So I gotta tell you about this absolutely insane thing I did in Puerto Rico last summer. And I mean insane in the best possible way. Like the kind of experience where you’re doing it and your brain keeps saying this shouldn’t be real, this can’t be real.
My sister lives in Tampa and she’s always sending me these random videos of stuff happening in Florida – you know how Florida is. But this time she sends me something from Puerto Rico and I’m like wait, what am I even looking at here? It’s a car. A legit sports car. Driving on the ocean. Not a boat shaped like a car. An actual car-looking vehicle just cruising across blue water like it’s the most normal thing ever.
I texted her back like this is fake right? She goes nope, it’s real, look it up. So I did. And that’s how I found out about jet car rental Puerto Rico being an actual thing you can actually do with your actual vacation time.
If you want to learn more about the experience or see what other options they offer, visit their main page where you can check out different packages and pricing.
Planning This Crazy Experience
I started looking into jet car rental puerto rico options cause apparently there’s a few different companies doing it now. I read through reviews, watched like thirty YouTube videos of people trying it, tried to figure out if this was actually safe or if I was gonna end up as a cautionary tale on the news.
Everything checked out though. People were raving about it. Saying stuff like the best part of our entire vacation and can’t believe this is legal. Booking was pretty straightforward. Picked a date, picked a time slot, put down a deposit. The prices made me wince a little – this wasn’t gonna be a cheap afternoon. But my girlfriend kept saying when are we ever gonna do this again? and she had a point there.
For more details about what to expect and answers to common questions, you can check out their FAQ section which covers pretty much everything you’d want to know before booking.
What Actually Happens
We flew into San Juan on a Thursday. Did the usual stuff for a couple days – walked around Old San Juan, hit the beach, ate too much food. Then Tuesday rolls around and that’s our water car day.
The guide – his name was Miguel and he was super cool about everything – walks us through the safety stuff. How to steer, how to control speed, what to do if something goes wrong which he said basically never happens but they gotta cover it legally. He could tell I was nervous cause he comes over and goes you look worried, man. I’m like yeah a little bit.
Actually Driving This Thing
So these jet car rental puerto rico vehicles are pretty amazing when you see them up close. The one we got was this bright blue thing that looked like something Batman would drive if Batman was really into the beach. Super sporty design, comfortable seats, fancy dashboard – the whole deal. Except it’s built to work on water instead of roads.
Getting in felt weird cause your brain knows cars don’t belong on water. But then Miguel shows us how everything works and it’s honestly not that complicated. The steering wheel works like normal. There’s a throttle for speed. That’s pretty much it.
We started off slow, just putting around near the dock area getting used to it. And yeah it feels different from driving a regular car. When you turn there’s this slide to it cause there’s no tire grip happening.
The water’s this perfect Caribbean blue. There’s boats and yachts everywhere and they’re all honking at us or people are waving cause they can’t believe what they’re seeing either.
Miguel took us to a few different spots around the bay. One place where the water was so clear you could see straight to the bottom – saw some sea turtles down there just chilling. Another spot with perfect views of the San Juan skyline for photos. He was really good about stopping whenever we wanted pictures.
The best part though? Miguel let me really push it near the end. Like actually see what this thing could do. And man, it moves. We’re talking legitimate speed where you feel that adrenaline kick in and you’re just grinning like an idiot.
Why You Should Do This
Look, I’ve been on plenty of vacations. Done the resort thing, done the backpacking thing, done road trips and cruise ships and all that. This water car experience in Puerto Rico? Top three coolest things I’ve ever done while traveling. Maybe top one, honestly.
Part of it is just how unique it is. You can go jet skiing anywhere. You can rent a boat in lots of places. But driving what looks like an exotic sports car across the ocean? That’s not something you can do everywhere.
We’ll be at home watching TV and she’ll randomly go remember the water car? and then we’re pulling up videos and photos again.
Real Advice If You’re Gonna Do This
Alright so some practical stuff based on my experience. Book way in advance. These spots fill up super fast, especially during the busy season which is basically winter when everyone’s escaping cold weather.
You need to be 18 with a driver’s license to actually drive one yourself. But passengers can be younger, which is why we saw that family with their teenager.
Sunscreen is absolutely mandatory. And I’m not talking about putting some on at your hotel and calling it good. Bring the bottle with you and reapply.
Also those phone straps that go around your neck are smart so you don’t accidentally drop your phone in the Caribbean.
Is It Worth the Money?
I’m not gonna sugarcoat it – this costs real money. It’s not cheap. When I first saw the price I had that moment where you’re like okay that’s… that’s a lot for an hour of activity.
But then you do it. And six months later you’re still talking about it. A year later it’s still one of your favorite memories from that whole trip. Meanwhile I couldn’t tell you what I had for dinner on like four of the seven nights we were there. Those memories faded. This one stuck.