Can You Ride a Jet Ski at Night? Is it Legal? [Video]

• Be prepared: To avoid issues like being stuck out on the water after sunset, it’s highly recommended you plan your trip very carefully, and also keep your eye on the weather forecast and (National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration) NOAA reports as well!

• Be visible: If it’s legal in your state to operate a jet ski at night, you probably have to equip it with proper navigation lighting so that it complies with the law.

  Can you put running lights on a jet ski? Aside from these navigation lights, it never hurts to keep a flashlight or a headlight onboard. You can make good use of them if you’re stuck out on the water in the dark. But keep in mind that a flashlight or headlight doesn’t replace the navigation lights on a jet ski!
• Ride at low speeds:  If you need to ride a jet ski in the dark, it’s essential to not to ride at high speed. There may be debris or logs in the water in front of you which can cause a lot of damage to the jet ski’s hull. In the worst case scenario, it may start to sink!

  What’s more, in some states, there are nighttime speed limits for night hours on the water. Again, don’t forget to check the local rules and regulations before you hit the water!

• Listen to your surroundings:  If your vision is limited, your ears can help you out a lot. This means no speakers, phones or other distracting sounds during night rides! Also, pay close attention to boat engines, bells, horns, and many other sounds caused by vessels around you.

• Look for other vessels’ navigation lights: If the sky is completely dark, you’ll only see only other vessel’s navigation lights. Because of this, it’s essential to recognize these lights and the rules on the water. Therefore, even if your state doesn’t require it, it’s highly recommended you get a jet ski license.
• Safety gear: Can you make a jet ski legal at night?  The answer is yes, but you will need to keep safety gear onboard during your jet ski night rides. The list of this gear may vary from state to state, beyond the safety accessories required by the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) of course!

• Poor visibility: The main risks at night are obviously poor visibility. You can’t see the what’s in the water, what’s in front of you, and you have a higher risk of running into a log which can damage your hull, or into debris that your impeller can suck into your jet ski’s pump. These issues could be a hassle even in the daytime, but if your jet ski needs to be towed back to the marina at night, that could be really tricky and dangerous!

• Other vessels: Debris and logs are still the smallest problems. Other vessels, especially huge boats and ships, represent the greatest threat to any jet ski rider, and when it’s dark they can’t see you at all! What’s more, many vessels’ navigation lights are not too bright. It means you can only see them when they are really close!

• Accidents: Even if you don’t collide with other vessels or objects, you still have risks of getting injured on a jet ski. Just think about it; due to poor visibility, it would be much harder to rescue you!

• Harder to launch: Surprisingly, many smaller accidents happen during launching and retrieving jet skis. These tasks can be tricky even in good visibility. When you ride at night, you have a much higher chance of damagong the jet ski or injuring yourself! The only good part about nighttime launching is that you don’t have to wait for the boat ramp!
• Be fined: If jet ski rides at night are prohibited in your state, you should arrive back to the dock within the legal time frame. If you don’t, you risk a fine from the USCG. Another issue is that you could be riding legally in the dark in your state, but your jet ski lacks the required legal accessories. In this case, you can also expect a ticket!