What's the fastest you were going and got thrown off your ski?

[Hawk388]

This past Thursday, I had taken my visiting brother and his 18 year old daughter out to the lake to play on the Jetski. Being Thursday, there wasn't much traffic at all, so I decided to practice my standing while hard turning. Something I'll need to build those particular muscles up to be able to have fun in the ocean once it starts warming up again.

After I had done a high speed turn, come to a stop and adjusted VTS for a hard launch to jump up at a 60° angle out of the water, I leaned way forward to do a hard brake. I took off and got up to 65mph when I decided to slow to 60 and do a hard turn. I had mastered doing them at 55, so I tried 60. Big mistake. As I departed the ski, I saw 58 on the speedo. After what felt like forever, I had so much water in my eyes at this point I couldn't see, I impacted the water in a forward roll across my shoulders to mid back. I skipped a few more times before coming to rest with stars in my eyes from the force of the impact. I will NOT be doing that again. I'm too old (47) to be coming off Jetski's at that speed!!

The ski was only 30 meters or so away from me, but it took me a few minutes to get to it. I think I slapped my ankles together in the air because my left one is swollen. Not too painful though, but at that time, it sure was! My family on shore said I didn't start moving for two minutes and my brother had actually started to swim out my way, I was about 300m from the shoreline, when he saw me put a thumbs up and start swimming towards the ski. It only felt like 30 seconds to me from impact to swimming, so I may have been floating there for a bit trying to catch my breath. My head didn't hurt, and still doesn't, so I don't think I was knocked out.

Lesson learned. From now on, highspeed turns at 45 or lower for this body. I'm one sore puppy today. But I still managed to put in 2 hours of riding this morning!

 

[Coastiejoe]

66 MPH for me. [MENTION=33508]ocod[/MENTION] had to come drag me back to my ski as I was like 150 from my ski.

 

[gti 130 wow]

I have trouble above 45 if your talking about a full turn to the right of the handle bars . What I learned one day that almost slung me off the thing is if as turning you hit even a small wake or other disturbance your 45 can feel like 55 so their is no defined limit but it sure helps to be able to read the water and that comes with experience. Its a lot easier then sitting behind the steering wheel of a small speed boat like the Glastron GT-150 I used to have.

 

[red2blue]

I came off my ski this summer, on the first day that I'd just upped my air, fuel and prop.

I'd been wot into the wind in one of the main channels on SML. I'd just past all kinds of slower traffic...saw some ugly water in front and decided to slow a bit and at the same time come out of a staggered bent leg stance.

I missed seeing the cross wave just as my ass hit the seat. Face planted the bars and went off the back...maybe 65mph. I came to, upside down under water. Took a coupla secs to roll and float up. Face was numb. Thought I broke my nose...couldn't see very well...smashed my right thumb. All the traffic I'd passed...went right on by. I swam the, I dunno, 50yds to my ski. (My mrs...in the best tradition of one who used to ride horses...drove over to my ski so that she could get ahold of it so it wouldn't run away...heh) Didn't see no blood on the deck as I climbed up. Pad and gauge cluster was askew....trigger broke...key bent outa shape...wouldn't even read. When I finally squeezed the key into some semblance of a circle...gauges pegged all the way to the pin and stayed there. Broke another battery cell. (second in two years.) two black eyes and a coupla busted blood vessels in one of them.

 

[Sea Dood]

I hit the water around 65-70. Hit hard on my left side. Broke 4 ribs, lacerated my spleen, punctured left lung, spent a week in the hospital. Have to have MRI yearly to keep tabs on a golfball-sized cyst on my spleen from the accident.

 

[hfgreg]

I hit the water around 65-70. Hit hard on my left side. Broke 4 ribs, lacerated my spleen, punctured left lung, spent a week in the hospital. Have to have MRI yearly to keep tabs on a golfball-sized cyst on my spleen from the accident.

Yikes. That's intense. Glad you are well enough to ride again.

 

[gti 130 wow]

I hit the water around 65-70. Hit hard on my left side. Broke 4 ribs, lacerated my spleen, punctured left lung, spent a week in the hospital. Have to have MRI yearly to keep tabs on a golfball-sized cyst on my spleen from the accident.

Well it looks like having a pwc that tops out at 60 is not such a bad thing after all. I know the kinetic energy that has to be disapated going from 70 to zero is much more then what the average person would think at just 10 mph more ( mvsquared ) would seam .

Thank GOD we have IBR cuz just slowing down 5 mph before hitting a disturbance in the water can make all the difference in the world. I also read of a law suit where somehow someone flew (not the passenger) off the back of their jet ski and was seriously hurt by the jet blast.

So up to a certain speed falling off is just something to laugh at but I guess above around 60 mph its no longer a laughing matter.

 

[Hawk388]

I'm very glad all of you lived to ride another day! I wear one of those silicon wedding rings and it was gone as well as my prescription sunglasses. I ain't bitchin though! Things could have been a lot worse! Like Sea Dood worse!

I hit the water around 65-70. Hit hard on my left side. Broke 4 ribs, lacerated my spleen, punctured left lung, spent a week in the hospital. Have to have MRI yearly to keep tabs on a golfball-sized cyst on my spleen from the accident.

Sea Dood, I'm glad you're OK now, but I know what broken ribs feels like and it's one of the more painful injuries I've had. Was in a Blackhawk "hard landing", felt like a crash to me, and my seat stroked down and forward into the grenade boxes. I either broke or separated all the ribs on my left side as well had two SLAP tears and rotator cuff damage in my shoulder. My left knee had the ACL almost completely torn in half and the miniscous was torn. Over a two month time period, I had three surgeries. Was back to running 6 miles in about four months after the crash. Out of all of that, the ribs hurt the most and the longest. Took about a year to fully heal and stop hurting.

 

[Hawk388]

I came off my ski this summer, on the first day that I'd just upped my air, fuel and prop.

I'd been wot into the wind in one of the main channels on SML. I'd just past all kinds of slower traffic...saw some ugly water in front and decided to slow a bit and at the same time come out of a staggered bent leg stance.

I missed seeing the cross wave just as my ass hit the seat. Face planted the bars and went off the back...maybe 65mph. I came to, upside down under water. Took a coupla secs to roll and float up. Face was numb. Thought I broke my nose...couldn't see very well...smashed my right thumb. All the traffic I'd passed...went right on by. I swam the, I dunno, 50yds to my ski. (My mrs...in the best tradition of one who used to ride horses...drove over to my ski so that she could get ahold of it so it wouldn't run away...heh) Didn't see no blood on the deck as I climbed up. Pad and gauge cluster was askew....trigger broke...key bent outa shape...wouldn't even read. When I finally squeezed the key into some semblance of a circle...gauges pegged all the way to the pin and stayed there. Broke another battery cell. (second in two years.) two black eyes and a coupla busted blood vessels in one of them.

That happened to me on an old GTI130 I had. Except I was doing about 40mph in brackish water and didn't see the sandbar I hit. I smashed my face into the handle bars and broke my nose, right orbital socket and tore a gash in my right ear. I also had a fractured jaw, but didn't need it wired shut. Just had to eat mush for three months.

 

[pwgsx]

62........came full speed out of a cove on my old gsx limited towards open water. Right then I caught a wave and got air but the ski was more flat than having the nose up. When I hit the water another wave came over the nose and it was like I hit a wall. I went over the bars, my knee took off the front storage hood and I was thrown in front of the ski. My head went under water luckily because the ski ran right over my back. I walked away with a busted lip, sore neck, a broken hood on my ski and a nice scuff on the back of my vest to remind me how things can change in a flash.

 

[Sea Dood]

I'm very glad all of you lived to ride another day! I wear one of those silicon wedding rings and it was gone as well as my prescription sunglasses. I ain't bitchin though! Things could have been a lot worse! Like Sea Dood worse!



Sea Dood, I'm glad you're OK now, but I know what broken ribs feels like and it's one of the more painful injuries I've had. Was in a Blackhawk "hard landing", felt like a crash to me, and my seat stroked down and forward into the grenade boxes. I either broke or separated all the ribs on my left side as well had two SLAP tears and rotator cuff damage in my shoulder. My left knee had the ACL almost completely torn in half and the miniscous was torn. Over a two month time period, I had three surgeries. Was back to running 6 miles in about four months after the crash. Out of all of that, the ribs hurt the most and the longest. Took about a year to fully heal and stop hurting.

I had cracked ribs a couple of years before this accident, and knew I had cracked them again. Didn't know I had a punctured lung or damaged spleen. Had trouble breathing, but if you had broken ribs you know the pain and can only do shallow breaths or else it hurts like hell. Was at the lake house, packed up everything, drove 3 hours to my other house, went to bed. Got us the next morning and knew I was in bad shape, drove myself to the hospital. Was admitted immediately and doctor told me I was a dumbass for not immediately going to the hospital.

 

[gti 130 wow]

This is what happens when someone thinks by operating the controls of his boat , he can effectively handle anything that mother nature throws at him .


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kz8rjZiADts

Weather your turning or going straight , their are usually a few warning wakes before you hit the big one . This guy had plenty of warning .

 

[jammin777]

should they have airbags on the handle bars? j/k glad you are all ok! i think the fastest i got dumped was around 35mph on y 97 gsx, was blinded by the sun and hit a x wave while doing a 180. luckily i didnt get hurt

 

[red2blue]

That happened to me on an old GTI130 I had. Except I was doing about 40mph in brackish water and didn't see the sandbar I hit. I smashed my face into the handle bars and broke my nose, right orbital socket and tore a gash in my right ear. I also had a fractured jaw, but didn't need it wired shut. Just had to eat mush for three months.

The worst part for me was not the busted face...or the broken ski. It was the slow 1hr tow to the nearest marina in front of a lake full of tourists.

 

[Hawk388]

This is what happens when someone thinks by operating the controls of his boat , he can effectively handle anything that mother nature throws at him .


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kz8rjZiADts

Weather your turning or going straight , their are usually a few warning wakes before you hit the big one . This guy had plenty of warning .

Very true. He also paid a heavy price. I understand he had a severe concussion. That's called paying your stupid tax.

The worst part for me was not the busted face...or the broken ski. It was the slow 1hr tow to the nearest marina in front of a lake full of tourists.

I don't remember the tow back. I took it pretty hard to the biscuit!

 

[MikeM8560]

Very true. He also paid a heavy price. I understand he had a severe concussion. That's called paying your stupid tax.

I cant help it but that made me laugh!:lol:

 

[gti 130 wow]

Time for a little math

If your launched into the air at :

1: 60 mph you leave the seat with 44 % more energy to be dissipated then at 50 mph

2: 70 mph you leave the seat with 96 % more energy to be dissipated then at 50 mph

3: 80 mph you leave the seat with 156 % more energy to be dissipated then at 50 mph

4: 90 mph you leave the seat with 324 % more energy ( DON'T fall off ) to be dissipated then at 50 mph

I know the down side of this thought , but at 90 mph maybe it might be time to think about strapping your ass to the seat with some quick release device .

 

[mikidymac]

About 60 for me. The key is learning how to fall correctly, on your way off you need to roll onto your back and slide just like a skipping rock it isn't painful at all. Practice at slower speeds and you will get to a point where it is muscle memory. It is the same thing the Motorcycle road racers do when you see them sliding across the grass at 150mph.

 

[Hawk388]

I cant help it but that made me laugh!:lol:

Paying your stupid tax comes right after contracting a severe case of the dumb ass. Or so the Army taught me! atriot:

About 60 for me. The key is learning how to fall correctly, on your way off you need to roll onto your back and slide just like a skipping rock it isn't painful at all. Practice at slower speeds and you will get to a point where it is muscle memory. It is the same thing the Motorcycle road racers do when you see them sliding across the grass at 150mph.

I've road raced all types of motorcycles. I have over 400k miles on varying bikes. My first lesson was at Laguna Seca in California at my first duty station back in 1989-1990. I had a masterful teacher. He taught me a lot. However, coming off a bike and coming off a Jetski aren't exactly the same due to water conditions which can greatly influence your departure angle. I tucked and rolled, then flattened out for the skipping part of my departure. Which is quite likely why I wasn't hurt any more than I was. Most folks don't have that road racing background though. However, I know what you mean.

 

[gti 130 wow]

With water it's different I think . To use an analogy, it's like sliding along the pavement and suddenly you foot gets stuck in a rut and bones start breaking . As long as your bouncing on the water it's fine , but you once a body part goes under the water you got problems.

 

[Hawk388]

With water it's different I think . To use an analogy, it's like sliding along the pavement and suddenly you foot gets stuck in a rut and bones start breaking . As long as your bouncing on the water it's fine , but you once a body part goes under the water you got problems.

I have found this to be true on multiple occasions over the years. Back in the mid-90's, my best friend and I tried to kill each other towing each other on tubes and for a little while, kite tubes. The worst I've ever been hurt on the water was when our kite tube was about 25' in the air and the rope snapped. I took a header into the lake at a high rate of giddy-up that cracked three ribs, broke two more, dislocated my shoulder and literally ripped me out of my PFD. Were it not for my training as a CSAR swimmer, I'm not sure I would have gotten back to the surface conscious.

Man we used to do some stupid shit on the water back in those days.

 

[mikidymac]

Been doing it for 25 years now in all kinds of water sports so it works at least for me. No injuries yet but I have been very sore the next day too many times to remember.

I started on standup's so you learn to fall quickly and a lot.

 

[Hawk388]

I went Jetskiing yesterday. I had finished for the day when I tied off to the dock and went to get my truck. As I'm backing down this ONE vehicle wide ramp, some out of town idiot starts trying to squeeze in his 21' flats boat. I stop, trailer now in the water and ready for me to pull the jetski on, and tell him to look at the sign, it's a SINGLE vehicle ramp. He gets all pissed off an floors it back up the ramp and his whole freakin boat comes off the trailer onto the ramp. If it had been anything else than a flats boat, he would have done great harm to it. But his lower unit is trashed. I called the county forestry service to let them know a guy had snapped his lower unit off on the ramp and oil was going into the water. (This is a highly protected sanctuary for the Brown Pelican). By the time I got up to HWY 98, about four slow miles due to a National Park and a school, the Forestry truck with a county police car were turning onto the road.

That dude just had a very bad day due to his trying to rush shit and being an idiot. I wonder how much it's gonna cost him to have a lower unit replaced on a Yamaha 150 outboard.

Edit: Not to mention his fines.

 

[gti 130 wow]

Where I live out on the back waters, the fisherman are all pissed about jet skis . They think where ever they drop an anchor is a no wake zone but nobody but other fishermen honer such a rule . Are numbers are going up so that creates problems if they park their boats in every channel or creek . Out on the inter coastal water way the yacht captains bringing their boats south for their owners don't give a shit and as a result have seen a few coolers go air born and things like that take some of the heat off us jet skiers they always accuse of stirring up the settlement what ever that means .

 

[Hawk388]

Where I live out on the back waters, the fisherman are all pissed about jet skis . They think where ever they drop an anchor is a no wake zone but nobody but other fishermen honer such a rule . Are numbers are going up so that creates problems if they park their boats in every channel or creek . Out on the inter coastal water way the yacht captains bringing their boats south for their owners don't give a shit and as a result have seen a few coolers go air born and things like that take some of the heat off us jet skiers they always accuse of stirring up the settlement what ever that means .

I give fishermen in boats as wide a berth as possible. But I'm not going to stop my experience just because they wanna complain about the wake I put out. Which as you mentioned, is one hell of a lot smaller than their fellow fishermen. But except for out of town people, most here are very friendly towards me.