Jet Skiing

Is jet skiing safe?

For most riders, a day on a jet ski carries a small risk of death, roughly 0.3 to 1 micromortMicromortA one-in-a-million chance of death. It lets you compare the risk of very different activities on one scale.More in the glossary on US data, about the same as a day of sailing. Serious injuries are another matter. Jet skis produce far more injuries than their share of boats on the water, mostly from collisions at speed, and rented craft show up in a disproportionate share of crashes.

The US Coast Guard counted 38 deaths on personal watercraft (PWCs, the general term for jet skis, WaveRunners and Sea-Doos) in 2024, 7% of all recreational boating deaths, and 563 injuries, 26% of the total. Jet skis made up about 12% of registered boats in the last national survey.

How we estimated the risk per day

The Coast Guard does not publish deaths per jet ski outing, so we built an estimate. Its 2018 national exposure survey counted about 1.38 million registered jet skis and 977 million person-days on motorized boats, but did not break those days down by boat type. If jet skis account for between their share of boats and a lower share reflecting their one or two riders, they logged somewhere around 40 to 120 million person-days. With 38 to 44 deaths a year, that gives about 0.3 to 1 death per million person-days.

For comparison, the survey put the risk across all motorized boats at 43 deaths per 100 million person-days in 2018, about 0.4 micromortsMicromortA one-in-a-million chance of death. It lets you compare the risk of very different activities on one scale.More in the glossary per day. Jet skis sit in the same range, despite their reputation.

Collisions, not drowning

What sets jet skis apart is how people die. Across all boating in 2024, 66% of deaths were drownings, and most victims were not wearing life jackets. On jet skis, only 10 of 38 deaths were drownings. Riders usually wear life jackets, because the law requires them on PWCs in most states and because falling off is part of the activity. The deaths that remain are mostly trauma.

The Coast Guard's breakdown of jet skis in incidents shows why:

First event	Jet skis involved (2024)
Collision with another vessel	602
Rider ejected	99
Collision with a fixed object	82
Grounding	34
Fall overboard	41

Collision with another vessel was the first event for 61% of jet skis in reported incidents, often another jet ski. A jet ski has no brakes. It slows only when the throttle is released, and on most older models steering needs throttle too, so a rider who panics and lets go loses the ability to turn just when it matters most. Many newer models add braking and off-throttle steering systems.

Injuries

Injury is the bigger risk. A JAMA study of emergency room visits estimated about 33,000 jet ski injuries in the US in 1990–1995, with more than 12,000 in 1995 alone as the number of craft tripled. The injury rate per craft in operation was about 8.5 times that of motorboats. Lacerations, bruises and fractures were the most common injuries, and 3.5% of patients were admitted.

Passengers are at particular risk. They hold on behind the driver, cannot see what is coming and are thrown off in sharp turns or collisions. Children and teenagers appear often in injury studies, both as passengers and as drivers.

Renting a jet ski on holiday

Rentals are where much of the risk sits. In 2024, rented jet skis were involved in 304 of the 986 US jet ski incidents (31%) and 157 injuries, while rental boats of all types made up only 11% of incidents. Rented jet skis accounted for more than half of all incidents involving rental boats.

The pattern is easy to picture: a first-time rider, a five-minute briefing, a crowded stretch of water off a beach, and dozens of other novices nearby. Abroad there may be no rescue boat, no speed limit near swimmers and unclear rules on who is liable for damage. The UK Foreign Office advises travellers in Thailand not to hand over their passport as a guarantee to jet ski or motorbike rental businesses, and points to RoSPA's water sports safety advice. Disputes over damage claims are a well-known holiday problem, so photograph the craft before you ride and agree terms in writing.

How to ride a jet ski more safely

1. Wear a life jacket and attach the engine cut-off lanyard to your wrist or jacket, so the engine stops if you fall off.
2. Take a short course. Many US states require a boating safety card, and the course covers how a jet ski steers without throttle.
3. Keep your distance. Slow down near other craft, swimmers, docks and buoys, and never follow another jet ski closely.
4. Ride sober. Alcohol slows reactions and makes falls into the water more dangerous.
5. Limit passengers to what the craft is rated for, and make sure they wear life jackets and know how to hold on.
6. Wear a wetsuit bottom or shorts made for water sports; falls at speed can cause serious internal injuries.
7. Rent from a licensed operator with a rescue boat and a marked riding area, and check that your travel insurance covers jet skiing.

How we scored it

Fatality risk (85) sits at the top of the 0.1 to 1 micromortMicromortA one-in-a-million chance of death. It lets you compare the risk of very different activities on one scale.More in the glossary band per day. Injury risk (60) is moderate, reflecting jet skis' outsized share of boating injuries. Controllability (65) gives credit to life jackets, the lanyard and speed, but collisions often involve other riders. Rescue and environment (75) is good because most riding happens close to shore. Compare kayaking and surfing.