Outdoor Recreation

Remember Mike Nelson? Maybe the name's not familiar, but he was a hero of the Richard Kimball, Bart/Brett/Beau Maverick, and Cheyenne Bodie ilk. His show's sure to jog the memory: "Sea Hunt."

All of eight years old, I'd bolt from my bedroom to the den and our black-and-white television when I'd hear that rousing "Sea Hunt" theme signaling yet a new underwater adventure: bum, bum, bum, bump bump, bump. I'd watch Nelson's Argonaut skimming choppy waves on its way to treasure and life in peril. So what if I was a girl? I wanted to grow up and be Mike Nelson. Not like Mike; I wanted to be him.

Of course, that didn't happen, but, a couple of months ago, I came pretty close. I didn't have the likes of a zippy Argonaut, but what I did have satisfied the Walter Mitty in me. I had a Tandem Sport Jet Ski.

It was late October at Roosevelt Lake. The water was slate and choppy and biting cold, but I pulled on a wet suit, slicked back my hair (like Mike's), tightened my life jacket, jumped on the 6500CC, 55HP Tandem I rented at Water Trix in Mesa, and shoved off alone toward fast-paced, windblown action.

All Mittying aside, before my experience with the tandem, I'd have counted myself among the outdoors people who preferred the banishment of jet skis. They were noisy, and it seemed most riders we encountered at Arizona's water-recreation areas were rule breakers. Their worst offense was not paying attention boaters and skiers watch out. Another was that riders revved their grinding engines and sped along close to the shore, inside nowake areas, at all times of the day and night.

But I'm a convert now, at least where the tandem machine is concerned. It was so easy to hop on it, engage the relatively quiet engine, and slowly ride out beyond the no-wake sign.

Then, identifying a safe water path away from fishermen and skiers, I'd accelerate to nearly full throttle and the lake was my personal domain. It was fun and exhilarating, heading straight out and then pulling into a (sort of) daring turn, speeding back, and picking up friends on shore for adventure spins.

We also rented a one-man stand-up jet ski for the weekend outing. Believing I had Sunday to try it out, I spent my entire Saturday dashing along on the two-man rig. Sunday came with a rumbling lightning storm, so I never made it out with the standup jet ski, but several men in my party did. It didn't look easy, and they confirmed it.

They likened it to skiing in back of a boat but with a few demanding twists. You have nothing pulling you up, so you have to balance your legs underwater on the riding platforms of the jet ski while you simultaneously reach up and pull the handle throttle. Then, as the machine speeds up and onto the water surface, you have to try to pull up with it, stay on, and hold your balance. It's like teetering on top of the water on a shaky two-by-four with an engine.

The men in our party are great skiers, but they had a hard time of it and came away with raw knees and skinned shins. Even when they managed to stand up, they were wobbly and frequently fell back into the water. Secretly, I was glad for the Sunday storm. I don't even know how to ski behind a boat.

But I know how to have fun, and the two-man rig was just right. You speed along, your face cooled by spray, scouting out a new adventure, all the time singing, "Bum, bum, bum, bump... bump, bump."

REVVING UP A HOT JET SKI CAN BE FUN AND EXHILARATING . . . IF YOU PLAY IT SAFE WHEN YOU GO

There are few companies in Arizona that rent jet skis most only sell them. After several calls to locations throughout the state, we found only one in the rental business: Water Trix Inc., of Mesa. The rental fees are relatively expensive: $125 a day for each machine; but owners Dave and Lana Chapman are thorough with matters such as adequate trailers, sufficient gas, wet suits, and instructions. Water Trix is at 40 W. Baseline Road, No. 114; telephone (602) 649-1418. It is essential to wear life jackets while operating jet skis, no matter the degree of swimming ability. Also, operators and passengers must be constantly alert to water activity around them to avoid accidents. Additionally, obey all signs, rules, and laws. At the least, they ensure courtesy. At the most, they may save a life.