First time on a jet ski? Here's the reassuring truth: you need no licence to ride our rental fleet in Mallorca, no experience, and no special fitness. You'll get a full safety briefing, the controls take about two minutes to understand, and most first-timers are grinning uncontrollably within the first five. This is what your first ride will actually look like, start to finish.

We've been putting first-timers on the water from Portals Nous and Port Adriano since 1995, so consider this the briefing before the briefing.

Before you arrive

First Time on a Jet Ski in Mallorca? Here's Exactly What to Expect

Book your jet ski rental ahead in summer - the fleet is busy in high season. Bring swimwear, a towel, sunscreen (put it on before you ride; you won't feel yourself burning out there) and water for afterwards. Leave anything you'd cry about losing on shore. We provide the life jacket. No licence, no boating experience, nothing else required.

The briefing: what we'll cover

Every rental starts with a proper safety briefing, and it's genuinely useful rather than box-ticking:

  • The controls - where everything is and what it does.
  • Your riding area - exactly where you can go, shown clearly, and where you can't: marked bathing zones, marina approaches and anchorages are off-limits or slow-speed, and we'll show you how to recognise them.
  • The rules of the water - keeping distance from swimmers, boats and the shore, and what the buoys mean.
  • What to do if you fall off - spoiler: nothing bad happens. The kill cord attached to your wrist stops the engine instantly, the machine waits for you, and climbing back on from the water is part of the briefing.

Ask every question you have. The team speaks English, Spanish and German, and there is no such thing as a silly first-timer question - we've heard them all and answered them happily.

First Time on a Jet Ski in Mallorca? Here's Exactly What to Expect

The controls, in one paragraph

A jet ski has no gears and no exposed propeller. Squeeze the right-hand throttle lever, you go; release it, you slow. Our Sea-Doo fleet also has iBR - an actual brake lever on the left handlebar that lets you slow down decisively and reverse for easy manoeuvring around the dock. Steering only works with throttle applied - the single most important thing to remember - because the jet needs thrust to push the nose around. That's it. That's the machine.

Confidence tips that actually work

  1. Start smooth, not slow-then-jerky. Gentle, steady throttle is more stable than nervous on-off squeezing. The machine is happiest with commitment.
  2. Look where you want to go, not at the water in front of the nose. Like cycling, your hands follow your eyes.
  3. Grip with your legs, relax your arms. Let your knees absorb the chop. White-knuckled arms tire in minutes; relaxed riders last the whole session.
  4. Cross waves at a slight angle with knees soft, and ease the throttle over the top rather than launching off every crest - elegance first, air later.
  5. Remember: throttle to steer. If anything surprises you, a touch of throttle and a clear look toward open water fixes almost everything.

Rather have a guide? Take the tour

If navigating solo on your first outing sounds like pressure rather than freedom, join one of our guided coastal tours from Portals Nous or Port Adriano. A guide leads, you follow along the southwest coast's caves, calas and turquoise stretches, and all the where-can-I-go decisions are made for you. It's the single best first-timer format we offer - and honestly how you'll see the prettiest water.

Groups, couples, solo adventurers - the rental fleet has room for all of them. See you at Portals Nous.