The Best way to see Sydney Harbour with Oz Jet Boating

When visiting Sydney what do you think of? The shopping, the zoo, the Harbour Bridge, the Opera House and the harbour…how many people think about blasting around the harbour in a big red “shark” from one of Australia’s largest most powerful jet boat fleets.

Imagine flying under the bridge and past the opera house, vanishing in a shower of spray as the boat spins 270 degrees, while behind you the engines thump and the music pumps and tourists on the harbours shore watch with envious eyes.

This is the experience that you get with Oz Jet Boating on Sydney harbour.

Head off from one of the awesome hotels in Darling Harbour to the meeting point about 10 mins before we were due to jump on the boat, went through the waiver form and signed it and received our very stylish ponchos to protect us from the splashing and spraying water.

Even with the ponchos on you still get soaked, but not as much as if you were not wearing them. Once you put your poncho on, the staff offer to have your belongings and shoes put into a safety lock box near the office area.

I would suggest in the cooler months that you take a spare jumper and pop it in the lock box so when you get back you will have something warm and dry to put on, I would also suggest that you take your shoes off because they will get wet!

We met our very friendly boat driver “Captain Justin” from Oz Jet Boating who was very friendly and encouraged people to get into the experience and reminding us to smile and have fun.

He explained all the hand gestures he would be using through the ride and explained that the people at the back of the boat (us!) would get the wettest but it was also the most fun at the back!

It really is a thrilling experience, starting off slow (due to the speed restrictions in the harbour) but as soon as you get into the open area (just past the Sydney Bridge), the throttle goes down, the engines roar and the boat is off.  

Unfortunately for us, we went jet boating on the ONE (and only) day of our Sydney trip that was a chilly, windy and at some stages raining. This meant that the ride was not as enjoyable as it could be, and there was one stage when wind was so strong, the music was so loud and the rain and spray was stinging us in the face.

That I honestly just wanted the ride to be over but a few moments later we got to a more sheltered spot and the sun came back out we soon forgot all about it and got back on with having the time of our lives laughing and giggling hysterically!

The ride takes you past some of the most iconic areas of Sydney, under the bridge and the opera house, past the prime ministers house and out past the navy yards, and all around the harbour, this really is one of the most fun (and fastest) ways to see everything that Sydney harbour has to offer.

The ride goes for about 30-45mins and heads back to the base operations, here you take off your wet poncho while thinking thank goodness we had this on otherwise we would be soaked! Grab your stuff from the locked box and head over to the TV screen at the reception deck where you get to see all the photos and video taken by the GoPro stuck to the front of the boat (aimed at all of us).

They offer the option to purchase a USB full of photos and video for a small charge, its worth it! Some of the views of the Bridge and opera house are amazing!

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