Forbes writer Jim Clash with the new Sea Doo SparkX PWC, Orlando, Florida, August 2026.Courtesy of Sea DooI had ridden on the back of Personal Water Craft (PWC) before, notably with renowned big wave surfer Garrett McNamara in 70-foot waves off of Nazare, Portugal. Holding on in that "chop" was challenging enough in itself.But here, at the BRP Convention in Orlando, Florida, I was to pilot one myself. The venerable company Sea Doo had just announced a new version of its popular Spark model, this one with an X after it. It sported a feisty 110 hp, noticeably more power than the previous model and allowing the craft a 15-mph speed increase, with a brake feature to boot. The listed top speed of the X is 55 mph, pretty quick on the water.Our test ground - well, water - was a big lake at Paradise Water Cove. Florida is known for having an alligator in every pond, so jokingly I asked the Sea Doo folks if there were alligators here. They laughed, saying, "Of course. But don't worry, they won't bother you." I smiled weakly and vowed not to fall off of the machine while testing it.AdvertisementAdvertisementOur group of a dozen journalists gathered at 9 a.m. for a safety briefing. Most of them cover watersports for industry publications, and most had driven jet skis. I quickly realized that I was one of the few who hadn't. No matter, I was the extreme adventure writer for Forbes. I had this (not really).Donning life jackets, we were divided into three groups. I chose the easiest to start. We were to follow an instructor in a line through a figure-eight course with red and white buoys - pass to the right of the red ones, to the left of the white ones.Imagine a regular bicycle for the throttle/brake arrangement. You pull the throttle on the right handle-bar, the brake on the left.Once out on the course, I found balance challenging, that is until I realized above 10 mph the thing stabilizes. As we followed the pro in front of us, I found that left turns were far easier than right-handers. I reasoned that since I often drive race cars on oval tracks, I only turn left, so that made sense.AdvertisementAdvertisementBeing a bit of a speed demon, I quickly stopped running the figure-8 and began circling as if on an oval in the water, using the four red buoys as corner markers.As I increased speed, into the 20s, then 30s, it naturally became more difficult to turn. When I moved up into the 40s, it became downright scary, especially when I hit the wakes of other skiers out there.I figured if I were to achieve top speed, I'd need to venture out to the calmer far side of the lake and, with the wind at my back, run a straight line - damn the torpedoes and the alligators.I took a deep breath, put the thingParadise Water Cove near Orlando, Florida, August 2026.into sport mode, and squeezed the accelerator. The handle was very sensitive, especially in that mode, so it was a gentle squeeze at first. One I saw 20 mph on the digital speedometer, I pulled it all the way back. The ski took off like a pent-up Doberman. I saw 30, then 40, and finally, gulp, 50. It was damn scary. I knew if I fell, I would do serious damage to my body.AdvertisementAdvertisementBut 55 mph was the goal, so I kept it flat: 51, 52, 53….54. And that was all she had. My knees were trembling, so I gently let off the throttle and headed back to shore.The other journalists partook in trick games on the skis, and rode on other water courses, for the rest of the afternoon. But I had gone rogue and done what I had come for.Let me tell you, 54 mph on water on a jet ski feels three times as fast as that speed on land. And I should know. I once drove a Bugatti Veyron at 253 mph.Sea Doo, you have a fabulous machine in the Spark X. I only wish I could have taken it to your listed speed of 55 mph.Next time. Oh, and damn the alligators.This article was originally published on Forbes.com