The jet ski tours, route by route
Thirty minutes to two hours: what each tour reaches.
Tours run from Dubai Marina, Jumeirah beach near Burj Al Arab and Dubai Harbour, and the route depends on the length.
30 minutes: from Jumeirah, out to Burj Al Arab for the photo and back, or from the Marina along JBR. The cheapest way to get the picture.
60 minutes: from the Marina along JBR, around the tip of the Palm past Atlantis, and back; or from Jumeirah to Burj Al Arab and along the coast to the Palm crescent. This is the tour most people should book: enough time to relax on the throttle.
90 minutes to 2 hours: the full coast from the Marina to Burj Al Arab and around the Palm, with stops for photos at each landmark and, on some tours, a swim break. For confident riders who want the whole skyline.
Every tour starts with a briefing on the controls, the kill-cord, the hand signals and the rules: stay behind the guide, keep 100 metres from swimmers and shore, no wake in the marina channel. Coastguard patrols enforce this and fines are the rider's.
Jet skis are 1,000 to 1,800 cc Yamaha or Sea-Doo models, comfortably fast for two riders. Sunset tours in winter are the most beautiful and the busiest; book them a few days ahead.