Jet Skiing in Boracay Review

Published on 10 February 2024 at 16:13

Jet skiing is a go to activity when I travel; it’s an adrenaline rush, and what’s better than being on vacation, going 60 km/h with the warm wind in your face while cruising above crystal blue water in paradise.  Usually when you rent a Jet Ski in tropical places, like Colombia or Mexico, which I had done in the past, the machines aren’t the quality you’re used to back home.  Here in Manitoba, you’re on a lake, so the views aren’t the same, but the jet skis are top notch and fast.  I didn’t expect that in Philippines, but the guy gave me the new white Jet Ski and told me to be careful… he was right, that thing was fast.  I got it up to 60 km/h and boy was it an adrenaline rush.

The guys were approaching me since I arrived in Boracay, island tour, ATV tour, Jet Ski?  I wanted to Jet Ski but had to fit it into the schedule with the family.  The price they offered was steep, 3800 PHP, which was close to $100 CAD for half an hour.  That was similar to prices back home but this was a third world country, and that was way too much.  But Boracay is a tourist trap, so what do you expect?  The guy was cool, and I talked to other guys and they all offered the same price.  The next day I saw the same guy and after some negotiation he told me he’d do 3500 php.  I walked around a bit but no one would budge from 3800, so I went back to him.  I told him the exact time I wanted to do it and he said no problem.  Shortly after I messaged him and changed the time and that was no problem.  I went for lunch, went shopping and then when it was time, I found a different guy waiting for me.  It wasn’t the original guy but was someone who he was with the first night.  I felt bad and thought another guy scooped me up, honoring the same deal, but when I saw him later he thanked me, so it must have been a buddy in the same line of entrepreneurs trying to make a buck.  He gave me 300 php to my confusion.  I said what’s this and he said don’t tell the renters who give you the jet ski. I said sure and pocked the pesos.  We jumped on his moto and headed down the road to station 1.

When we got there, I was ushered to a tent with a number of service desks, I paid her 3800 pesos, with an extra 300 in my pocket and was then taken onto a boat on the dock in station 1.   It was a windy day and it wasn’t sturdy ground on the dock, I began to get a bit worried.  It was hard to get a steady footing white walking on a dock, how would it be on the jet ski?  I have had my share of sketchy experiences travelling and in third world countries, so this was just another bump in the road.  I’d survive, hopefully I wouldn’t fly off like I did in Mexico. Oh well, I was already 3500 pesos in, so let’s do this and hope everything goes okay!  I got on the boat by myself but then we stopped in station 3, picked up 3 more people and were then transported to an artificial island in the middle of the sea.

I got a short orientation and left my stuff under the tent and headed down the docks towards the machinery.  The water was rough and I staggered as I began to question my decision while walking down the dock.  I was warned about insurance and any damage I’d have to pay.  The way they made it seem,  an accident was imminent and I’d crash into another jet ski.  They told me we could only ride clockwise and had to follow the pylons in a circle.  No wandering off on your own, pushing the boundaries of their limits?  That sucks, but I’d still manage to have a lot of fun.  He was going to give me another jet ski, then a girl showed up on a brand new white one.  He told me to assess any damages for insurance purposes then I was off.  Despite knowing how to ride one, he took me out for a bit to show me the boundaries and how the machine worked.  I asked how fast it went and he gunned it, riding on the back was not fun.  I held onto him like a helpless schoolgirl, trying not to fall off as he rode the waves.  He told me to follow the circle made by buoys, even though the circle they told me about wasn’t really a circle, it was more of a trapezoid.

After the tutorial, I began to ride and I struggled to locate the pylons as I navigated the rough waters.  It was kind of lame, driving in a “circle” in one location the whole time, but it was still a lot of fun, cruising through the crystal blue water.  As time went on more riders joined the riding zone.  They were driving like grannies, and despite the warnings to watch out for other riders, I blew past them and rode full throttle.  It was hard, being limited in one direction and only being able to ride in a circle, so at points you couldn’t adjust and ride the waves.  The jet ski had power and I was almost thrown off it on numerous occasions, but as the time passed I learned to maneuver the beast. There was no clock on the Jet Ski and I was told I’d be warned when my time was up.  Eventually I got tired of holding on for my life, my forearms ached and so did my legs.  It had to be more than a half hour, so I rode back to the artificial island.  I asked if my time was up and they said yes.  Despite the warning of going over your time, and me being 10 minutes late, they didn’t question me or give me any problems.  They are big on tips in the Philippines, and despite being overpriced, I gave 100 pesos tip ($2.50) and got on a boat back to station 1 where I had to walk back to my hotel in station 2.

It was overpriced and the activities are heavily regulated to protect Boracay, so we were limited where we could ride, see why here, but with the power of the machine and the clarity of the water it was still worth it and a fun experience to escape reality and let the wind blow as I cruised above the waves of the South China Sea.

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