Women are being warned to wear protective clothing – such as wet suit pants or neoprene shorts – rather than skimpy swimwear when riding a Jet Ski, as health experts in Australia report a rise in injuries to female private parts when they fall off the back of the craft during rapid acceleration.
The Age newspaper in Melbourne has reported an increase in “horrific injuries to the reproductive systems of young women” after falling off the back of a Jet Ski when it takes-off quicker than the passenger is expecting.
The consequences are so serious, some women have lost the option of vaginal birth – and the surgery often leads to months of recovery with colostomy bags, top health experts have advised.
Above: NSW Police conduct a routine licence check. Meanwhile, health experts are urging women to wear protective clothing rather than skimpy swimwear when on a Jet Ski.
According to The Age newspaper report, female perineums – the structure between the anus and the vagina – are being ruptured, “tearing their anus and bowel and damaging their reproductive systems or urinary tracts”.
Health experts said regular swimwear provides “little to no protection” from the water blasting from the jet pump after someone falls off the rear of the craft, especially on take-off from low speeds.
The advice is for women – and men – to wear wetsuit-style pants or shorts to prevent rectal injuries from high velocity water blasting from the jet pump when falling off the rear of the craft.
Above: An illustration published by The Age.
All three major brands – Sea-Doo, Yamaha WaveRunner and Kawasaki Jet Ski – have warnings on the craft and in the owner’s manual, but few Jet Ski riders seem to take the warnings seriously.
“[These injuries] are suddenly becoming more common,” Stewart Skinner, head of colorectal surgery at Peninsula Health, told The Age newspaper.
“We used to see them occasionally with water-skiing years ago, then waterskiing became less popular and now Jet Skis are everywhere, we are seeing these perineal injuries.
“They get flipped off the back of the Jet Ski with their legs apart and come crashing down onto the back of the Jet Ski, or the water jet hits them in the perineum and basically splits them apart.”
The surgeon said the sphincter muscles around the anus – which provide bowel control – could be torn, and the rectum can split.
Health experts also noted there was a risk of “permanent incontinence”.
“Some women who have experienced such injuries and plan to have children are advised to have their babies by caesarean section,” The Age newspaper reported.
“You would never be able to have a vaginal birth after a third- or fourth-degree sphincter tear,” Stewart Skinner said.
Male riders are also at risk of serious injury to the sensitive area near their “gooch” and rectum if they fall off and are then subject the huge blast of water spray in close proximity to the jet pump nozzle.
The Age newspaper quoted a female victim who hurt herself when she crashed down onto the rear of a Jet Ski during a “spontaneous ride as a passenger” in Port Phillip Bay three years ago, when she was 22.
“It tore my rectum all the way up to my bowel, I had a colostomy bag from February to October,” she told The Age newspaper.
“I thought I was a niche case, but I’ve since learnt this is pretty common.”
According to The Age newspaper, Kawasaki has been sued in the US by “numerous women who have sustained so-called ‘blow-out’ injuries to their vaginal and anal regions from direct contact with water jets after falling off the rear as passengers”.
The New York Post newspaper also reported that, in July 2024, a 49-year-old woman in Russia reportedly died of genital rupture after falling off the back of a Jet Ski driven by her husband as the craft accelerated harshly.
Closer to home, in July 2021, a 21-year-old woman from Port Macquarie – whose social media handle is @matilda_sews – clocked up more than 1 million views on TikTok with a video warning others about the dangers of falling off a Jet Ski.
In her post – which showed her recovering in hospital after her bowel and intestines were perforated after she lost her grip as a passenger – Matilda explained why her first ride on a Jet Ski will be her last.
Associate Professor David Read, colorectal surgeon and director of trauma at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, told The Age newspaper:
“We think the mechanism is the Jet Ski takes off, the passenger isn’t holding on (as strongly as they need to), falls backwards and when they hit the water they are at the level the jet comes out (and blasts water).”
“I don’t know why we’re seeing it currently,” Professor Read told The Age newspaper.
“This used to be a once-in-a-decade event, but now we’re seeing it so much more regularly.
“Maybe it’s because [jet-skis] are more popular, maybe it’s because they’re more powerful.
“Everyone knows if you’re going waterskiing or wakeboarding you wear wetsuit pants, but that hasn’t translated to Jet Skis.”
The Professor speculated an increasing number or passengers were accepting rides on Jet Skis “spontaneously” and passengers were not prepared for the harsh acceleration, and often are not wearing protective clothing.
It is also possible rider behaviour could be a contributing factor, especially if the rider is trying to ‘show off’, impress or scare the passenger.
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