Rental or guided tour?

A rental keeps you in a marked riding area near the dock, which suits a quick half hour or hour of riding. A guided tour follows a guide down the waterway, out to the islands or to where dolphins feed, and usually runs 1 to 2 hours.

Drivers usually need to be 16 or 18, and most jet skis carry 2 or 3 riders within a weight limit. Some companies launch on the ocean and some stay on the Intracoastal Waterway, and each trip says which.