Where's Dariel? – Travel Blog

From the first time I tried riding on a jet ski in Bintan many many years ago, I’ve sort of fallen in love with it. I love how fast it can go and feel the speed with the wind blowing onto the face and hair – SIMPLY EXHILARATING. Alas, I didn’t get many opportunities to get hold of one, other than in Abu Dhabi. Who would have thought that I could ride a jet ski again in New York!

Knowing how much I wanted to jet ski again, my dear friend MJ helped me book a sightseeing tour in New York – on a jet ski  no less – when I visited last August with Jetty Jumpers. I didn’t want a tour that was too short so I chose the Jet Ski Tour Statue of Liberty which took about 3hours. The tour brought us pass many of the New York attractions including Coney Island, Dumbo, Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, Statute of Liberty and Brooklyn Bridge.

For someone completely new to New York, the meeting point was not the easiest place to find. However, I enjoyed my 30-minutes’ walk from Sheepshead Bay station to Venice Marina, checking out and be envious of the big and beautiful houses the people have.

Before the tour start we were given a quick 10-minutes instructions on how to operate the jet ski (a good refresher) and given the choice to choose from each of these beautiful machines:

Once everyone got onto their powerful “horse” of the day, we were off! But first, a slow ride to the open water since there was a speed restriction within the marina. It was good because it allowed us to get familiarized with the steering.

The moment we reached the Gerritsen Creek, our guide picked up speed with us following in a single line.  It was a hot summer day but with the waves slapping the jet ski and seawater occasionally splashing onto and all over me, I was feeling cold!

The beginning of the tour was a nice ride since there were only a few small boats and kayaks around. So, our guide sped…. and we followed, testing the limit of the jet ski which could go up to the speed limit of 40-45km/h if I remember correctly. At the same time, that also meant testing my courage – whether I dared to push the machine to the limit. For the record, I think I did up to 35km/h at certain points, when I wasn’t being drowned by the big waves!

We came to the first stop – Coney Island Beach – where there was a long stretch of white sand with some amusement park rides.

See the “Parachute Jump” on the left

After the short break, we were on our way again. I’m sure we must have passed the Coney Island Lighthouse because the next stop was the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. Moving forward to downtown New York, we then caught sight of the Statue of Liberty, Governor’s Island and the buildings in the New York Financial District. This meant we were going into busy waters, sharing the paths with big and small ships and boats at the same time.

What a view of (left to right) the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Battery Park, New York Financial District including the Freedom Tower, Brooklyn Bridge in the distance, Brooklyn Bridge Park and the Governor’s Island

I was contented to see the Statute of Liberty from here and not having to squeeze with all those people on the Liberty Island.

Next, the Brooklyn Bridge from a very different angle!

After the stop at Brooklyn Bridge, we made our way back. However, our guide was nice and allowed us to play in the water for a while longer on the quieter and calmer waters after the Verrazano-Narrow Bridge.

We probably hit all the sights listed on the website but because some of them were located towards the inland, we couldn’t really see them clearly. Add to the fact that we had to stay alert and keep our eyes on other ships and boats in the vicinity, there were little chances to take a closer look at some of the sights. We did manage to tick most of the major sights off the list though, YAY! Besides, the main reason for jet skiing is JET SKIING right? 🙂

Jet skiing on the Hudson River was actually a bit scary because of the heavy traffic but an amazing experience at the same time. When I visit New York the next time, you can count on me to do this again!

There are a few companies offering jet ski tours but MJ chose the Jetty Jumpers because there was a promotion back then. I’m sure the other companies would do a great job too.

Have you tried to jet ski on the Hudson River?