Australian Daniel Wilkins and his New Zealand mate Benjamin Nock might be new to the world of Jet Skis, but both riders have proven they are not novices when it comes to the ocean.
They have just pushed through an epic 1260km in six days – five days of riding and one rest day – to pass the half-way mark in their world-first Darwin to Bali expedition by Jet Ski.
While some Jet Ski enthusiasts and long-distance ocean specialists expressed grave concerns about the ambitious plan for the inexperienced riders to embark on such a monumental journey, the unlikely pair have silenced their critics after making it through the first half of the trip unscathed – and ahead of schedule.
Before this international adventure, both riders had clocked up less than 10 hours of riding between them on a Jet Ski, however it has become apparent they have extensive boating and navigation experience.
The pair of specially kitted-out Sea-Doo Fish Pro watercraft are now docked in Mali on the remote Alor Island, where Daniel Wilkins, 41, will get two days rest before the next leg of the journey.
The rider of the second craft, Benjamin Nock, 35, has headed home – as planned – and will be replaced by a new rider, Indonesian man Indra Palguna, 31, who is Wilkins’ fishing buddy in Bali.
The next leg of the trip is due to start this coming Friday, weather permitting.
While the riders made it to their first major stop earlier in the week at Saumlaki on fumes – with only a few litres of fuel remaining and the gauges flashing as they arrived in Indonesia in the dark in a perilously close call after a 430km ride – the last three days on the water have been incident-free.
The Sea-Doos are reportedly in good working order, though the riders are a little sunburnt and a little sore after completing 1260km of a 2300km run with only limited practice on a Jet Ski before setting off from Darwin.
Having made it through the first six days (five days of riding and one rest day), Daniel Wilkins says he plans to take it easy in the second half of the trip – without being complacent – as there are still huge distances to cover.
Watercraft Zone interviewed Daniel Wilkins over the phone after he arrived in Mali on Alor Island. Below is a transcript of the interview.
WZ: Well done on smashing out 1260km in six days, do you have a new appreciation for the physical and logistical challenges of open-ocean Jet Ski riding?
It’s been a pretty solid trip, and it’s safe to say this would have been even harder had we not been helped by good weather.
We chose this time of year because that’s the best weather window in the region, and all the local fishermen we’ve bumped into along the way have told us that too.
That said, this is still an epic journey and it shows the importance of planning. We’ve been planning this for more than a year, calling ahead to every stopover point multiple times to check what facilities are available.
The paperwork for Customs and the Jet Skis took several months, the preparation of the Jet Skis in Perth took several months.
It’s not like we just set off on a whim. We knew this was a very ambitious journey. But I have a lot of navigation experience and we had back-up after back-up for our emergency equipment.
Even when we arrived into Saumlaki on fumes, we had very good data that showed we would either make it or run out of fuel within sight of land, so we knew we could get help if we needed it.
Fortunately, after a 430km ride, we arrived at Saumlaki with literally a litre or two left in each ski. That was a close call for sure.
WZ: What sort of speeds have you been maintaining now that conserving fuel is not as critical as it was on the run to Saumlaki?
The ocean has mostly been glassed out, so we’ve been able to comfortably sit on between 20 and 30 knots the past few days.
But they’ve been long days: 200km then 280km then 280km.
There were some rough patches above East Timor when we were exposed to the Timor Sea again. The wind and the swell picked up and it was like a washing machine for a while there.
But we just kept going and got into calmer waters again eventually.
You can see the weather is starting to build up, so if we had done this trip a week later it could have been a whole different story.
Our conditions have been partly down to luck and partly down to good planning. This is the weather window, this time of year, to attempt a journey like this.
WZ: Any mechanical problems or physical injuries over the past few days?
I lost a handheld radio, it slipped out of the pocket in my life jacket. Ben still had his portable radio and we both had radios fitted to the skis as well.
It shows the importance of having a back-up of everything in case of equipment failure.
In terms of injuries, we’re fine. Since I got some eye drops in Saumlaki and Ben got some gel for his chafing, we’re ok.
The main issue has been sunburn – the sunscreen just washes off no matter how many times you apply it – and you really need polarised goggles because it’s so bright out there.
So we’re getting that sorted for the remaining legs of the journey. And we’re getting a new portable radio brought over from Bali by the next rider.
WZ: Any other dramas on the journey over the past three days?
We arrived in Mali, Alor Island to learn there’s a volcano erupting in Flores, which is on our way. But it hasn’t affected our ride and we haven’t been able to see the smoke from the volcano yet.
We might see it in the coming days, but for now there’s been no flow-on effect in the ocean as far as we can tell.
On a less serious scale, I left my phone charger where we stayed a couple of islands ago, so luckily was able to charge the phone using the USB port in the ski.
And I had spare clothes in a dry bag within another dry bag – but they still got wet.
The bag was in the footwell and water got to them somehow. That’s an annoyance, rather than a setback.
WZ: What have you seen along the way?
On one small island we stopped at, the locals were very friendly and they took us to a local burial site that’s hundreds of years old, with pottery and skulls from their ancestors.
They took us to a distillery. They were distilling coconut spirits … all through these islands, that seems to be a popular drink. It’s very alcoholic.
They were trying to get us a bit drunk, but after a couple of sips we politely declined. We had to be up early the next morning for the next leg.
WZ: Has it been difficult to replenish your water supplies?
No, everywhere we have stopped we’ve been able to get plenty of bottles of water. Plus we had a thermos with boiled water in it for noodles and coffee.
WZ: What have you been eating while out on the water?
We had beef jerky and protein bars when we left Darwin, but we went through those pretty quickly.
On some islands we were lucky they had a local supermarket and we could buy snacks.
We also bought cans of corn beef, and there’s a local snack which is dried shredded beef that’s been deep fried and sold in a packet
It’s kind of like an Indonesian version of beef jerky.
And every time we left in the morning, the locals came out and gave us a little wrap of cooked rice for the day, which was really generous and amazing of them to do that.
WZ: How did you get the broken Linq accessory cleats replaced?
We took the fuel rack off the ski and took it and the new cleats to a local motorcycle mechanic. He fixed it for $5.
We now don’t have any spare Linq attachments, so the rider for the third leg of the trip is going to bring those over from Perth when he gets here.
We’ve realised that we also need to secure the racks with ratchet straps and we’ve done that now, and they hold on really well.
WZ: With the benefit of hindsight, were you worried about running so close to empty on the 430km leg of the journey into Saumlaki?
We were hugging the coast towards the end, just in case we did run the tank dry.
But we have really good instruments – we uploaded expensive maps in the basic Garmin unit that the ski comes with, plus we each have a separate navigation unit, also with detailed maps that highlight hazards such as shallow water and reefs.
WZ: Are you surprised you’ve made such long distances in such a relatively short time?
We had to push on because Ben had to be back at work, otherwise we would have spent more time exploring and fishing and taking our time.
WZ: Is there anything you would have done differently now you have made it this far and experienced the challenges?
I definitely would have made sure that we both had polarised goggles and done more for sun protection, because the sunscreen just washes off with all the water spray.
Above: Daniel Wilkins (front) and Benjamin Nock (rear) leave Darwin. Photo: Barry Park.
WZ: Has it sunk in just what an achievement this is, especially when you consider how little time you’ve spent on a Jet Ski before this trip?
Not yet, because we haven’t made it to Bali yet.
I’m very happy with the progress. And although we’ve now passed the half-way mark, I don’t want to be complacent.
We still have plenty of big distances to travel before we get to Bali, but it’s safe to say we’re keen to do more exploring now and back off the pace.
WZ: Do you think it was unfair of Australian Border Force officials to make you sleep on the watercraft and not on Seagull Island, because you had cleared Customs and technically you were still in Australia?
Maybe, but the rules are the rules and they can’t make an exception for one person and not another.
WZ: When do you get back on the water?
Depending on conditions we will start the next leg of the journey and be back on the water on Friday or Saturday.
We’ll probably take it easy, ride for two or three hours a day, and then go fishing and hang out for the rest of the day.
Thankfully, I’ve passed the point where my body doesn’t hurt anymore. It has adjusted to all the Jet Ski riding.
WZ: Is there anything special planned for the final run in Bali, whenever that happens?
We got a message from a Jet Ski community group in Bali, which is run by the local owner of Sea-Doo & Can Am in Bali.
They’re interested in what we’re doing and they want to ride over to Lombock as a group and join us for the final day’s run to Bali.
Day 1 (142km)
Darwin to Pirlangimpi, Melville Island (camp on Seagull Island)
Day 2 (390km)
Seagull Island to Saumlaki
Day 3 (200km)
Saumlaki to Tepa, Babar Island
Day 4 (280km)
Tepa, Babar Island to Wonreli Harbour, Kisar Island
Day 5 (280km)
Wonreli, Kisar Island to Mali, Alor Island
*Rider of the second ski hands over to the next rider in Mali, Alor Island
Day 6 (187km)
Mali, Alor Island to Larantuka, Flores
Day 7 (250km)
Larantuka, Flores to Riung, Flores
Day 8 (280km)
Riung, Flores to Bima Sumbawa, Flores
*Rider of the second ski hands over to the next rider in Labuan, Bajo
Day 9 (315km)
Bima, Sumbawa, Gili Air, Lombok
Day 10 (105km)
Gili Air, Lombok to Sanur Beach, Bali
Approximate total distance (excluding detours and navigation variations): 2300km
Darwin to Bali by Jet Ski, a quick recap:
The 2300km journey is expected to include 10 days of riding – but it could take a total of up to four weeks to complete, to allow for poor weather and other unforeseen delays.
While the organiser and primary rider Daniel Wilkins aims to complete the entire journey from start to finish, the second Jet Ski will be shared by three mates, who will each do a portion of the trip, before handing over the craft to the next rider.
Depending on where they stop each night, the riders will camp on remote beaches, stay with local villagers, or book accomodation on islands with facilities.
The idea for the international Jet Ski journey came from Daniel Wilkins, aged 41, a former chef originally from Wollongong NSW who has been living in Bali for 12 years, where he owns an alcohol home-delivery service called Wow Booze.
Above: Daniel Wilkins (front) and Benjamin Nock (rear) leave Darwin. Photo: Barry Park.
Wilkins says he plans to complete the entire 2300km journey from start to finish.
The second Jet Ski (decked out with identical modifications) will be shared by three of Wilkins’ mates – from Australia, New Zealand, and Indonesia – who will each complete one of three legs.
The rider of the second Jet Ski for the first portion of the journey is New Zealand man Benjamin Nock, aged 35 – who works in Tasmania as a marine engineer and diver for Tassal Salmon, and previously worked with Wilkins on a pearl farm in the Northern Territory.
The rider of the second Jet Ski for the middle portion of the journey is Indonesian man Indra Palguna, aged 31 – who is Wilkins’ fishing buddy in Bali.
The rider of the second Jet Ski for the third portion of the journey is Zac Martin, aged 42, one of Wilkins’ former school friends from Wollongong NSW who now lives in Perth WA.
Above: The Sea-Doo Fish Pro watercraft on a ‘shakedown’ ride south of Perth, to test equipment before the Darwin to Bali trip.
There is no support vessel for the trip, the riders will only have each other to rely on if they strike trouble.
To ensure they have plenty of fuel – in addition to the standard 70-litre fuel tank in the nose of the ski – each Sea-Doo Fish Pro is equipped with a specially-made rack mounted on the rear deck, which can carry four 25-litre fuel cans.
Plus two more 25-litre fuel cans (one in each foot well) were required for the first two days of the trip.
Fully loaded each Sea-Doo Fish Pro had a total fuel capacity of 220 litres (70 litres from the standard fuel bladder, plus 150 litres across six 25-litre fuel cans).
This was calculated to deliver a maximum riding range of 440km in ideal conditions, however consumption could increase in adverse conditions.
Wilkins says he does not intend to ride the Jet Skis back to Australia. The plan for now is to keep the skis in Bali once they get there.
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Other sightseeing stopovers:
- Mount Tambora
- Seven Islands National Park
- Komodo Island
- Mojo Island
- Small islands rarely visited by outsiders
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