There may be more Personal Water Craft on the waterways of America than many other popular vessels combined. It stands to reason! PWCs are inexpensive, fun and seemingly easy to operate. But, there are a few tricks of the trade you should know to keep you safe.
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00:00 [music playing]
00:03 Hey, I'm Kendall Paisley, a personal watercraft safety
00:13 advocate.
00:14 There may be more PWCs on the water
00:16 than any other vessel combined.
00:18 It stands to reason.
00:19 They're fun, exciting, inexpensive, and seemingly
00:22 easy to operate.
00:24 But there are a few tricks you need to know
00:25 to stay safe out on the water.
00:27 [music playing]
00:30 Before heading out for a day on the water,
00:34 you want to make sure you have all of your safety
00:36 gear inside your personal watercraft.
00:39 But also, make sure you're wearing the right attire.
00:41 You're going to want to make sure that you have a life
00:43 jacket and a wetsuit or neoprene shorts,
00:46 as well as your emergency cutoff lanyard or safety
00:49 lanyard always attached to you and your unit.
00:51 [music playing]
00:55 Your watercraft is steered by directing the jet
00:57 nozzle with your handlebars.
01:00 But you can only do this when there's a large volume of water
01:02 going through the jet.
01:04 And you can apply that pressure by adding to the throttle.
01:07 When you accelerate using the throttle,
01:08 you'll be able to steer your watercraft.
01:10 However, once you let off the throttle,
01:12 steering will be reduced.
01:14 Most people's instinct when they see an obstacle
01:16 is to let off the throttle and hit the brakes.
01:18 However, without power, you may not
01:21 be able to steer away or avoid the obstacle at hand.
01:24 Recent models do provide reverse thrust
01:26 in order to slow the vessel.
01:28 However, you have to have power to steer clear of any obstacle.
01:31 [music playing]
01:35 Do not follow in the wake of any other vessel or PWC.
01:39 If they stop, you may not be able to stop or turn away
01:42 in time.
01:42 [music playing]
01:45 Never turn to the left or turn to the right
01:47 without looking each way to make sure that you
01:49 have a safe line of passage.
01:51 [music playing]
01:55 Aggressive trick riding, especially in groups,
01:57 can be very dangerous.
01:59 Don't do it.
01:59 [music playing]
02:02 When in the water, keep your hands, gear, and long hair
02:05 away from the intake grate.
02:07 Even at idle speeds, entanglement with the jet
02:09 impeller can be fatal.
02:11 [music playing]
02:15 PWC provides an exciting, fun way
02:18 to enjoy all your favorite waterways.
02:20 And it's even more fun with the passenger,
02:22 just like a motorcycle.
02:23 But just like a motorcycle, you need
02:25 to use extra caution and defensive driving
02:28 to have a fun, safe ride.
02:30 See you on the water.
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02:49 (upbeat music)