Nothing with an engine rides off Waikiki Beach. A Waikiki jet ski is a hotel pickup to Hawaii Kai,
a water taxi to a floating dock and half an hour on a buoyed course. Here is how the two rides differ.
Where each ride really goesMaunalua Bay for the skis, Kewalo Basin and the Ala Wai for the boats
State rules, not sales talkZones, days, ages and life vests from Hawaii's ocean recreation rules
Free cancellationUp to 24 hours before, on every listing here
Secure checkoutBook on GetYourGuide, with a mobile voucher
Rides
Choose your Maunalua Bay ride
In the centre, the ride that sells the ski solo or two-up with hotel pickup. On the left, the tandem
listing from the same marina with the water taxi and goggles written in. On the right, the same bay from six hundred
feet up.
The same bay and the same thirty minutes, sold as a tandem ride on a speed-governed WaveRunner. A water taxi takes you to a floating platform, you step on from a hoist, and goggles are part of the deal.
What's included
Tandem WaveRunner for 30 minutes; each rider needs a separate ticket, per the listing
Instruction, life vests, water taxi to the launch platform and goggle rental
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Not suitable for children under 4; one person on the ski must be 18 or over to drive
Waivers required; solo drivers pay a higher rate; free cancellation up to 24 hours before
Length30 minutes ridingAllow 90 minutes dock to dockBook this →
Thirty minutes on a buoyed course in the sheltered water of Maunalua Bay, alone or two-up, with an instructor on the water. The listing includes hotel pickup from Waikiki and the shuttle out to the course.
What's included
Jet ski for 30 minutes, solo or tandem, with safety equipment and instruction
Hotel pickup and drop-off from Waikiki, per the listing
Listed as limited to 10 participants; runs Monday to Friday except holidays
Not included: goggles (rental on site) and photo or video packages
No alcohol, drugs or vape pens; free cancellation up to 24 hours before
Length30 minutes ridingAbout 90 minutes in allBook this →
The other thing the same operator sells in the same bay: a tandem parasail flight from a speedboat, with Koko Head, Diamond Head and the Ko'olau ridge below you and a dip in the sea before you land.
What's included
Six-minute tandem parasail flight to around 600 feet, per the listing
Speedboat, instructor, safety equipment, hotel pickup and drop-off
Weekdays only and weather dependent; a boat-to-boat transfer you must be able to manage
Not for pregnant women, people with mobility impairments, under 50 lbs or over 250 lbs
Observers can ride along; free cancellation up to 24 hours before
LengthAbout 90 minutesSix-minute flight, up to 600 feetBook this →
Four more ways onto the water
Three parasail boats free of the weekday rule, and a speedboat that leaves the engine to the captain
Every listing on this page includes a ride on the water and most include hotel pickup, so the useful
questions are where it really starts, how long you are actually moving, which days it runs and who is allowed on.
Lengths, limits and inclusions are taken from each listing.
Ride
Leaves from
Best for
Length
Limits and notes
Maunalua Bay Jet Ski Ride with an Instructor
Hawaii Kai marina, Maunalua Bay
Driving the ski yourself, alone or with one passenger, on a weekday
Every listing here cancels free up to 24 hours before on GetYourGuide. The two jet ski rides and the
Maunalua Bay parasail run Monday to Friday only; the Kewalo Basin parasails, the Ala Wai parasail, the speedboat and the surf
lesson are not bound by that rule, so check their calendars for weekend dates; all are weather dependent.
What you actually get
A Waikiki jet ski is a Hawaii Kai ride.
Hawaii treats a jet ski as a thrill craft and allows it only inside riding zones written into the state's ocean
recreation rules. On Oahu those zones are in Maunalua Bay off Hawaii Kai, the Keehi Lagoon side of Honolulu
Harbor, Kaneohe Bay and Haleiwa. The water off Waikiki Beach is not one of them, which is why every "Waikiki jet ski"
you can book starts with a van ride east along the coast.
In Maunalua Bay the commercial skis work from three permitted spots, each a circle two hundred feet across, with a
cap on how many craft can be out at once, between 9 am and 5 pm on weekdays only. Saturdays, Sundays and holidays are
closed to them by rule, and on Sundays the whole bay is closed to commercial activity. GetYourGuide lists two jet ski
rides for the entire island, both from the same marina in the same bay. That is the whole market, and this page says so.
2
Jet ski rides listed on GetYourGuide for all of Oahu, both in Maunalua Bay. The rest of this page is
what else floats, flies or surfs from Waikiki.
Maunalua BayKoko HeadDiamond HeadHawaii Kai marinaWater taxiBuoyed course
The floating dock in the bay. The ride starts and ends here, not on a beach.
01
Weekdays only
Commercial skis in Maunalua Bay run Monday to Friday, 9 to 5 at the widest, by state rule. Book the weekday first and the rest of the trip around it.
02
Thirty minutes is the ride
Both listings sell half an hour on the water. The ninety-minute figure is check-in, briefing, the water taxi and the ride back; riders say to allow two hours door to door.
03
Governed, not wild
The skis are speed-governed WaveRunners on a buoyed loop where everyone rides the same way. Fast enough to feel over the chop; not a race.
04
Who should skip it?
Anyone who cannot climb back onto a ski from the water, anyone under four as a passenger, and anyone whose only free day is a weekend: for them, the boats below.
The ride
Half a day in four moves
From a Waikiki hotel lobby to the course and back is a morning or an early afternoon. The driving and
the boat ride are part of the experience; the half hour on the ski is the point of it.
01
Pickup and check-in
A van collects you in Waikiki and drives east along the coast to the marina at Hawaii Kai. Waivers, a life vest and the briefing happen at the office on the water.
The drive is roughly half an hour, traffic permitting
02
The water taxi
A small boat runs you out across the bay to a floating platform. Riders rate this leg for the photographs: Koko Head one way, Diamond Head the other.
A few minutes each way
03
Mount from the hoist
The skis sit on a half-submerged hoist, so you step on rather than swim out. The instructor runs through throttle, steering and the course before anyone leaves the dock.
Briefing before the first throttle
04
Thirty minutes on the loop
Everyone rides the same direction around the buoys and keeps a gap. Tight turns and leaning passengers are what put people in the water; the crew fetches them back.
Getting there, who can ride, a half-day plan and what to bring.
With the pickup: both jet ski listings include hotel pickup and drop-off from Waikiki. Give the hotel name at booking and be in the lobby early; the van does a round.
On your own: the operator's office is on the marina at the Hawaii Kai Shopping Center, 377 Keahole Street, by the Kalanianaole Highway, about 20 to 30 minutes east of Waikiki by road.
The parasail boats: Kewalo Basin Harbor, 1025 Ala Moana Boulevard, sits between Waikiki and downtown; the long-running operator and the surf school meet at the Ala Wai end of Waikiki.
By bus: TheBus route 1 and the express routes run the Kalanianaole Highway to Hawaii Kai, but the timings are tight for a check-in; the included pickup is the sensible choice.
State law: nobody under 15 may operate a thrill craft in Hawaii, and operators and passengers must wear a life vest.
The listings: the tandem ride says one person on the ski must be 18 or over to drive and that children under 4 cannot ride; the flagship sells solo or tandem and asks for no certificate.
The operator's own rules differ in places (a lower solo age with a supervising adult, a combined weight cap on a tandem). Where the listing and the operator disagree, ask before you book.
Everyone must be able to climb back onto the ski from the water unaided, and nobody rides after drinking.
Morning: pickup in Waikiki, check-in and briefing at the marina, the water taxi out, thirty minutes on the loop, the taxi back. Count two hours from lobby to lobby.
Same bay, same morning: the Maunalua Bay parasail is sold by the same operator from the same office, weekdays only; ask about doing both in one visit.
Afternoon: back in Waikiki by lunch. The beach, or a Kewalo Basin parasail flight, fills the rest of the day.
If it is Saturday: the skis are closed by rule. Fly from Kewalo Basin, take the speedboat to the turtles, or book the surf lesson.
Swimwear under your clothes, a towel and a change for the van home; you will be wet from spray even if you never fall in.
Reef-safe sunscreen put on before the taxi, a hat and water for the boat; the course is in full sun.
Goggles: included on the tandem ride, rentable on the flagship, and worth it. Riders say salt spray in the eyes is the one thing they would have prepared for.
Your phone with the voucher, photo ID for the waiver, and a dry bag if you want the phone on the water taxi.
Mon to FriThe weekday ruleCommercial jet skis in Maunalua Bay are closed on Saturdays, Sundays and state and federal holidays.
30 minOn the waterBoth listings sell thirty minutes of riding; the rest of the slot is the taxi, the briefing and the dock.
24 hFree cancellationOn every GetYourGuide listing on this page, up to 24 hours before.
15Minimum age to driveHawaii law; the tandem listing asks for a driver of 18 or over on each ski.
VestLife vest, alwaysOperators and passengers wear a personal flotation device by state rule; the listings provide it.
No ruleThe boatsKewalo Basin parasails and the speedboat are outside the Maunalua Bay weekday rule; dates per each listing, weather permitting.
The start
Hawaii Kai marina
H2O Sports Hawaii, Hawaii Kai Shopping Center
377 Keahole Street, Suite E103, Honolulu, HI 96825
Both jet ski rides and the Maunalua Bay parasail check in at the operator's office on the marina side of the
shopping centre, in the building between the McDonald's and the Longs Drugs, per the listing. The water taxi leaves
from the dock behind it. If you have taken the included pickup you are dropped at the door; if you drive, the centre
has parking.
Koko Head is the crater above you to the east; Diamond Head is the one you see from the water to the west
Rides run Monday to Friday except holidays; the flagship lists slots from 9 am to 2 pm
The Kewalo Basin boats are a separate harbour, back towards Waikiki
When to go, the small things riders wish they had known, what is next to the bay and the fine print.
Mornings: the trade winds usually build through the day, so the first slots are the smoothest water and the clearest views across to Diamond Head.
Any weekday, all year: the Maunalua Bay commercial zones have no seasonal closure; the whale-season ban you may read about applies to Maui's shores and to a separate recreational zone in this bay.
Winter swells hit the north and west shores hardest; the south-east bay stays rideable, though a windy afternoon means more chop and more spray.
Holidays close the skis: state and federal holidays count as weekends for the rule. Check the date before you plan the day around it.
Riders who fell in all say the same thing: the crew came straight out and had them back on. Wear the vest properly and do not fight the fall.
A jet ski steers with the throttle. Off the gas, the handlebars do almost nothing, which is the opposite of a car and the one thing beginners get wrong.
Passengers hold the driver's waist or the grab strap and lean with the turn, not against it; most tandem dunkings start with a passenger leaning out.
Take the water taxi for the photographs and leave the phone in the dry bag on the ski; a camera on a lanyard does not survive a spill.
Budget two hours door to door, as a rider on the flagship listing advises, not the ninety minutes on the ticket.
Koko Head: the crater behind Hawaii Kai, with the old railway-tie stairs that hikers climb at dawn.
Hanauma Bay: the snorkelling reserve just over the ridge to the east, a marine life conservation district where thrill craft are banned by rule.
Diamond Head: the crater you look at from the water; the trail to its summit is a separate morning from Waikiki.
Kewalo Basin: the small harbour west of Ala Moana Beach Park where the parasail boats and the speedboat leave.
Waikiki Beach itself: surf breaks and swimming; the surf lesson below is how to use it.
Every listing on this page cancels free up to 24 hours before on GetYourGuide; weather cancellations are the operator's call and are rebooked or refunded through the platform.
The tandem ride: no children under 4, a driver of 18 or over on each ski, waivers for everyone, a higher rate for a solo driver.
The Maunalua Bay parasail: not for pregnant women or people with mobility impairments, with lower and upper weight limits per flyer and a combined cap per flight.
The Kewalo Basin parasails: minimum ages and weights per the listings, a check-in half an hour before, and a rescheduling fee if you miss the boat.
One bay · two skis · five weekdays
Pick the weekday, then pick the ski.
Rides with hotel pickup and free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Really fun jet ski tour! They provided clear instructions and guides that help!
★★★★★
It was so much fun to ride the jet ski around Maunalua bay. It was a great experience with good training and friendly staff.
★★★★★
The most awesome experience we've had in the islands. Scotty and Rick were very professional.
★★★★★
The whole experience was amazing! From transportation to instructors everything was seamless!
★★★★★
I love the boat ride out to the jet ski site, it was amazing, where I took beautiful pictures.
★★★★★
Enjoyed the parasailing. It was quite windy when we did it, but still very good. Went high and then dunked in the sea which was really great.
★★★★★
Very well organized. The team was fantastic. Great location. My family had a blast.
★★★★★
The instructors were cool and I appreciate them, because they came out and helped me get back on my jet ski.
★★★★★
This was so much fun! It's like sitting on a big flying swing.
The water out front
Use Waikiki's own waves
The sea in front of the hotels is a surf break, not a riding zone. One listing here puts you on a board in
it with an instructor for every four learners.
Beginner-Friendly Waikiki Beach Surfing Lesson
West end of Waikiki Beach · 2 hours · GetYourGuide
The water in front of your hotel is a surf break, not a jet ski zone, and this is the way to use it: twenty to thirty minutes of land instruction, then about seventy minutes in the water with one instructor to every four learners. Board, leash, rash guard and reef shoes are included; the listing says ages 12 and up.
Board and leash includedAges 12 and upFree cancellation
Search for a jet ski in Waikiki and the results all promise the same thing: the turquoise water you can see
from your balcony, with you on it at speed. The water is real and the speed is real. The place is not. Here is where the
ride actually happens, why the state put it there, and how to decide whether half an hour on a buoyed course is your
kind of morning.
Thrill craft, and where Hawaii keeps them
Hawaii's ocean recreation rules call a jet ski a thrill craft and confine it to riding zones drawn on official maps.
The purpose is written into the rules: to reduce conflicts among ocean users in busy water. Waikiki is the busiest water
in the islands, full of swimmers, surfers, canoes and catamarans, and no thrill craft zone was ever drawn there. On Oahu
the zones are at Maunalua Bay off Hawaii Kai, on the Keehi Lagoon side of Honolulu Harbor by the airport, in Kaneohe Bay
on the windward side and at Haleiwa on the North Shore. Commercial rides work from permitted spots inside a zone, each a
circle two hundred feet across, with a cap on the number of craft out at once, and must crawl at no-wake speed within
three hundred feet of any shoreline. Access is from harbours and ramps only. That is why your ride begins at a marina
and includes a water taxi.
The course: a loop of buoys in the bay, everyone riding the same way.
Two rides, one bay, five days
GetYourGuide's jet ski category for Honolulu, and the one for the whole of Oahu, each hold two jet ski rides, both run
by the same operator from the same office on the Hawaii Kai marina. The flagship listing sells the ski solo or tandem
with hotel pickup, instruction and a life vest, and runs weekday slots from nine in the morning to two in the afternoon.
The tandem listing sells the same half hour two-up on a speed-governed WaveRunner, with the water taxi, goggles and a
hydro-hoist platform written into the description, and a note that a solo driver pays a higher rate. The days are not
the operator's choice. State rules allow commercial thrill craft in Maunalua Bay only between nine and five, Monday to
Friday, and forbid them on Saturdays, Sundays and state and federal holidays; on Sundays the whole bay is closed to
commercial activity. If your free day is a weekend, no amount of searching will find a ski.
The honest small print: thirty minutes is the ride. The ninety minutes on the ticket is check-in,
the briefing, the taxi out and back, and riders on the flagship listing suggest allowing two hours from a Waikiki lobby
and back. Tickets are per rider even on a shared ski. The listing says one person on a tandem ski must be 18 or over to
drive; the operator's own site publishes different age rules, so ask at booking if a teenager wants the handlebars.
What the half hour feels like
The skis are speed-governed, the course is a loop of buoys, and the crew asks everyone to ride the same direction and
keep a gap. That sounds tame and is not: a WaveRunner over the afternoon chop of the bay is quick enough that first-timers
grin and passengers shriek. Steering is the thing to learn. A jet ski turns by pushing water out of a nozzle, so with the
throttle closed the handlebars do very little; you steer with gas, which is the reverse of every vehicle you have driven.
Falling in happens, usually in a tight turn or when a passenger leans away from it. The craft are built to be reboarded
from the water and the operator requires that you can do it; riders who went in describe the crew arriving at once. Life
vests are compulsory for operators and passengers by state rule, and both listings provide them.
Koko Head above the bay: the view east from the course.
Licence, age and the other water
Hawaii has no jet ski licence in the driving-licence sense. A recreational operator must be at least 15 and hold a
state thrill craft certificate on top of a boating safety course, and that is what the rental and tour listings relieve
you of: a commercial ride in a permitted zone, with the operator's briefing, is how visitors ride without sitting an
exam. Neither listing asks you for paperwork beyond a waiver and an ID. If the skis do not fit your dates or your party,
the rest of this page is the other water. Three parasail boats fly from Kewalo Basin and the Ala Wai end of Waikiki
outside the weekday rule, weather allowing; a six-seat speedboat runs to Turtle Canyon and back; and Waikiki Beach itself,
the water you came for, is used the way it was meant to be, on a surfboard with an instructor beside you.
Kewalo Basin: where the parasail boats and the speedboat leave, weather allowing.
Straight answers to what people ask most about jet skiing from Waikiki.
Where can I rent a jet ski in Waikiki?
Not on Waikiki Beach itself. The jet ski rides sold from Waikiki run in Maunalua Bay at Hawaii Kai, on the island's south-east shore, and both bookable rides here include hotel pickup from Waikiki. The where-to guide explains the state riding zones and why the beach in front of your hotel is not one of them.
Is there jet skiing in Hawaii, and does Hawaii allow jet skis?
Yes, in designated areas. Hawaii calls them "thrill craft" and limits them to riding zones set out in the state's ocean recreation rules; on Oahu those are Maunalua Bay, the Keehi Lagoon side of Honolulu, Kaneohe Bay and Haleiwa. Commercial rides work from permitted spots inside those zones. Riding is banned around Kahoolawe, Lanai, Molokai and Niihau.
Do I need a license to drive a jet ski in Hawaii?
Hawaii has no "jet ski licence", but a recreational thrill craft operator must be 15 or older and hold a state-approved thrill craft certificate on top of a boating safety course. The rides here are commercial rides in a permitted zone with instruction from the operator, and neither listing asks you for a certificate; the tandem listing says one person on the ski must be 18 or over to drive. Full detail in the licence guide.
How much does jet skiing cost in Hawaii?
Prices change with the season and the operator, so this site does not print them; the figure at checkout is the one that counts. What the listings do fix is what the price covers: thirty minutes of riding, instruction, a life vest, the shuttle out to the course and hotel pickup. Tickets are per rider even on a tandem ski, a solo driver pays a higher rate on the tandem listing, and goggles and photos are extras on the flagship. See what you are paying for.
Can you jet ski in Hawaii Kai at the weekend?
No. State rules allow commercial thrill craft in Maunalua Bay only between 9 am and 5 pm, Monday to Friday, and never on Saturdays, Sundays or state and federal holidays. If your only free day is a Saturday, the Waikiki parasail boats and the speedboat snorkel are not bound by that rule; check each listing's calendar for the date.
How many people can ride a jet ski?
On these rides, one or two. The flagship listing sells the ski solo or tandem; the tandem listing is built for two, with each rider holding a ticket. The operator's own site mentions up to three riders per ski with a combined weight limit; that is not offered on the listings here, so ask before you book if you have a third rider in mind.
Is jet skiing difficult, and can a beginner ride a jet ski?
The rides here are made for first-timers: a briefing, a speed-governed ski, a buoyed course where everyone rides the same way and keeps their distance, and an instructor on the water. Steering takes throttle (a jet ski does not turn when you let go of the gas), which is the one thing to learn. Our beginner guide covers it.
Is it easy to fall off a jet ski, and are they easy to flip?
Falling in happens, mostly in a tight turn or when a passenger leans the wrong way, and riders on both listings describe being helped back on quickly. Modern sit-down skis are built to be reboarded from the water and most right themselves; the operator requires that you can climb back on unaided, and a life vest is compulsory for everyone by state rule.
How fast do the jet skis go?
The listings describe speed-governed WaveRunners on a marked course, so the headline numbers you read about jet skis in general do not apply here. It is fast enough to feel it over the chop of the bay, and the course keeps the whole group moving the same direction.
What do you need to ride a jet ski here?
Swimwear, a towel, reef-safe sunscreen, water and a hat for the boat. The listings provide the life vest; goggles are included on the tandem ride and rentable on the flagship, and riders recommend them because salt spray stings. Bring your voucher on your phone and photo ID for the waiver.
Is it worth doing jet ski and parasailing together?
The same operator sells both in Maunalua Bay, so a weekday morning can hold the two, and other operators fly from Kewalo Basin without the weekday rule. Which thrill suits you is in jet ski or parasailing; the short answer is that the ski is yours to drive and the flight is six minutes of view.
Is there jet skiing in Kona or elsewhere in Hawaii?
This site covers Oahu only. Thrill craft operate in designated zones on Kauai, Oahu, Maui and the Big Island, with a whale-season closure on Maui's south and west shores from 15 December to 15 May. Check the state's ocean recreation rules for the island you are visiting.
Ready to book
Find the ride that fits your week.
Hotel pickup from Waikiki and free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every listing below.
Two-up
30 minutes ridingAllow 90 minutes dock to dockFree cancellation
