Thanks to the good people at Gold Coast Tourism, I was given a chance to partake in a few new and exciting adventures in the Gold Coast. We got to go to Dreamworld for the roller coasters, to Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary for the Green Challenge, and thanks to a little bit of bad weather that kept us from kayaking, we got to go jet boating.
I had never been jet boating before, and I didn’t really know what to expect. As the operators of Paradise Jet Boating were offering up some rain jackets, I laughed at the few people that started to consider them (it was just too humid to wear a rain jacket). In the end, we all were given a life jacket and only one brave soul decided to sport the rain jacket and we all huddled into the big jet boat to be taken away on an adventure. I luckily got a position that was two people away from the outside seat.
Our driver was an interesting man, but I’m sure the interesting part just became more enforced by him wearing one of those hats with the ear flaps to protect him from the harsh Gold Coast sun. It’s not easy to take someone seriously when they remind you of Goofy.
As we made our way out to the open waters, he explained that we should keep our arms in the boat and whenever he made a circle in the air to hang on tight. Easy enough.
We waited in anticipation as we slowly boated out of the small harbor of Main Beach. The company isn’t allowed to jet it until they are sufficiently outside of the high traffic area. As we sat, the sunshine broke through the clouds and small bits of rain hit our faces.
Finally, we were able to ramp it up, pushing the pedal down and causing the wind to blow my hair in my face. I fixed my sunglasses that were protecting my eyes from the tiny drops of rain, and I almost began to shiver (making me wish I had grabbed one of those rain jackets).
Then he did it; he drove like we were going directly towards a buoy to curve around it at the last minute. Screams followed by laughs were heard, but it didn’t stop there.
The driver made the circle in the air, which meant that we did a 360 degree turn in the water!
My knuckles were white as I grabbed tight to keep from squishing the passengers next to me.
We got soaked, and that was putting it lightly. Even the girl wearing the rain jacket ended up getting wet!
The ride continued, though, and we were all laughing and screaming for most of the time, even during those near-death close calls that the driver did to freak us all out. (If you’re worried, the drivers are all experienced and take your safety very seriously.)
You get a resting period in the middle of the trip as you cruise down around the millionaire homes of Sovereign Island, but don’t you worry, the fun doesn’t stop just yet. If you’ve booked the 45 minute ride then there’s at least another 20 minutes to go until you have to return to the harbor dripping with salt water.
Jet boating with Paradise is fun and perfect for a hot day in the Gold Coast. Check out Paradise Jet Boating for more information.
