Bike Features
Dubai Yamaha VX Waverunner jet ski experience: Breaking the waves
Full throttle in the Persian Gulf soaked on a Yamaha VX Waverunner
There’s a certain stillness to Dubai in the morning – a rare lull before the chaos of commerce takes over. As the sun cast its golden hue on the marina, I found myself on the edge of that stillness, astride a Yamaha VX Waverunner. This wasn’t my first jet ski experience in Dubai but it felt like the first time I truly connected with the machine.
Coming from the world of fast cars, where steering weight, feedback and cornering grip dominate the conversation, riding a jet ski is like entering a parallel universe.
The VX isn’t a motorcycle but that suits me just fine. My lack of two-wheeled finesse didn’t matter one bit with the cushioned surface I was riding on. With a 1049cc, 3-cylinder marine engine under me, this WaveRunner was quick to respond to inputs – even if the handlebar felt eerily devoid of feel. Coming from the world of fast cars, where steering weight, feedback and cornering grip dominate the conversation, riding a jet ski is like entering a parallel universe. You’re still managing power and momentum but there’s no tarmac, no grip, no camber. Just water. And instinct.
It took a few minutes to get used to the throttle – the VX surges forward with a tug of the accelerator and even a slight misjudgement can throw your body off rhythm. But once you sync with the dynamics, there’s a strange serenity to the chaos. You ride the swells and dips, not fight them. With the Persian Gulf stretching out into endless blue on one side and the unmistakable Dubai skyline – the Palm Jumeirah, the Atlantis, the Marina towers – on the other, it’s a visual treat wrapped in an adrenaline high.
This is where Dubai delivers in spades. Everything is larger than life and yet the access to such experiences is surprisingly intimate. And it’s addictive. The confidence builds with each run. You start riding the jet ski harder, slicing through the water at 70, 80kmph, chasing the wakes left by boats and nailing imaginary apexes like you would on a racetrack. The horizon becomes your back straight. I’ve always chased speed on four wheels but this was a different kind of thrill. A purer form, perhaps. Less filtered. More elemental.
As I throttled down, letting the VX idle near the shoreline, I realised I had ticked a new box as an enthusiast. Driving thrills might start with cars – but sometimes they’re found where the road ends and the water begins.
