Entertaining at any speed

Tasmanian devils of the breakwater, or upstanding citizens of the surf? Either way, those zippy little speed demons with names like WaveRunner, Sea-Doo and Jet Ski are heading our way, as Memorial Day marks the start of the high season for personal watercraft use.

“Just make sure to watch your speed,” the manager at Marina Boat Rentals in Marina del Rey says before handing a visitor the keys to a two-person Yamaha WaveRunner. “The officials around here -- they see these things kind of like dirt bikes.”

In other words, despite years of work to improve their safety, noise and environmental records, personal watercraft still get rapped as the danger-plagued bullies of the shoreline.

These days, industry reps say, you’re more likely to see a 40-year-old riding a Yamaha three-seater than a high-schooler on a stand-up model. Prices have risen into the five figures, locking out many of the young hell-raisers who used to irk boaters. And these days, 99% of all such vehicles will never suffer an accident, according to the Personal Watercraft Industry Assn.

Phil Navarro, a rescue boat captain with the Los Angeles County Baywatch, says he hasn’t seen any personal watercraft-related collisions in his decade on the job. Instead, he says, the biggest problems involve people puttering too close to the beach. (Boats and personal watercraft have to stay 300 yards away from shore in Los Angeles County waters, Navarro says.)

“What we deal with mostly is the education side of things,” he said. “Lots of times we’re telling people to go back outside the 300 yards.”

With a sensible attitude, there’s plenty of fun to be had on personal watercraft, from the blissfully pricey O.C. to the breakwater of Marina del Rey.

Even cruising at a mild 7 mph can seem like an adventurous race rally for the uninitiated. Pelicans swoop by, diving for food, and the horizon seems to go on forever while sea spray splashes your skin. And the freedom from flapping sails or sputtery motor boat engines? Priceless. The whole experience can be exhilarating.

That is, if you know where to look, and if -- and this cannot be stressed enough -- you know exactly what not to do. Those sleek water zippers may be easy to use, but plenty of pitfalls await.

Lesson No. 1: Don’t call the machines Jet Skis (unless they’re built by Kawasaki). That’s a trademark, see.

Lesson No. 2: Southern California may boast plenty of shoreline, but that has not translated into a booming rental market or low hourly rates.

Instead, if you can afford the roughly $6,000 to $10,000 price tag, friendly dealers will sell you your own personal watercraft. They’ll also outfit it with everything from fishing rod holders to mini-anchors, allowing riders to jump off and snorkel as if they’re in the Great Barrier Reef.

But what if you just want to stick your toes in the water -- perhaps rent a Sea-Doo for an hour or two?

That’s when things get a little squishy. In Greater Los Angeles, many rental agencies seem to have disappeared. Southern California’s handful of remaining rental agents charge upward of $100 for an hour of splash.

Capo Beach Watercraft Rentals in Dana Point Harbor charges $125 for one hour on a three-person Yamaha. A cancellation policy applies to busy times like Memorial Day, but otherwise, the owners say they are flexible about rescheduling or cancellation refunds.

But at Marina Boat Rentals in Marina del Rey, where the going rate is $95 an hour, the 24-hour cancellation policy is vigorously enforced.

Lesson No. 3: Beginners should stick to small, enclosed areas. Consider the relatively calm water available to personal watercrafters in Long Beach. The laid-back people at Offshore Water Sports Rentals, in the Shoreline Village, will rent you a craft for $99 an hour and let you tool around in the breakwater.

Lesson No. 4: If you choose the open sea, things can get, well, weedy. Take the situation at Marina del Rey. Personal watercraft riders there are allowed to escape the breakwater and travel the choppy ocean as far north as the Santa Monica Pier.

Each personal watercraft is simple to use -- there’s a gas mechanism that makes the thing go, plus two cutoff switches in case of emergency. The craft can travel up to 50 mph once riders leave the breakwater.

What these watercraft do not have are emergency call buttons or a way to contact the rental agency in case, say, five pounds of seaweed gets stuck in an engine and the thing refuses to go.

Also: Suppose a novice is following the rules and staying well away from the tip of the Venice Pier. Also suppose that most of the marina’s boaters have chosen to cruise a good half-mile farther out to sea. That seaweed-marooned novice may find herself stuck without anybody to hear her piercing screech for aid. For half an hour.

Do not expect help from the pier fishermen. All they want is for you to get away from their fishing lines and go away.

Do, however, expect help from the county rescue boats. Yes, they will come -- warmhearted men in red wetsuits who might crack a joke about your current breakneck, 0-mph pace.

Then they will, with joy in their hearts, pull the seaweed out of your engine -- and urge you to insist on a refund from that rental guy.

Then it’s back to the 7-mph race rally.

*

Going for a spin

How to start: Call ahead to see if you can swing a reservation during the busy summer months.

* Marina Boat Rentals, 13719 Fiji Way, Marina del Rey, (310) 574-2822. $95 an hour.

* Offshore Water Sports, 419 Shoreline Village Drive, Long Beach, (562) 436-1996. $99 an hour.

* Capo Beach Watercraft Rentals, 34512 Embarcadero Place, Unit B, Dana Point Harbor, (949) 661-1690. $125 an hour.