Whales, Wild Water and 37 New Friends: A Jetski Trip to North Stradbroke Island
Written by Bruce Holliday
Jetski Club member for over 3 years with Trident Jetskis, super-dad, husband, and hotel manager.
Band of Jetskis heading up to Point Lookout, oceanside east of North Stradbroke.
Two years ago I'd never have believed I'd be up at 5am in the dark, in five-degree winter cold, to go jet skiing. But there I was — with my twelve-year-old daughter and 37 riders I'd met on social media — pushing off from Sanctuary Cove to chase whales up the outside of North Stradbroke Island. Here's how the day went, the lessons for anyone thinking of doing the same, and why the jet ski community out here is worth putting yourself out there for.
The plan
Launch at Sanctuary Cove early and run to Jumpinpin
Meet up with a group of more experienced riders I'd met on social media
Head out the bar and race up the outside of North Stradbroke Island, hoping to see whales and dolphins while testing the adrenaline in open water
Brunch at the Gutter Bar
Ride back down the inside of North Stradbroke through the mangroves, and home again
Getting on the water: the 5am winter start
These mid-winter 6am starts, in the dark and five-degree weather, are a killer — but well worth it. We left Brisbane in the dark and were on the water by 7:15, right on sunrise, after an easy check-in on Oscar (our ski for the day).
Thorough preparation makes its own luck. Having all your gear ready to go — plus diligent Trident members who leave the skis exactly as they'd like to find them — makes for a hassle-free push-off.
Finding your crew: the SEQ jet ski community
We met the rest of the group just before 8am at the Pin, and after short introductions and a safety briefing from the more experienced members, we pushed off.
The social-media community around jet skiing in South East Queensland is quite a revelation. There are so many different characters and levels of experience that you'll always find like-minded people to ride with — you just have to put yourself out there and reach out. The advice they dispense is invaluable, and it's incredibly comforting knowing you're riding with people who genuinely have your safety and fun front of mind. It makes new riders want to pay it forward and do the same for others down the track.
Special shout-out to Kevin of SEQ Jetski Riding and his band of helpers, who make riding safe and fun for us part-timers. It can't be easy.
Crossing the Jumpinpin bar
The winds were down and the open seas were described as "flat," but the more senior riders called the Jumpinpin bar "gnarly" on the day. That didn't mean the waves were especially big (although they were quite big enough for this newb) — I think they meant the gaps between the waves were close, and with the wash of 37 other skis it felt like a washing machine heading out there. Enough to make me question my abilities, but not enough to stop me wanting to try it again.
Advice for first-timers heading out a bar: don't do it alone. Do it with people you trust, in conditions you're comfortable with. Expect to get wet, and even to fall in the drink (it didn't happen to us, but I can see it happening — I just hope not in six-degree weather). And don't second-guess yourself once you're committed; there's no turning back once you're in the action.
Bruce and the group at SEQ Jetski Socials in the ocean outside Jumpinpin Bar.
Up the outside of North Stradbroke: whales in open water
Once out the bar, with our hearts back in our chests, the ride up the outside of North Stradbroke Island was spectacular. There's a really liberating feeling being at one with nature in the open sea on a craft as small as a jet ski — they're powerful machines, but tiny in the scheme of things.
The water was blue and my spotter got a real kick out of scanning for whales — which, as it turned out, were much closer than we anticipated. One surfaced quite near us and we had to beat a hasty retreat to maintain the 300m distance jet skis are required to keep. It's amazing how something so big can materialise out of nowhere and vanish again so fast.
Point Lookout: where the dolphins are
Insider tip: rounding Point Lookout was where all the animal action was. We saw pods of dolphins sunning themselves in the waters beyond the breakers — more here than anywhere else on the trip. If you're hoping to spot dolphins, this stretch gives you the best chance.
Amity, the Gutter Bar and brunch
Coming through the bar at Amity was easier than getting out at Jumpinpin, but I still appreciated the guidance of the other riders. I get the sense it can get very shallow very quickly in spots — especially on the run up to the Gutter Bar — and you don't want to hit the bottom.
The Gutter Bar was fun, but I feel for businesses like that: they struggle for staff and patrons, then cop 40+ riders all at once, everyone wanting burgers and chips in twenty minutes flat. Be kind and patient with the vendors out on the bay — they're doing their best.
While the rest had brunch, my daughter and I topped up the ski with the extra 15L of fuel we'd brought and poddled around the shallows near the Gutter Bar looking for more sea life. No skates, rays or dugongs like we'd hoped, but the starfish, sea cucumber and soldier crab population is in abundance out that way.
The ride home: down the inside of Straddie
The ride back down the inside of North Stradbroke was like being on a racetrack. The group let loose and flew. While others were riding big 300hp models and RXT-Xs, we managed to keep up on our trusty 130 GTI.
It left me convinced that 130 horses and no turbocharger are more than adequate for the average punter, even two- or three-up and heading offshore. It's simply dangerous to go any faster than 70–80km/h unless you're riding alone on a mirror-flat surface. The bonus: it took us far longer to get the low-fuel warning others were evidently getting. GTIs must be the closest thing to a "green," fuel-efficient option in jet skiing — easier on the wallet, too.
That said, after chasing the others through the mangroves, around islands, dodging sandbanks at speed and getting delightedly, hopelessly lost in the islands on the northern reaches of the Gold Coast (I still don't understand exactly where we went), by the time the group peeled off at our exit back to Sanctuary Cove I was getting low-fuel warnings too. We limped in around 1pm, tired but thoroughly satisfied.
Ski return was easy — another member arrived as we were cleaning up and took Oscar straight back out again. I hope they had as much fun as we did on him.
Leave the ski better than you found it
Pay it forward and clean the ski like you'd want to receive it. Take the time to get rid of all the sand and towel it dry so it looks like new for the next person — their kids will appreciate feeling like they're on a fresh, dry "new" ski. Member to member: please don't rush this part.
Lunch at the Hope Island Marina Tavern and back in Brisbane by 3pm. A good day out.
Fancy your own run out to North Stradbroke? Trident members ride clean, prepped skis across the Broadwater and beyond. [Learn more about the club.]