Jet set thrills on Sydney Harbour

Gemma Nisbet feels the thrills in Sydney Harbour.

“Are you ready to feel the Gs,” the crew member asks, a big grin on his face.

I’m sitting in the back of a red jet boat, airline- style seatbelt fastened low and tight around my hips, wearing an oversized bright-red poncho and a matching life jacket. As instructed, I’ve left all of my possessions — including my shoes and socks, and my sunglasses — in a locked plastic box on the pier. I’m as ready as I’ll ever be, I guess.

I’m here at Sydney’s Circular Quay, setting off on a half-hour ride with Oz Jetboating which promises to deliver a “unique combination of sightseeing and fun”. And if I had some trepidation about the whole thing after hearing two of my fellow passengers discussing a friend who got completely soaked on the same ride recently, then I’m feeling more than a little worried by the time skipper Matt runs us through the safety briefing, urging us to keep at least one hand — preferably two — on the rail in front us at all times. He doesn’t need to ask me twice.

We head slowly out of Circular Quay, past Bennelong Point and the Opera House. And then all of a sudden we’re slaloming across the harbour, spray flying off the surface as we speed along. The guy next to me is having a great time, his head bobbing in time to the music blaring from the speakers behind us. I look down at my hands, holding on to the metal rail, as instructed by Matt. My knuckles are white. I remind myself to breathe.

There are more extreme thrills to come, though. Matt’s first manoeuvre is a spin, and as he gives the warning hand signal, I push my feet into the metal bar below them and brace against the seat, as instructed earlier. Much splashing and shrieking ensues before we come to a halt, a little damper than before but all of us smiling — even me, to my surprise.

Matt’s other manoeuvre seems custom-designed to test precisely how waterproof our ponchos are. He gives the signal, counts down on fingers held aloft, and then brakes sharply, forcing the nose of the boat down and the back up, drenching all of us — but most especially the people seated up front — with salty harbour water. Cue more shrieks and laughter.

There are plenty more spins and skids as we continue through the harbour, Matt skilfully dodging pylons and other boats at considerable speed. I find myself enjoying it more and more as the ride goes on, and I’m almost disappointed when we slow a little into Rose Bay. This was, Matt tells us, the site of Australia’s first international airport, for seaplanes. These days it’s lined with some of the city’s most expensive homes.

There’s a brief pause as a selfie stick is passed around to allow everyone to take pictures for posterity — or social media — and then we gain speed again as we leave the bay, whizzing past Taronga Zoo as Footloose blares over the speakers.

I’ve managed to stay relatively dry until this point, but it seems Matt isn’t going to let me off so easily. Just before we make the final journey back to Circular Quay, he performs one final, soaking spin. By the time we come to a stop, my hair is dripping and water has infiltrated the poncho, dribbling down my front and back. Everyone else is soaking too, but no-one seems to mind.

Back at the wharf, we all dry off as best we can — “the hand dryers in the public toilets are quite good,” Matt advises. Still noticeably soggy, I take a seat near some people who’ve signed up for the next ride. “Why’s her hair wet,” one wonders. They’ll find out for themselves shortly. I just hope they’re ready.

Gemma Nisbet was a guest of Oz Jetboating, and visited Sydney as a guest of Destination NSW.

FACT FILE

Oz Jetboating’s 30-minute Shark Attack Thrill Ride costs $79 for adults, $45 for children under 16 years and $209 for a family of four. ozjetboating.com or (02) 9808 3700.

For more on visiting Sydney, see sydney.com.