The thrill of powering along the ocean on a high-speed jet ski is a familiar feeling to many superyacht owners but did you know that, should you be good enough, you can actually take it up as a professional sport?
Mark Gomez is a 25-year-old professional jet ski freerider, Motosurf racer and stuntman from California who has spent a decade perfecting his tricks, competing (and winning) numerous racing and stunt competitions and performing in Universal Studios Hollywood’s live Waterworld show.
His growing reputation has recently seen him team up with GoPro, the company behind the wearable cameras favoured by almost every extreme sports enthusiast in the world, to create a first-hand experience of his incredible tricks. Filmed by Gomez using a head mount and selfie stick, directed by Eddie Lacayo and edited by Brian Town at GoPro HQ, the finished product gives a brilliant (if slightly nauseating) idea of what it feels like to be a professional jet ski freerider. Watch it in full below:
Of course, to be able to perform tricks of this magnitude you can’t ride just any jet ski. Gomez currently favours a custom built Rickster Edge FR Hybrid Layup built from carbon and fibreglass by his sponsors T.C. Freeride – quite an impressive machine, we think you’ll agree. With numerous championships and contest wins already under his belt, Gomez’s goal for 2015 is to compete in and win the IFWA World Freeride Championships, which recently began in Australia and will now move to events across the globe. Gomez’s professional website also promises more collaborative films with GoPro so make sure you stay up-to-date here.