The world’s biggest manufacturer of Jet Skis and personal watercraft, Sea-Doo, says it is monitoring the crackdown on hoon behaviour in Australia amid concerns a minority of riders could ruin the sport for the majority who do the right thing.
Jet Ski rider behaviour has come under the mainstream media spotlight in Australia over the past 12 months following a number of high profile incidents including a fatality, a number of serious injury crashes, and a video that went viral after a rogue rider attempted to flee water police along the shoreline of a busy beach.
Above: Authorities recover a wreck following a fatal crash in Sydney’s south last year.
Since then, waterway authorities have stepped up their efforts to put an end to hoon Jet Ski riders, including the trial of a number of new ‘no-go’ zones and the installation of CCTV cameras in known trouble spots.
All of this has come to the attention of the global product strategy manager of Sea-Doo, Christian Comtois.
In an interview with Watercraft Zone last month, we asked Mr Comtois if he was aware of the new level of scrutiny of Jet Ski riders in Australia, which is the fourth biggest market in the world for Jet Skis after the US, Brazil, and Canada.
“We are looking at it very closely and very seriously,” said Mr Comtois. “We are having a lot of discussion in Australia across all (Jet Ski) brands.
“We’re in communication with government. We’re trying to make sure that we maintain the sustainability of the sport and (support from) the industry is really key.
“I would put emphasis on the fact that it’s not only a job for Sea-Doo. All the brands (including Yamaha WaveRunner and Kawasaki Jet Ski) need to come together with solutions.”
Mr Comtois acknowledged the overwhelming majority of Jet Ski riders did the right thing on the water, but a minority were putting the recreation at risk.
“I think it’s definitely a minority of riders who are creating this perception of our sport.
“And that hurts the reputation of the majority of riders on the water who do the right thing.
“We want everyone to enjoy the water but they need to do so safely, and respectfully of others.”
Mr Comtois said Sea-Doo has even decided to not introduce certain technologies – such as adding the ‘Trixx’ stunt mode to other models – amid concerns over a possible public backlash.
“I would say the product needs to make sure that in the future, it is designed for protecting the playgrounds (and) the access to the waterways.
“It is one of the reasons we created purpose-built packages, like the Explorer Pro and the Fish Pro.
“These models are focused on bringing new experiences on the water, bringing people to ride further, rather than closer to the neighbourhoods and disturbing other people.
“So we are focused on changing the whole dynamic of industry and trying to create ways for people to enjoy the craft in a new way.”
Sea-Doo estimates approximately half of all buyers of Jet Skis and personal watercraft are new to the sport.
“This is why we look at so many other options, not only performance,” he said.
Data provided by Sea-Doo showed user-friendly ergonomics and comfort were the main features that influenced the purchase of a new Jet Ski, ahead of horsepower and handling.
“So we will continue to look at how we can bring new models that will allow people to enjoy the sport in other ways,” said Mr Comtois.
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