If speed is your thing and water is your element, San Diego is your destination. You can water ski, wakeboard, and jet-ski at numerable salt water and fresh water locales across the county. In this section, we focus in on jet skiing, so if you want more information about water skiing and wakeboarding, please visit the water skiing and wakeboarding section.
If you're looking to jet ski on the San Diego beaches, Fiesta Island and Mission Bay are great spots. But watch out: it gets crowded on the waters so be very careful while riding your jet ski.
If you're looking to jet ski on a lake, personal watercraft (known as PWCs) such as Jetskis or Waverunners, are permitted on El Capitan only, and only in the jet-ski area by the dam. (If the PWC is towing someone, it is permitted in the front bay and the craft must be rated for three persons.)
El Capitan Reservoir has the largest capacity in the City of San Diego Lakes' system, and is located approximately 30 miles northeast of downtown San Diego, on the San Diego River.
Days of operation for personal watercraft are normally Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, sunrise to sunset, from May through October. From November through April personal watercraft are permitted on Saturdays and Sundays only.
Since personal watercraft are classified as Class A inboard vessels, operators must follow the same rules of operation which govern all boats in any particular waterway. In addition, all local rules and regulations must be observed at all times.
All PWC must have the following Coast Guard approved safety equipment in good working condition: All operators and passengers must wear a type I, II or III personal flotation device when operating on any City lake. All operators must carry a fully charged type B-1 or equivalent fire extinguisher that is readily accessible.
Jet Skiing Resources
- Safety and Regulations:
- • Regulations on El Capitan Reservoir (The only lake in San Diego County that allows the use of personal watercraft, such as jetskis and waverunners): www.sandiego.gov/water/recreation/pwc
- • Beach and Water Regulations: www.sandiego.gov/lifeguards/safety/boatreg
- Jet Ski Rentals:
- • Mission Bay Sportcenter: www.missionbaysportcenter.com
- • San Diego Jet Ski Rentals: www.sdjetski.com/
- • Affordable Jet Ski Rentals: www.affordablejetski.com
- • Adventure WaterSports: www.adventurewatersports.com
- • Mission Bay Jet Sports: www.missionbayjetsports.com
