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Florida-Central
A great place is Ponce de Leon Inlet on the east coast of central Florida. It sits just below Daytona Beach and north of New Smyrna. Although he lives in Orlando and has a choice of over 100 lakes within a 50 mile radius of his house, he prefers to drive the hour and a half to Ponce. It’s always worth it! he’ll take a lousy 3′ wave over a flat lake any day!

The great thing about it is that it costs nothing to park or launch. FREE, baabeee! You can’t beat that. There’s a concrete ramp and a paved parking lot. However, the lot only has about 40 slots so get here early on a warm day. Another great thing is that if you want to get your extra gear (or even that third, fourth or fifth passenger) to the beach, you can drive into the County’s Lighthouse Park ($2.00 per per person in vehicle) and be able to park within 50 yards of the beach, provided it’s not a busy day.

However, no trailers are allowed in the park on weekends or holidays because of the crowds and limited space. Most people just carry their stuff to the beach via their PWC and leave their vehicles in the public lot near the ramp. On a good day, when there’s an east or southeast wind and the tide is rolling out, you’ll have 6-8′ waves along the south jetty. In the center of the channel, I’ve seen rolling swells reach 10′. If the winds are not in your favor, you’ll still get 3-5′ waves which are nothing to be ashamed of. If a hurricane just happens to run up the coast as Floyd did a while back, you can count on huge swells in the deeper water and rocking action along the south jetty! Just be careful of floating debris at those times.

There are restrictions on where you can ride. If caught in the “no-no” zones, be prepared for a fine. New Smyrna mandates that all PWC stay 1500′ from shore to protect the swimmers and surfers. So, it’s not worth traveling south of the south jetty. Going north of the north jetty, you need to stay 300′ from shore. No beaching until you reach Ormond Beach. As long as you stay in the Inlet, you can beach anywhere you like on the north or south sides. But (and that’s a BIG BUT), there are pending ordinances to restrict these areas even further (like every other place in the country). Be sure to check with Volusia County Sheriff’s Department for current details.

Florida-Southwestern
Sarasota County, Venice, FL. Take I-75 to exit 35, not 35A, just exit 35, which is Jacaranda road. Turn right off the exit, go down 2 traffic lights to Venice Ave., and turn right. Take that all the way down onto the island to the end of Venice ave. turn right at the stop sign. Turn left on the next stop sign. You will come up to Higel park boat launch on the right. From there you can go out to the gulf of Mexico by goin left on your pwc, or go straight into Roberts bay (sports rec area). When you go to the gulf….. you’ll go through the jetti. You can beach off South Jetti, but not North Jetti. Waves are big, I ‘ve seen them about 8′ rollers. Roberts Bay is an “excellent” place to freestyle jetski, but no big waves in there. Everything is free, launching and parking. Camping is on U.S 41 about 5-6 miles north of Venice ave. It’s called Oscar Shears state park. It costs about $15 per night.

Places to launch:
Desoto County Sunny Breeze Golf Course (AKA: Liverpool) Just South of Fort Ogden, turn at the entrance to Sunny Breeze Golf Course and follow road all the way to the end. (There are some curves and turns, just stay on the “main” road). You will see the boat ramp and picnic pavilion at the end.

Charlotte County Harbor Heights Park. From I-75 get off at exit 30 and head towards Harbor Heights. Watch for “park and boat ramp sign”. Nice picnic area with tables and pavilions. There are other places to launch but these two seem to be the best and easiest to find. Your best bet is to stock up on gas and also pack a lunch. There is a restaurant with gas north of the boat ramp at Sunny Breeze Golf Course called “Nav-a-Gators”.

The great thing about it is that it costs nothing to park or launch. FREE, baabeee! You can’t beat that. There’s a concrete ramp and a paved parking lot. However, the lot only has about 40 slots so get here early on a warm day. Another great thing is that if you want to get your extra gear (or even that third, fourth or fifth passenger) to the beach, you can drive into the County’s Lighthouse Park ($2.00 per per person in vehicle) and be able to park within 50 yards of the beach, provided it’s not a busy day.

However, no trailers are allowed in the park on weekends or holidays because of the crowds and limited space. Most people just carry their stuff to the beach via their PWC and leave their vehicles in the public lot near the ramp. On a good day, when there’s an east or southeast wind and the tide is rolling out, you’ll have 6-8′ waves along the south jetty. In the center of the channel, I’ve seen rolling swells reach 10′. If the winds are not in your favor, you’ll still get 3-5′ waves which are nothing to be ashamed of. If a hurricane just happens to run up the coast as Floyd did a while back, you can count on huge swells in the deeper water and rocking action along the south jetty! Just be careful of floating debris at those times.

There are restrictions on where you can ride. If caught in the “no-no” zones, be prepared for a fine. New Smyrna mandates that all PWC stay 1500′ from shore to protect the swimmers and surfers. So, it’s not worth traveling south of the south jetty. Going north of the north jetty, you need to stay 300′ from shore. No beaching until you reach Ormond Beach. As long as you stay in the Inlet, you can beach anywhere you like on the north or south sides. But (and that’s a BIG BUT), there are pending ordinances to restrict these areas even further (like every other place in the country). Be sure to check with Volusia County Sheriff’s Department for current details.
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Florida-Southwestern
Report: Sarasota County, Venice, FL. Take I-75 to exit 35, not 35A, just exit 35, which is Jacaranda road. Turn right off the exit, go down 2 traffic lights to Venice Ave., and turn right. Take that all the way down onto the island to the end of Venice ave. turn right at the stop sign. Turn left on the next stop sign. You will come up to Higel park boat launch on the right. From there you can go out to the gulf of Mexico by goin left on your pwc, or go straight into Roberts bay (sports rec area). When you go to the gulf….. you’ll go through the jetti. You can beach off South Jetti, but not North Jetti. Waves are big, I ‘ve seen them about 8′ rollers. Roberts Bay is an “excellent” place to freestyle jetski, but no big waves in there. Everything is free, launching and parking. Camping is on U.S 41 about 5-6 miles north of Venice ave. It’s called Oscar Shears state park. It costs about $15 per night.

Thanks Rival671@aol.com

Places to launch:
Desoto County Sunny Breeze Golf Course (AKA: Liverpool) Just South of Fort Ogden, turn at the entrance to Sunny Breeze Golf Course and follow road all the way to the end. (There are some curves and turns, just stay on the “main” road). You will see the boat ramp and picnic pavilion at the end.

Charlotte County Harbor Heights Park. From I-75 get off at exit 30 and head towards Harbor Heights. Watch for “park and boat ramp sign”. Nice picnic area with tables and pavilions. There are other places to launch but these two seem to be the best and easiest to find. Your best bet is to stock up on gas and also pack a lunch. There is a restaurant with gas north of the boat ramp at Sunny Breeze Golf Course called “Nav-a-Gators”. Click here for map of Charlotte County.

Report: Houghton Lake – Michigan’s largest inland lake. The biggest lake I’ve ever been on (Great
lakes not included). About 30 minutes west of 75 on route 55. Highly commercialized and a big tourist spot. Resorts surround the lake. This lake offers a great cruising environment with lots of different scenery around the lake. If you cruise at a comfortable pace (20-30 mph) it would probably take over two hours to completely circle the lake. It does get busy on weekends, but the size of the lake can handle it. It’s very clean (with the exception of weeds) and there is good jet skiing light in the summer months until well after 9 PM. The 2 big drawbacks are the shallowness and the weeds. Weeds are everywhere, there are 3 major weed beds and lots of floating masses that can come up unexpectantly. The channels are layered with weeds floating on the surface, so even though there is gas available you have to go back in channels to get it. I’d recommend swimming it in, don’t try to run the motor on top of weeds. I usually have to get off at least once during a ride to clean out seaweed from the intake. Houghton is also very shallow, I believe the deepest parts are about 20 feet (I have yet to see them). There are also multiple sand bars extending hundreds of yards off some of the points. Water can be as shallow as a foot even hundres of yards out. Most jet skis recommend water 2 feet or deeper. Because of the shallowness the lake is full of pontoon boats (which don’t make big wake). Very few boats out there make any wake worth trying to jump. The upside is that the lake is rarely ever smooth (usually only on cold cloudy days). I have seen waves up to 5-6 feet in the east bay when the wind was coming from the west. Although this is rare, it’s a great day to be out jumping. Usually the waves are not big enough to get good air on, but big enough to give you the little jumps while going above 30 mph so that you can’t get good speed. (keep in mind I only have 2! seater bikes, 3 seaters will probably handle better). If you want smooth water, the North bay is your best bet. (unless there is a strong south wind, which almost never happens) There are ramps all over the lake and some charge.

Thanks N Pond

REPORT: Everyone definitely has to check out Burt Lake in Cheboygan Michigan in Emmett County. Even if you aren’t a jet skier, there are a few sandbars where people hang out and have a great time. The lake is one of Michigan’s largest, close to the size of Mullet Lake. The great thing about Burt Lake is that it is not shallow, except in the sandbars. Some parts are up to 70 feet deep, and there are almost no weeds throughout the lake, except for one part of Maple Bay, where there is a small bed. The lake is very clean, and also fairly warm throughout the summer. (78-82 degrees usually.) Many boaters are on this lake on the weekends, but it’s very large, so it can handle the traffic. Scarabs frequent the lake, and we all know what that means. High speeds = big waves = big air for us. Also, there aren’t too many days where the water is smooth, so it’s great for jet skiers. I have a ’95 Sea Doo SP with only 60 horsepower, but I still have a blast. That is until I buy my RXP. You can also safely cruise this lake at top speed without being interrupted by the DNR, as there are hardly any that frequent the lake. This is definitely my favorite lake, and my aunt has a house on the water, so I have use of a private dock. There are 2 launches either way, so everyone can use the lake. Check this one out and have fun! Sean and I’m from Michigan

Report: If your lookin for a great place to ride and catch some nice air, Lake Charlevoix MI is an awesome place to ride in the months of June and July..I’ve owned a cabin up there for 11 years. You’ll find 60′ boats crusin through there that are pushin some nice wake..It is definitly a place that takes experienced riders..It is a very clean lake. The town is definitly a touriest attraction in the summer…So if your sick of ridin around on little flat lakes and are ready to test your skills, this is the place to ride. It branches off Lake Michigan..There are many boat launches.

Thanks Andy of South Dakota

Report : Cass Lake in West Bloomfield, MI is a good place to ride. Sometimes the water is smooth and sometimes the water is rough so you don’t know what to expect. The water is pretty clean most of the time. You dont have to take your own fuel because it has an in-water gas station. There are alot of jet skiers and boaters on the lake most of the time.”David”

RAS suggests Long Lake–close to Portage, Michigan–as the best place in the area.  Try it and give us a report.

Report : We have friends who live on this lake-Long Lake. We have taken our 2 Sea-Doo’s up to this lake and it is great! The lake is very clean, but at times has lots of jet skiers on it. Take your own fuel, as there is no place to get fuel on the lake. However, beware of a nasty DNR person there! (Scum on the Lake!!!) My husband got a ticket from him. He was told he was within 100 foot of the dock. (How can this man know if he was without measuring it?) My husband felt he wasn’t, but thought if he argued, the ticket would be worse.) This man actually told my husband he was looking for someone else that day, but he got a ticket too. (I think this man was just pissed at all the skiers that day.) Anyway, I think it partly was because we are from Indiana, and were boating in Michigan. They don’t care for out of state boaters. Part of this lake is actually in Indiana though!

Suzie from Indiana

You gotta try Silver Lake, near Hart. It’s about 40 minutes North of Muskegon. Beautiful lake right on the dunes! If you have a four wheel drive, you can tow your boat through the dunes and get to the big lake. Great time if there’s 5-8 footers!!

Robert likes Torch Lake – Smooth water, for the most part. But one of the most beautiful lakes you’ll ever see, the water is very clear and blue. It’s in the northern part of the lower peninsula of Michigan. The scenery around the lake is nice also. There is a public access on the north end of the lake with a small parking lot. There are many of cabins in the area you can rent on the lake.

REPORT: MULLETT LAKE, Michigan
Mullett is the one of the largest lakes in Michigan. It’s part of an
inland waterway which connects Lake Huron, the Cheboygan River, Black River, Indian
River, and Burt Lake. Because of it’s prime location (about 20 minutes south
of Mackinaw City) there’s always a lot of boat traffic on there, but most of
it’s cruising from Cheboygan down to Indian River. The lake itself is around
15 miles long and about two miles at the widest point.
The lake is kinda weird. One side is always rougher and the other is always
pretty calm. I’ve found that the East side is always a little rougher than
the West and better for jet skiing. Generally there’s several large boats
each day that cruise the lake (they often come from Indian River) and are
worth the wait as their wake is excellent.
Water depth is good. At the deepest point, Mullett is over 110 feet. There
is a small sunken island on the South end of the lake, however, it’s low end
not to cause a problem for jet skis. You should be able to run your jet ski
right up to shore and beach it, water depths are high enough in most
places for that.
There are very little Sheriff or DNR patrols. They most stick in the Indian
and Cheboygan Rivers. Every now and again you’ll see one of their boats
going full-blast towards the Cheboygan River around 6pm. Must be their shift
change time.There’s only two places to get gas on the lake. One on the North side of the
West Coast towards Cheboygan in Mullett Lake Village at the Marina and the
other at the South side on the West coast in Topinabee at the Topinabee
Market (you’ll have to dock-up at the public dock and use a gas can). There
are a couple places in Indian River, but they’re expensive.
I recommend jet skiing Mullett Lake on a Saturday for a couple hours and
then proceed through Indian River by 1pm and over to Burt Lake (the ride
takes about 45 minutes and is no wake most of the way). You can tie up along
the way and eat dinner or lunch if you want too. If Mullett is calm, Burt
will be rough (and vice versa).
Finally, there’s one large gathering spot of boats on the weekends. In the
Southwest corner of Mullett, there’s a large bay called Johnson’s. It’s
owned by an older lady in her 90s and the property is the largest on
Mullett Lake and has woods separating her house from the lake. Anyways,
everybody ties up in front about 20 ft. off-shore and relaxes and chills for hours on
Saturdays and Sundays and holidays. The water is always warm there and nice
and sandy with no weeds.

Dennis, Michigan