How to Ride Your New Personal Watercraft
One of the most fun ways to spend time in the water when you want a rush of adrenaline is to ride a personal watercraft or PWC. These fast marine crafts allow you to coast along the surface of the water, kicking up spray and enjoying the breeze and sunshine on your face. But just like any other type of motorized vehicle on land or sea, it’s crucial that you learn how to ride a personal watercraft correctly so that you and those around you will be safe.
Safety First
It’s important that you wear a life jacket or personal flotation device that fits you well when riding a PWC. Even if you’re a champion swimmer, you never know when you could fall into the water and become incapacitated from the shock of the cold or hitting your head on something. A life jacket will keep you above water until you can be rescued.
Attach your PWC’s kill switch to your wrist or life jacket so that the watercraft stops when you fall off. Many riders opt to wear a full wetsuit while riding for both sun protection and protection from cold temperatures when they fall into the water. If you wear a normal swimsuit, make sure you’re applying lots of waterproof high-SPF sunscreen to keep your skin protected.
Start Up Correctly
When you launch your personal watercraft into the water, it’s important that you don’t start it until you’ve towed it out to where the water is at least three feet deep. Any shallower and your PWC’s intake is going to suck up sand and dirt and become clogged. Always go slowly when you’re near the dock or boat launch and only speed up when you’re in open water.
Steer With Your Body
In order to turn your PWC, you’re going to have to lean left and right to use your body weight to make the turns. Always maintain a constant speed when turning your PWC and lean your body in the direction you wish to turn for best results.
Before you take hot blue water with your new PWC, be sure to stop by Team Mancuso Southwest to find any important safety accessories you may be missing for your first ride. Our location here in Houston, TX offers an enormous variety of PWC parts, equipment, and accessories for you to browse through, and proudly serves the nearby cities of Fulshear and Cinco Ranch, TX.
