The last 6 months have been a roller coaster of amazing experiences for our young family. We welcomed our 2nd child into the world, hubby graduated from University and our first born; we will call her Miss 0, started kindergarten. However, perhaps the biggest experience was hubby taking a on a new role which meant relocating from the ‘big smoke’ of Sydney to become ‘Coasties’, leaving behind our support network, city lifestyle and comfort zone.
I made the conscious decision to take every opportunity and open door thrown at me with open arms to ensure our whole family got to experience the Gold Coast in its entirety. Beaches, parklands, theme parks, adventure experiences, you name it we will try it, at least once.
So, when Gold Coast Kids and Gift It Now offered to send Miss 0 and I on an ‘adventure’ I jumped at the chance. We were fortunate enough to experience and review Ultimate Jetboat Experience at Surfers Paradise. Now I am no adrenalin junkie, however Miss O does love a thrill ride and I certainly enjoy new experiences, so on this pristine Gold Coast day we drove into the iconic Surfers Paradise ready to take on our adventure.
We were in fear of missing our departure time due to heavy traffic; however the team at Ultimate Jetboat Experience were a calming voice over the phone reassuring me we would make it!
When we arrived, it was gloriously warm with the sun gleaming off the water and the iconic Surfers Paradise landscape as our back drop. Today was the epitome of the Gold Coast.
We met our Jet Boat crew and boarded our boat along with an intimate group of other guests.
After Miss O (along with two other children) was fitted with her life vest, a quick run through of safety procedures and what to expect of the experience, we were all excited and ready to get out on the water and make a splash. Miss O had the cheesiest grin I have seen her wear in a long time.
We whizzed through the waterways where Miss O squealed with delight, laughed her deep belly laugh at the water licking her face and eagerly pointed out various sites that caught her attention; parasailers, jet skis, fisherman and a wave to the water police.
We ‘sailed’ straight past the famous Marina Mirage and Palazzo Versace Hotel, my old stomping ground of Fisherman’s Wharf Tavern, beautiful beach side parklands and of course SeaWorld. Miss O was utterly devastated when I informed her that we would not be stopping there. Although you can choose a drop off service at SeaWorld with Ultimate Jetboat Experience (see their website for details).
We then made our way towards South Stradbroke Island and as we got into the open water, the speed increased and the tricks were whipped out. Water sliding (sideways across the water), getting airborne (I’m sure we didn’t, but the feeling was exhilarating) and 360 degree spins. Spoiler alert – you get wet, not dry off in 5 mins wet, SATURATED, all whilst travelling at up to 80km/h. The giggles, squeals (from children and adults alike), groans and yells all add to the experience.
There was a hiccup during the jetboat experience, and unfortunately it put a downer on the adventure as we were only ¾ of the way through our experience when we hit another boats back wash and the jetboat dropped quite heavily onto its side. This frightened Miss O and the two other children on the boat and injured both Miss O’s and my hand. I am sporting a nicely bruised knuckle. Nothing like war wounds to tell a story though. More than anything it scared both Miss O and the other students and I became worried for her.
As the kids had had enough with the ‘tricks’ we weaved in out of the waterways heading south again, taking in the breathtakingly beautiful views that is the Gold Coast including the Q1 building and all the way to Mt Warning.
Miss O and I were approached by the crew on arrival to the jetty to ensure we were ok, and apologised profusely for what had happened. As I explained, accidents happen and we can all misread situations (in this case the water level) from time to time. However it was nice to see how much concern he had for our welfare.
The Ultimate Jetboat Experience was exhilarating, memorable (good and bad), and such a great way to enjoy the stunning Gold Coast, despite the hurt hands.
Most of all I loved being able to share this experience with Miss O. It was amazing to give her my undivided attention with quality time together trying something new. This will be a talking point for weeks to come for her with our interstate families and ourselves.
Essentials to Remember
- The experience goes for 55mins
- JetBoats leave every hour between 10am and 4pm daily
- Parking is at the Chevron Renaissance (Parking it hourly however it is free with any purchase over $10 if you leave within the first 2 hours)
- Lather on sunscreen and wear sunglasses
- Take a change of clothes or at least a towel
- Lockers on site for your valuables – no electronics allowed on the jetboats.
- A tight grip
- Children from 4 years are allowed to ride (judge this on your own child’s maturity level and ability to hold on to the grab bars).
*I am happy to report that Miss O woke up the next morning completely forgetting about her sore hand and was ready to call family members and tell them ALL about her adventure.
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