How to Get Back on a Jet Ski After a Fall [Video Guide]

Falling off a jet ski seat happens more often than you think. It can happen with beginners as well as with the best jet ski riders in the world!

But don’t worry; unlike more serious accidents, in most cases, these falls don’t cause serious injuries.The main reason many beginner jet ski riders stress about falls is the fear of reboarding the jet ski. If you’re out on the water you definitely have a chance of falling from the saddle.

But if you’re prepared and know how to get back on a jet ski after a fall, you’ll have more confidence during your rides. To make this easier for you, in this post, we’ve collected the most important steps and some great video tutorials.

So now, without further ado, let’s check this step-by-step jet ski reboarding guide:

How to Get Back on a Jet Ski After Falling – Reboarding Guide

Stay calm. If you fall off a jet ski, the first and most important thing is to relax and stay calm. If you start to panic, you’ll find it harder to get back on the jet ski. Look around for where your jet ski is and swim over to it.
Turn the engine off. If you’ve fallen from your jet ski saddle, the safety lanyard probably shut the engine off immediately. But if your engine is still running for some reason, turn the engine off!
Flipping over the jet ski. If your jet ski has capsized, turn it upward in the right direction! You can find a sticker on the rear side of the jet ski. Read the instructions and follow them closely. If you don’t, you may force water into the jet ski’s engine which can cause a lot of damage!
Reboarding from the rear: Swim to the rear side of the jet ski for reboarding. Never try to get back on the jet ski from its side! They are too unstable and you may flip it over. The best practice is to reboard from the rear side in all cases!
Use the reboarding step. Most of the jet ski models today are equipped with a really cool feature called the reboarding step. You can find this unit on the rear side of the jet ski, and you can simply fold it down if you want to use it. Don’t worry; these steps are usually very convenient and covered with a knee-friendly surface.
Climbing up to the jet ski: Grab the jet ski’s passenger handrails; you can find them on the back of the saddle. Once your knee and feet are on the reboarding step, pull yourself up to the swim platform. It’s quite similar to how you climb up a ladder from a swimming pool. Depending on its size, you may find the jet ski a little unstable during the process. But don’t worry; just stay calm and try to keep your balance!
Consider a jet ski ladder. If you lack the upper body strength to pull yourself back up on the jet ski after a fall, you can also consider a special jet ski ladder that can be attached to the rear side.
Restart the jet ski. Once you are onboard, simply sit on the saddle, attach your safety lanyard and start the engine.

Will the Jet Ski Engine Stop After a Fall?

You may be afraid that your jet ski won’t stop close to you after a fall. Don’t worry; the engine will shut down in case of a fall, so this means the jet ski will stay close to you.

Current jet skis models come with safety equipment called a safety lanyard (also known as cut-off lanyard, or jet ski lanyard), which does this job for you. It’s actually a cable which has to be connected to the ski, and the other end of this cable has to be attached to your wrist or your life jacket.

If you fall off the jet ski seat, the lanyard will shut off the engine immediately.

Warning: Always make sure that your lanyard is attached to you properly before you start the ski! If your lanyard doesn’t stop the engine after you fall off the seat, that means the jet ski will ride away from you!

A Little History:

If you have a chance to ride a really old, vintage jet ski, don’t be surprised if you can’t find any safety lanyard on it.

These old models are designed to steer to the right at a really slow speed when the rider falls off. This means the jet ski is circling around you slowly until you can “catch” it.

It might be weird at first, but decades ago, it was the standard on all jet skis!

How to Prevent Falling Off a Jet Ski

As they say, prevention is always better than a cure, so you probably want to know how not to fall off a jet ski. Let’s see what you can do to prevent this issue!

Know your jet ski. The first and most important step is to understand how a jet ski works. It’s wise to check your owner’s manual to discover more about your watercraft.
Proper jet ski riding skills: Beyond this knowledge, you’ll definiteley need some practice. This means knowing how to balance and ride a jet ski properly. You can get practice at some jet ski rental services.
Avoid recklessness: High-speed and reckless riding styles often lead to falls and accidents. Control your speed in accordance with your skills and the water’s conditions.
Know how to ride with passengers: Riding a jet ski with passengers can be tricky sometimes, due to extra weight which can imbalance the jet ski during turns. In fact, it’s more common for a passenger to fall off the jet ski than the driver himself!
Safety gear: Always use the essential jet ski safety gear like a life jacket, safety lanyard, and clothes to protect you in case of a fall.

Does Falling Off a Jet Ski Seat Hurt?

The short answer is: it depends on your speed! If you’re riding at slow speeds, the falls are usually not big issues.

But as we know, jet skis are designed to go really high speed. The top speed of current jet ski models can hit 67 mph on the water. Falling off a jet ski at this speed can hurt a lot!

Just check out this video about the scary fall of Uva Perez at the speed of 127 mph on his world-record craft:

An accident like this can lead to several serious injuries. That’s why it’s critical to moderate your speed according to the water’s conditions as well as wearing the best protective clothes and gear available.

Sunglasses, a life jacket and a wetsuit are the minimum, but gloves, shoes and other protective gear can protect your body if you fall off a jet ski.

Restart With a Stand-Up Jet Ski

If you’re thinking about trying a stand-up jet ski (or even buying one), you probably want to know how to reboard it.

Compared to sit-down jet skis, the stand ups are not equipped with reboarding steps, so you have to restart these jet skis in a completely different way.

Let’s see how a stand-up jet ski deep-water start looks!

First,you have to swim behind the jet ski.
If your safety lanyard is long enough, attach it first before you start reboarding.
Put both of your hands on the back of the jet ski’s tray, push it down hard and kick with your legs in the water at the same time.
With this trick, you can jump up to the tray into a kneeling position. Don’t start to stand up on the jet ski yet!
Turn the engine on and start the jet ski at a lower speed and increase the speed carefully. Once you get your balance, you can stand up carefully on the jet ski!

Takeaways

As you can see, getting back on a jet ski after a fall is not a big issue.

The most important tip is to always wear your life jacket and attach your safety lanyard before you start. If you ride at high speeds, accessories like clothes and other protective gear are essential!

Beyond the necessary gear,it’s always wise to start with a jet ski rental, so professional staff can educate you on the basics, and can ride with you on guided tours.

This was our short jet ski reboarding guide. We hope you found it useful!

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