So how do we do it right?
A successful recovery starts with a briefing of your passengers before departure,
discussing how to react and the procedure for re-boarding.
A person who falls off a PWC should keep his or her hand aloft to be easily seen.
The only visible part of a person overboard is his or her head above water
and that quickly looks smaller-and-smaller to the eye as distance increases.
Do not lose sight of the person overboard while primarily retaining a forward lookout
and watching for other boats and objects in the water.
Reduce speed, drop off plane, and shift the throttle to neutral minimizing the distance from the person overboard.
Make your final approach to the person in the water as a controlled turn of the PWC at the slowest speed,
using intermittent throttle, heading into the wind or current for maximum control.
Position the side of your PWC within eight-to-ten-feet from the person in the water on the upwind side --
between the person and the wind.
Stop your PWC before reaching the person, but close enough for him or her to re-board the PWC from the stern.
Turn off your engine before physical contact is made with the person
to avoid the danger of it inadvertently being put into gear.
Assist the person in climbing on board maintaining balance of the PWC
to prevent the possibility of capsizing or falling into the water.
Instruct the person re-boarding to use the transom bar and keep his or her balance when climbing back aboard.
Check the health of the recovered individual.
Look for visible signs of injury and alertness, and call for medical assistance as warranted.
Maintain a proper lookout throughout the entire maneuver with an eye on the person overboard.
One of the best ways to avoid having to right an overturned PWC is to keep it upright in the first place.
To avoid flipping, discuss maintaining balance with passengers before getting underway.
Body weight should be kept to the inside of turns.
A common flipping scenario is when the operator makes a sharp, aggressive turn,
and the second or third passenger in the seat finds themselves flung to the outside.
Their added weight, coupled with a tenacious grip on the passenger and operator in front,
causes instability
resulting in an unavoidable roll.
The operator will probably hold onto the handlebars to avoid falling overboard,
but the pull of multiple passengers will provide the leverage necessary to send everyone overboard.
Anticipate turns, and lean into them as one unit, operator and passengers together.
Should you feel an inevitable roll starting to happen, however, and can’t recover,
get clear of the craft.
Too often, riders hold on until the very last second, and get rolled under the water
or strike a limb against the craft.
If a roll is inevitable, push off and get away from the PWC to limit the possibility of injuries.
In the case of a capsizing, act fast and smart to save your craft from engine damage
In some instances. the PWC will roll back up;
in others, it may stay upside down, requiring you to employ a righting maneuver.
Once a PWC is completely upside down, make sure everyone is safe,
their life jackets working properly, and injury-free.
Then, work to right the craft before any more time elapses.
The longer the boat is capsized, the greater the chance that water may be accumulating in the engine compartment.
Though a roll should have resulted in the operator pulling the safety lanyard and shutting off the engine,
if the engine is still running, pull the safety lanyard to stop it as quickly as possible.
To right the craft, swim to the stern of the watercraft, and reconfirm the manufacturer’s safety instructions.
They’re typically adhered upside down, adjacent to the pump, so you can read them when flipped.
Those instructions detail exactly which direction you should right the craft,
a direction chosen so that any water inside the engine compartment, and the water inside the exhaust system,
don’ t get introduced into the engine and cause damage or difficulty restarting the craft.
The hull should be rotated so that the exhaust pipe always stays down, preventing water from flowing into the cylinders.
Typically, when facing the stern of the craft, this is a clockwise motion.
Get the necessary leverage by pushing down on the portside rubrail with your foot and right hand,
while grabbing the ride plate and pulling over with your left.
An alternative method with exceptionally heavy craft is to put both feet onto the rubrail,
and grab onto the intake scoop grate bars, and pull the watercraft back over.
Be careful with this latter method, as the PWC will be flipping toward you.
Once upright, re-board the craft from the stern using the transom bar and maintaining balance.
Start the engine,
and then run the PWC at planing speed in a relatively straight course towards shore
in case the engine should fail,
and for several minutes to drain away any water that has accumulated in the engine compartment.