My Key West Jet Ski Tour Review: Zooming Around the Island with Fury Adventures

A Key West jet ski tour wasn’t actually part of our original weekend plans. My friends and I had come to Key West over Fourth of July weekend mostly to snorkel, watch the fireworks, and catch up after more than a year of living in different cities.

But after spending two days watching people fly around the water on jet skis, we decided we wanted in.

We ended up booking Fury Adventures’ 90-minute jet ski tour for our final morning in Key West—and, as a first-time jet ski rider, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. Fortunately, the Sea Doos were surprisingly easy to get comfortable on, the group was small, and the tour gave us plenty of time to actually ride instead of constantly stopping for sightseeing.

There were a few things I would do differently next time, particularly when it comes to choosing a tour time, and the pace of your group can definitely affect how much ground you cover. But even with a slower rider in ours, I walked away thinking this was one of the most fun ways to add a little adventure to a Key West trip.

In this Key West jet ski tour review, I’ll walk you through exactly what our Fury Adventures tour was like, what you need to know before booking, what I thought of the price, and whether I’d book it again.

Quick verdict:
I would absolutely recommend this tour, especially if you want an adventurous Key West activity that doesn’t take up your entire day. The small group and easy-to-handle Sea Doos made it great for a first-time rider like me, although your group’s riding speed can affect how fast—and potentially how far—you travel.

What to Expect on a Fury Adventures Key West Jet Ski Tour

Booking, Check-In, and First Impressions

We booked our Fury Adventures jet ski tour pretty last minute. After spending the first couple of days of our Key West trip watching other people riding around the island, we asked the same company we’d used for our snorkeling tour whether they had any jet skis available the following morning.

Luckily, they did—and we grabbed three of the last spots.

One thing we didn’t realize until booking is that the Key West jet ski tour was actually cheaper online than it was at the tour kiosk. If you’re already considering the tour, I’d check the online price before booking in person.
Check the current online price for Fury’s jet ski tour

After booking, Fury sent us instructions explaining when and where to arrive, along with information about the temporary boating license required for certain riders. We each completed our required exam online that evening, which took us around 30 minutes, and brought proof with us the following morning.

The tour departs from the Hyatt Centric in Key West. There is paid street parking nearby, and we were able to find a spot fairly easily. We arrived about an hour early because we didn’t want to risk losing our reservation while trying to park.

Fury requires you to arrive at least 25 minutes before your tour for check-in and the mandatory safety training. The briefing itself was easy to follow and covered everything we needed to know to feel comfortable operating the jet skis safely.

Then it was finally time to get on the Sea-Doos!

The jet skis themselves felt clean, newer, and surprisingly comfortable. They also have a fairly wide base, which made them feel very stable. As someone who had never driven a jet ski before, that immediately made me feel better.

Riding Around Key West: What the Tour Was Actually Like

We started off the tour slowly making our way out of the harbor and with a short run to make sure everyone felt comfortable driving the jet skis and then we chose our riding order.

Our tour had one guide leading five jet skis, which is the maximum group size for each guide. The person who wanted to go fastest was first and the one who wanted to go slowest was last.

And we were off! Throughout the tour we had a couple of set stops where our tour guide explained different things about the area — like about the marine life or the nearby base.

About halfway through we had a shallow stop by a mangrove where we were allowed to dip into the water and cool down a bit; after the swim stop, we didn’t have many scheduled stops and mostly just tried to enjoy riding fast.

That being said, we did have a couple people in our group that preferred a slower pace, so we did have to make several stops allowing them to catch up to the front of the group so the guide would be able to see all of us.

Dolphins, Open Water, and My Favorite Parts of the Tour

Undoubtedly, the best part of this experience for us happened toward the end of the tour when our guide suddenly slowed the group down after spotting dolphins swimming nearby.

Despite being a fairly quick stop with the dolphins, it was so cool seeing them up close and I hadn’t even noticed them until the guide stopped us to point them out!

I also really appreciated having a guide in this instance because there is so much shallow water and coral around Key West — having him guide us through the best path forward meant that I could just enjoy the wind whipping around me and feeling the waves below rather than figuring out a route that wouldn’t impact the landscape or ruin the jet ski!

That ended up being one of the biggest advantages of choosing a guided Key West jet ski tour instead of worrying about navigating unfamiliar water ourselves.

The Biggest Downside of Our Jet Ski Tour

Overall, I really enjoyed this tour and don’t think there is much that could have been better.

The one thing I didn’t enjoy was the fact that two of the jet ski riders wanted to go really slow so it felt like every time the rest of us got up to full speed, we would have to stop and wait for them to catch up.

I also suspect we didn’t complete the full route Fury normally takes because of the slower pace, although we still received our full 90 minutes on the water.

That being said, I don’t think there is anything that the tour operator could do about this as it’s already a small tour with only five jet skis out per tour guide.

What to Know Before Booking a Key West Jet Ski Tour

What Is Included — And What Costs Extra

With your tour ticket, Fury includes:

Your ticket does not include:

How Long the Tour Takes

Fury Adventures advertises this tour as a 90-minute tour and that is the length of time you will be on the water. However, they also require guests to arrive 25 minutes before the designated start time of the tour to go through check-in and the safety briefing.

In fact, our group arrived for parking about an hour ahead of time and waited in the Hyatt Centric for the tour start time. The other group that had booked the same tour arrived only 20 minutes before the tour start time; the guide said that they wouldn’t have been allowed on the tour if they had arrived any later.

With all that in mind, I do think it makes sense to arrive 40 minutes to an hour ahead of the scheduled tour. This would give you time to find parking, check-in, do the safety briefing, and even squeeze in a quick run to the bathroom if you need to before the tour.

I’d block off roughly 2½–3 hours for parking, check-in, the safety briefing, the 90-minute tour, and getting changed afterward—plus whatever transportation time you need from your hotel.

Plus, Fury offered several departures throughout the day when we booked, which made the tour relatively easy to fit around other Key West plans. Check current times →

☀️ If I booked again: I’d skip the midday departure and choose the earliest or latest tour available. Our 11:30 a.m. ride was HOT.

What to Bring and What to Wear

There are a few things you’ll need to have with you for this tour.

Bring on the jet ski:

• government issued ID for check in
• proof of your temporary boating license (if born 1988 or later)
• water bottle
• phone
• sunglasses
• bathing suit if you plan to get into the water during the swim stop
• other sun protection: sun shirt & hat

There is limited storage space on the jet ski and only a small waterproof area for your phone, so I wouldn’t plan to have anything else during the jet ski portion other than a waterproof camera if you have one (though I brought mine and barely used it during the tour).

Leave on the dock/bring for afterward:

• easily removed shoes (you’ll leave them on the dock)
• towel
• change of clothes
• sunscreen to apply before the tour
• a way to tip your guide after the tour

Who This Tour Is Best For

This Key West Jet Ski tour was perfect for my first time! I felt very comfortable within a couple of minutes of boarding the Sea Doo!

I think it would work well for many different kinds of travelers including:

• first time jet ski riders
• solo travelers
• groups of friends
• couples who want a fun activity together
• families with older children

If you’re nervous because you’ve never ridden a jet ski before, I wouldn’t let that alone stop you. I was a complete beginner and felt comfortable surprisingly quickly.

Even people who have had previous jet ski experience would likely enjoy this tour — especially since most Key West jet ski rentals do require a guide to help navigate the water.

Is a Key West Jet Ski Tour Worth It?

Was the Tour Good Value for the Price?

I thought this tour provided fair value for the price. The guide was knowledgeable and kept our group safe and having fun, the jet skis were new, and this was a small group experience.

One important thing to keep in mind when comparing the price is that Fury charges per jet ski rather than per rider. A jet ski can accommodate two adults—or one adult with two children—so couples or families sharing one can bring the per-person cost down quite a bit.

We chose three separate jet skis because we all wanted to drive, but that definitely made our experience more expensive than it needed to be.

Would I Book Fury Adventures’ Jet Ski Tour Again?

While I don’t think I would book a jet ski tour twice in one trip (like I did with the snorkeling tour in Key West), I would absolutely book this again on a future trip.

It’s an easy way to add some more adventure into a trip without taking too much time away from other activities or relaxing you may want to do while in Key West.

I thought Fury Adventures was a great operator and that things ran very smoothly during our experience.

the one thing I would do differently is choose a different time slot:

We booked the 11:30am tour because it was the only time left, and the midday sun was intense. Next time, I’d choose the earliest tour available or one of the final departures of the day. Besides being cooler, either option would leave the middle of the day open for sightseeing, another tour, or relaxing.

Overall, taking a jet ski tour ended up being one of the most unexpectedly fun additions to our Key West weekend.

Even with a slower rider affecting the pace of our group, we still got the full 90 minutes on the water, had plenty of opportunities to speed up the jet skis, stopped near the mangroves, learned a little about the area, and somehow ended the experience watching dolphins swim nearby.

I’d especially recommend Fury Adventures’ Key West jet ski tour if you’re looking for an adventurous activity that works for beginners but is still exciting enough for more experienced riders. Just keep in mind that because you’re riding as a group, your pace—and potentially how much of the route you cover—can depend on the other jet skis with you.

Would I do it again? Absolutely. I’d just book an earlier or later departure next time and avoid that midday Key West sun!

Want to add a little adventure to your own trip? Check current prices and availability for Fury’s Key West jet ski tour here.