Sea the City Jet Ski — Local services in Jersey City

2 stars for photo package 4 stars for the experience

The experience itself was great for the most part. They make you watch a safety video beforehand and grab a lifejacket and then go over safety before you start. We have NEVER jet ski before so this was new to us.

This was the third time we were trying to go as our first two times got canceled due to rainy weather and lightning. Be prepared for that to happen too if the weather isn't good. They will tell you 3 hours in advance if it is canceled. We had the 5:45pm slot.

I think this slot would be good only if it was actually sunny. Ours was a cloudy day and the photos are not that great. I would recommend going at the 2:45pm slot as those people's photos look great in the sun.

We had one instructor and 2 guides and did the 1-hour tour on a tandem jet ski. Our tour guides were great, nice, and friendly. No issue there!

If this is your first time jet skiing and you are going with a partner I would highly recommend to get your own because when you do tandem you have to balance the weight of the other person holding onto you and when my husband and I switched drivers and I was in front, it was really hard to navigate with him holding onto me. Definitely get your own!

Our group was way too big. I think that was a huge buzzkill for us because we had to stay in a single file line going everywhere (for safety, which is fine) but it makes it slower and I think that made for pit stops for photos shorter so you didn't have time to really stay and get good shots (which is important to me because we PAID for the photos cus you are not allowed to bring your own camera.)

In addition, the group was mixed with people who have gone before and who have not. I think it would have been nicer if they could break the groups into those who have and who have not. Obviously we were getting a hang of the jet ski so it made for a slower trip for us than others more advanced and we would get to the photo stop right as the guide was about to leave so our photos were way quicker and there were less to choose from than those that got there earlier.

As other people mentioned, they send you the entire group of people's photos so you have to look through a bunch to find your own. In addition, the photos were taken from so far away, which was partly our fault cus we did not pull our jet ski close enough to take the photo BUT I think since these people do this all day they should have told the group for photos please pull up close to the instructor to get the best shot. I think that would have been SOO helpful cus other people in the group have better photos than us. I also think it's unfair that we had to pay 30 per person for the photos when my husband and I went tandem, so we only got 3 photos spots and paid a whopping $60 for only OK photos. $20 dollars a photo basically totally overpriced and wayyyyy unfair but of course if you have such an experience you want a photo memory of it.

The waters were really rough and we are super sore after all of it. I would highly recommend to go early in the summer when hopefully it is sunny and hot and no chance of wind or bad weather to interfere.

Tips for Sea the City: You should tell your clients to get close to the instructor to get a better photo BEFORE you head out on tour. The picture package if it is going to be $30 (which is way overpriced for only 3 photos taken on an iPhone btw) should not be per person if the people are TANDEM. That is completely unfair and a major rip off. You should separate beginners and experienced riders as that affects the time it takes to get place to place as new riders are most likely slower.

The experience overall is fun!! Don't get me wrong we had a blast overall trying out jet skis for the first time. My only gripes are about how things could have been done and what could be improved and that the photos are definitely a little disappointing for what they make you pay. I would still recommend this to anyone but with the points, I...

From what I could see, this company runs a very solid operation. The guide on my tour, Mike, was highly skilled. His expertise and sense of authority gave me the feeling that I was in good hands.

I was a first-time jet-ski rider, as are most of the company's customers. I had a little trouble with the vehicle right at first. But Mike was very patient with me. Once I realised that I had to give it some gas while turning (unlike a motorbike, on which you ease up on the throttle during a turn), I was fine.

What an amazing sensation it was to be riding up the Hudson. As we got farther north, and the view on the New Jersey side was that of the Palisades, I couldn't help but think of someone sailing up the river in a canoe a thousand years ago, having a similar view.

(When we got up to the George Washington Bridge, Mike had a very nice surprise for us. I won't reveal it here; you will have to sign up for a tour in order to learn what it is!)

The trip down the East River was a little more challenging than the smooth sail up the relatively calm Hudson. I suppose that the boat traffic makes the East River more turbulent. So, whereas we could keep a steady speed for long stretches on the Hudson, this was not possible on the East River. In the rougher East River, you actually wind up going up "hills" of water; and that is where you have to pull back on the throttle, so as not to send the craft airborne. (The safety video explicitly told users not to let the jet-ski go flying like that.)

The jet-skis seem like they are in excellent condition. I don't claim to be a mechanic; but the motors sounded strong. These things take a pounding; yet the company obviously sees to it that they are kept in good repair.

If you are thinking of doing this, definitely do it. It was thrilling; and yet I can say that I never felt like I was in danger. If you can swim, you have nothing to worry about, even if the turbulence in the water knocks you off the jet-ski. This did not happen to me; but I could see how it could happen. (Honestly, you'll be fine even if you can't swim well, as the rental includes a bulky flotation vest.) And the guide has a phone that works even when it gets wet.

Thanks to Adam the owner, to Mike the guide, and to everyone else at Sea the City who allow their customers to have this...

My bridesmaids/friends joined together for my bachelorette party, which we decided to do via Sea The City as a 5pm hot tub tour (right before sunset). We were hoping it would be a fun experience, with the NYC skyline views with a sea breeze.

However, the company is run pretty bare-bones. As soon as my group and I arrived and parked, we noticed that their small “office” was closed, locked, and no one was there to greet or welcome us, let alone check us in. Eventually the prior boat tour to ours finally pulled into the dock, and their “team” of what seemed like 3 or 4 people max, started cleaning the boat and preparing for us to board.

It was a pretty hot & humid day, and their checkin process was super slow and glitchy. We all already checked in the day before with the email link, but they claimed that their “system’s been acting up.” Having to deal with a small tablet in the scorching sun before boarding wasn’t exactly the best start to the experience. By the time we boarded, we were all sweating so much.

There are only 2 hot tubs on the entire boat, and we pretty much realized a few minutes into the boat leaving the dock, that only one of the 2 hot tubs actually has a good unobstructed view.. if you’re unlucky enough (like we were) to get the obstructed hot tub, your photos will not be the greatest, and you’ll pretty much have the beautiful view obscured by the other party group in the other hot tub 80% of the tour.

Also, since the crew was pretty bare bones, it felt weird having to ask the same 2 people to take shaky blurry photos for us over and over because the boat tour was unbelievably rocky due to all the sea waves.

Only pros are the decently clean facilities (1 bathroom & 1 changing room on the boat), pretty good over-head sound system that you can connect your phone to, very nice hardworking staff (although they should really hire a few more people so that checkin can be more seamless and less painful).

The crew really did try their best to get some photos for my bachelorette party and so that is why I gave them 3 stars, however, due to the otherwise poor & disappointing experience, I will not be a return customer and I wouldn’t really recommend it unless you’re okay with not having the best views for most of...