What do you use your WaveRunner for?

[musubi]

For recreational riding the primary reasons for helmet wear would include;

Impact with the handlebars, mirrors, hood or other parts of the PWC during hard wave impacts, unintended dismounts, bad landings, that sort of thing. The hardest thing nearby is your own watercraft.

Impact with things in the air - bugs, big bugs, small bugs, clouds of bugs. Bird strikes.

Wind and water. Full face helmet greatly reduces wind fatigue, wind noise, water spray, and rain. Rain at speed stings, the helmet fixes that.

Sun exposure. Hats can fly off or flop around at speed.

Some of the people we ride with are also successful PWC racers. They are simply comfortable wearing a helmet all the time while riding PWC. Riding without a helmet for them is weird.

We have voice radios mounted in the helmets so we can chat between ourselves as we ride. The radio adds almost no weight. So putting the helmet on is also ‘connecting to the group’

Thanks for the breakdown on that. I haven't come across anyone wearing a helmet here yet, and those I ask give me an odd look like "why would I need goggles or a helmet?". There are areas we can go WOT, but not for long. In any case, I'm going to give the helmet a try. The goggles and hat I wear normally is uncomfortable and my hat tends to lift off when I get into strong winds.

@Mr. GP1800, so when are you expecting your new 2023?

[K447]

- "why would I need goggles or a helmet?". -

There are plenty of incidents where someone either avoided/minimized injury while riding PWC wearing a helmet or reported injury that could have been lessened or avoided had they been wearing a helmet.

http://greenhulk.net/showthread.php?t=260550&p=2849086&viewfull=1#post2849086

From Kevin Shaw at Watercraft Journal;

ÔÇ£- while trying to reboard in deep water, my elbow slipped on the gunwale and I face-planted hard into the slick painted surface, ricocheting backwards. Gratefully, my Fly Racing helmet kept me from thousands of dollars in dental work.'

[GreenHulk Jr]

There are plenty of incidents where someone either avoided/minimized injury while riding PWC wearing a helmet

My helmet saved my teeth a couple weekends ago! I had a pretty hard impact with the handlebars that would have at least knocked my front teeth out if I didn't wear a helmet.

[TXDroneRacer]

Do you ride on the lake and open ocean? Do you cruise around most of the time, or do you do any other activities with your skis?

We ride on Lake Conroe almost exclusively. We rarely sit still. The only time we sit still is when we are hanging out with friends which we actually prefer. Guess we need to find more friends that like spending time on the lake.

We have pulled tubes on occasion.

Being on the water is relaxing and exciting at the same time if that makes sense.

[TXDroneRacer]

My helmet saved my teeth a couple weekends ago! I had a pretty hard impact with the handlebars that would have at least knocked my front teeth out if I didn't wear a helmet.

I hit my chin on a snow mobile's handlebars while wearing an open face helmet. I wish I would have had a full face helmet on that day.

Does anybody wear sports mouth guard?