goats pretty easily. I’d recommend that you pack some boots so you can trek cross-country more easily.
8. Tow Surfers Into Waves
If you’re bored and want others to have some fun, then you can find some buddies who are ready to take on some big waves. Some states and juristrictions have restrictions on jet ski usage for towing big wave surfers, so it’s best to check before heading out. For instance, they restrict them to competition-use only but others allow you do this without an issue.
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9. Head Out Whale Watching
Instead of paying a fortune for a whale watching tour, you could use your ski and get out there to see as much as you want right up close. I’ve found that it’s truly a game of patience and persistance. Sometimes you won’t see whales for days but at other times, they’re surfacing every 10 minutes. Keep your distance and pack the DLSR camera!
In Summary
There we have it! Some really cool and creative ways to have fun with your jet ski instead of just riding it around the waterways. It’s truly a multi-functional vehicle which has its merits, as much as the authorities want to police our fun.
Be respectful and responsible and I’ll catch you out there. 😃
Right – so you’re ready to quit working for the man and start your own business either leasing jet skis or running tours.
A wise choice.
A Jet ski rental business can be very profitable if you have more than 7 jet skis in your fleet. Owners can yield up to $1,000 per day in profit on weekdays, and those profit margins increase significantly on weekends with prior bookings. However, jet ski tours can reduce profit margins considerably when compared with self-tours.
Essentially, there are a lot of things to consider before launching everything. In this guide, I’m going to discuss how you can get started in running your own jet ski business.
I should know as I happen to run my own business serving the interests of PWC riders globally. I feel that I’m much more qualified to advise you on starting a jet ski business than just about any other website on the internet because of my background and knowledge shared among the many pages on this site about jet skis.
Guide to Starting a Jet Ski Business
I’ve written this guide as no one else was out there trying to help me when I got started. I’ve literally thought of as much as I can so you can get my insights to take them and apply it to your business.
Of course with anything, speak to your own CPA/accountant/lawyer/attorney before committing to any new venture. The advice I’m providing here is based on experience but is still general in nature for jet ski enthusiasts.
Let’s begin.
1. Think Of A Business Name
Firstly, you’re going to want to think of a name. I like the idea of naming your jet ski hire business after the particular region that you’re in. This makes it so much easier to rank up high in the search engines. For instance, if someone types in ‘Great Lakes Jet Ski Hire’, then you’ll rank #1 if that’s your brand name.
Pro-tip: Avoid naming your business after yourself. This is to make it easier to sell in the future. For example, “Jacob’s Jet Ski Hire” is going to be hard to sell unless you come across another dude called Jacob who just happens to want to buy your business in the future. It can also reduce business liability if you name it generically or something appropriate to your region, state, city or suburb.
2. Consider the Business Structure
Once you’ve got a name in mind, it’s time to book an appointment with a professional. In some countries, you’ll simply speak to your accountant to discuss a business structure and in other countries, you’ll need to speak to a lawyer as well. It really depends on a myriad of factors.
I went with a company structure to reduce my liability if someone gets hurt, but then again I know some people simply go with an S-corp or sole trader type of arrangement or even try a family trust structure. It’s all situation-dependent so best to get independent advice on this one. Expect to pay upwards of $1,000 to get this setup + monthly retainers for bookkeeping/accounting.
3. What Will You Offer Customers?
Now we get into the actual drawing up of the business. You need to think about what you can offer your customers. You really do have some options here:
You could offer tours only. You lead and the rest follow. This can reduce your insurance premiums.
You could offer tours + self ride options. Some people want freedom and others want guidance, so you’ll appeal to both types.
You could offer self ride only. This is generally on an approved route that you’ve already marked out. This is where you’ll want GPS trackers on each jet ski.
You could even offer a multi-day trailer package. This is where customers could come to your house, pick up the ski on a trailer and get to use it for as long as they want. Yes, they will need their own licence for this purpose.
Another option is rent to own jet skis or jet ski share/syndicates but generally speaking, these aren’t as popular as yachts in the marine world. Most people can afford to buy a jet ski or at the very least, they can afford the monthly repayments.
The notion of hiring/leasing appeals to those who are mostly time-poor or resource-poor or are visiting the area on holidays. The reasons holidaymakers hire a jet ski are obvious, but as for locals, they don’t want to deal with the challenges of storage, maintenance, launching, retrieval and potentially upgrading their car. Taking your ski out for a few hours should be a quick and easy solution.
4. Get Government/Council Approval
One of the biggest deciding factors as to whether you’ll be successful or not in getting this new venture off the ground is getting local approval. Depending on your country, it could take several months to get approval by local authorities.
The police to closely monitor jet ski hire businesses for compliance.
They’re going to want to know a ton of details:
Where you plan to operate your hires/tours
What are your operating hours and days
The insurances that you have in place
If you’ll be taking up space at the boat ramp
Risk assessments and policies/procedures you have in place to protect customers and other waterway users
Generally speaking, you’ll get less red tape if you choose to store a couple of skis at home and hire them out to those with tow bars. But then again, you may not make as much income.
This is also a good time to write up all your documentation such as orientation materials for customers and how you’re going to manage everything.
5. Start The Jet Ski Website
The biggest and best marketing tool that you’ll have at your disposal is a website. Think of it like a business card that is being handed out 24/7 to locals and visitors alike. Getting a website made these days is pretty straight forward and most people can do it themselves with popular platforms like SquareSpace.
Of course, there are agencies that will charge you $10k + $2k/month to build your website and keep it ranked high. Honestly, I find these prices to be BS because they’re often sending the work off to India/Philippines for $750 and pocketing the difference, so watch out for this scam.
Sure, you might feel a bit tech challenged in setting up a site but they’re not all that hard nowadays. I’ve set up about 30 sites now including this one and it’s mostly clicking some buttons to make the magic happen.
But what if you’re still lost? Well, a good tip that I can give you is to find the other jet ski hire companies in your local area and then scroll to the bottom of their websites. You’ll find the contact details of the companies that built their websites. If they’ve built theirs, then they can build yours too! (Of course with a different color scheme, pricing and branding)
6. Sort Out Insurances
I like to say that if the government red tape doesn’t make you want to rip your hair out, then the business insurance will. It’s quite difficult to get an insurance policy for a jet ski hire business. If you do find a company then I’d recommend sticking to them for multiple years.
Try and avoid the PWC insurance companies that do insurance for owners. It’s these underwriters that aren’t experienced with actual businesses as they are serving users. You’ll need to find a business insurance underwriter that doesn’t charge you a fortune (hard to find).
7. Buy Your Jet Ski Fleet
Now that you’ve started moving through this entire process, it’s time to buy your jet ski fleet. This is where the rubber finally meets the road and where you can feel like a kid in a candy store. You may get a discount on a fleet purchase especially if you’re using the same dealership for routine maintenance/servicing.
Don’t forget that it isn’t just a few skis but a rescue board too that needs to be bought. Most people buy a basic fleet plus a more powerful jet ski for rescue purposes because yes, customers will run into some problems from time to time.
You might also want to consider the Fish Pro jet ski by Sea-Doo in case you have customers who want to go jet ski fishing. These customers are the best because you know that they aren’t going to flog the machine compared to that 19-year old kid showing off to his buddies on the dock.
I’d steer right away from anything supercharged. It’s just too much maintenance and expenses for a rental business to incur and 95% of customers won’t even need that extra power. The other 5% can save up to buy one themselves and deal with the issues.
As for Kawasaki, well they don’t have anything ideal for first-time owners as their models start at 1600cc.
8. Launch and Get Your First Customers
Now that you’ve come home with a few trailers of shiny new jet skis, it’s time to launch and get this operation to start spitting out some cash! I’m serious – this venture needs to make some money now otherwise you’ll literally go under without the safety switch.
Facebook and Instagram are where a lot of potential customers are hanging out nowadays. You might want to use deal sites as well that have existing customer pools. This way, you can get some quick momentum and start building out a list of returning customers.
Essentially, once you get your name out there then things start moving along. Another tip I can give you is to announce your new business in the local jet ski groups. There are always people looking to buy a new ski but haven’t gotten around to it yet, and your business could be the perfect medium for them to get some practice and confidence before going out on their own.
9. Ongoing Marketing
A business is like a young child – it needs constant attention and development. Soon this business will encapsulate your life so you’ll need to have your finger on the pulse.
Ongoing marketing is necessary to capture new customers before your competition does. You’ll need to keep investing in Facebook Ads, Google PPC and the like. Continually updating your website and its blog is necessary to show current customer photos and tours that customers can take. This is why building the site yourself is a great idea as you won’t be dependent on tech support guys to make changes.
My Recommendation
Building a business is hard work. Go ask any business owner and they’ll certainly let you know about that. For instance, building my business to where it is today took several years of blood, sweat and tears. It wasn’t easy – but I’ll tell you – it’s absolutely worth it. I’ve found that if you can do things online then it’s 10x better, especially with the launch of Jet Ski Advice.
I’d say that you should start planting the seeds today because you won’t want to look back in 3 years and wonder ‘what if’? If you already love jet riding so much, then you may as well make it a business where you can introduce others to this fantastic sport.
Now – over to you. Is there something in this guide that I could have added? Let me know.
