For most people the best buy is a one-hour guided safari from Puerto Colón on a double jet ski: there's time to reach La Caleta or Palm-Mar, you don't need a licence and, sharing a ski, the cost per head drops by almost half. If you just want a taste, the 20-minute circuit between buoys is the cheapest option and the only format that takes six-year-olds as passengers. The three-hour run to Los Gigantes is for people who have already driven a jet ski and are going with others, as it needs at least two skis booked.
Our picks
1
Top-rated guided ride
One hour in a group with a guide and optional photos; rated 4.8 from more than 1,200 reviews.
GetYourGuide1 hour
Tenerife: Guided Jet Ski Tour with Optional Photo Service
4.8 (1,265 reviews)
from €40Check availability
2
The most tried and tested
40-minute or 1-hour safari with more than 3,000 reviews. If it's your first time, take the hour: 40 minutes is little more than out and back.
GetYourGuide40 minutes - 1 hour
Tenerife: 1-Hour or 40-Minute Jet Ski Safari
4.5 (3,147 reviews)
from €32.49Check availability
3
Two people, one jet ski
Price for two on the same ski with pick-up included: the simplest way to bring the cost per person down.
GetYourGuide1 hour
Tenerife: Double Jet Ski with Pick-Up (2 people/1 jet ski)
4.5 (95 reviews)
from €60Check availability
4
If you're staying in the west
1-hour safari advertised from Los Gigantes, with no trip to Costa Adeje.
GetYourGuide1 hour
Tenerife: 1-hour jet ski safari in Los Gigantes
4.8 (80 reviews)
from €70Check availability
Jet ski safari, circuit or hire: what you can do without a licence
Spanish law treats these as two different products. Royal Decree 259/2002 (art. 5.4) lets you drive a hired jet ski with no qualification at all when it's used "on a circuit or on group excursions" – in other words, on a buoyed circuit or on a safari behind a guide. For solo hire, on the other hand, the same decree requires a recreational boating qualification or a navigation licence. You can read the consolidated text in the BOE, Spain's official gazette.
The circuit lasts 20 minutes inside four orange buoys anchored offshore; a launch takes you out from the beach. Water Sports Tenerife runs it from the beaches of El Duque, Torviscas, Fañabé, Troya and Los Cristianos and from Puerto Colón, with sessions at 11:20, 12:20, 13:20, 14:20 and 15:20.
The safari is a route in single file behind an instructor, with a support boat. It's what almost everyone sells.
Solo hire exists, but it's a niche. Radikal Jet Ski in Puerto Colón sells a "Free Ride" that requires a boating licence, a document check, a €180 deposit and a maximum of 180 kg between the two riders. The hourly price isn't published on its website, so ask before you go.
| On your own | With a tour | |
|---|---|---|
| What | on your own (solo hire) | on a tour (safari or circuit) |
| Licence | compulsory | not needed |
| Price | not published: ask | €54–230 depending on length and ski |
| Deposit | €180 at Radikal | not applicable |
| Route | your choice, within the limits on distance from the shore | set by the guide |
Jet ski prices: per ski or per person
This is the most common trap. Some operators charge per jet ski (JetScoot, Radikal) and others per person when there are two of you (Water Sports Tenerife's tandem circuit). A double jet ski "at €55 per person" is €110 per ski. Always check the unit.
Direct rates published by the operators:
| Operator and trip | Single | Double |
|---|---|---|
| Water Sports Tenerife · 20-min circuit | €60 (€54 online) | €35 per person (€31.50 online) |
| Water Sports Tenerife · 40-min safari | €100 (€90 online) | €110 per ski (€99 online) |
| Water Sports Tenerife · 1-h safari | €120 (€108 online) | €140 per ski (€126 online) |
| Water Sports Tenerife · 2-h safari | €170 (€153 online) | €200 per ski (€180 online) |
| Radikal · 3 h to Los Gigantes | €200 (list price €250) | €230 (list price €270) |
| Las Galletas · 2-h safari with pick-up in the south (reseller) | €180 per ski, with 1 or 2 people | same price |
On the one-hour safari a double jet ski costs €140 against €120 for a single: €70 a head instead of €120. Booking online with Water Sports Tenerife takes 10% off, and its rate covers the ski, a briefing, insurance, fuel, a support boat and a life jacket. That price list hasn't been updated on its website for a while, so confirm it when you book.
JetScoot, on pontoon 3, advertises lower rates on its website for the short routes plus a passenger supplement, but its table doesn't make clear on every line whether the amount is per ski or per person. Ask for the total price in writing, passenger included, before you pay.
On the booking platforms you'll see "from" prices of around €32. That "from" may be the per-person price on a shared ski or the shortest trip: open the listing and check the length and the unit. As for cancellation, GetYourGuide refunds you if you cancel more than 24 hours ahead, unless the activity says otherwise; booking direct with Water Sports Tenerife you need 48 hours, although it refunds everything if the sea forces a cancellation. JetScoot moves your date if the weather doesn't play ball.
See the 1-hour guided safarifrom €40Affiliate link: it costs you nothing extra.
Routes and departure points
Puerto Colón is the base: a marina next to La Pinta beach, 16 km from Tenerife South airport. Here you'll find JetScoot / Canary Jet Ski on pontoon 3, Radikal on pontoon 4, Water Sports Tenerife at Calle Colón 6 (Escuela Náutica Puerto Colón) and JetSkiPuertoColon.com in unit 128 of the shopping centre, open 09:00 to 19:00.
The routes you'll see again and again from here:
- La Caleta, about 40 minutes.
- Palm-Mar, 60 minutes.
- La Caleta and El Puertito, 60 minutes.
- Los Gigantes, El Puertito and La Caleta, 3 hours. Radikal sells it as "Cliffs Discovery": you must book at least two jet skis and it depends on the state of the sea.
Away from Puerto Colón there are 2-hour safaris from Las Galletas with pick-up from hotels in the south, and the platforms list a one-hour trip from Los Gigantes. If you're staying in Los Gigantes or Puerto de Santiago, that's the obvious choice.
To get there by bus (the "guagua", as it's called locally), the TITSA lines that run through Costa Adeje are the 110 and 111 from Santa Cruz, and the 467, 471 and 473 from Los Cristianos. Find the nearest stop to Puerto Colón on titsa.com. If you drive, the car park by the pontoons is pay-and-display.
Age, health and safety rules
The minimum age to drive is set by law: 18. At 16 or 17 only with written consent from a parent or guardian and a copy of their ID, which the teenager must be able to show. This isn't a house rule: bring the signed note and the passports.
Each operator adds its own rules. At Water Sports Tenerife the single jet ski is from 16 with permission, on the double the driver must be 18 and the passenger 10, and on the circuit passengers can be as young as 6. JetScoot takes drivers from 16 and passengers from 10. If you're travelling with young children, the circuit is your only option; there are more ideas in Tenerife with kids.
The operators themselves advise against it if you have back or heart problems, other serious conditions, or if you're pregnant.
What the decree says and is worth knowing:
- Life jackets are compulsory for driver and passenger.
- Daylight only: from an hour after sunrise to an hour before sunset.
- No riding within 200 m of a shore without a buoyed swimming area; when crossing that strip, 3 knots maximum.
- Hire jet skis carry accident insurance as well as third-party liability cover.
- The Harbour Master (Capitán Marítimo) can suspend sailing in bad weather.
Who it suits and who should skip it
It's worth it for couples sharing a ski, groups of friends (it slots nicely into a stag or hen do), 16- and 17-year-olds with their consent form in order, and anyone who wants to see the Adeje coast from the water in a short time.
Best skip it if you get seasick, if you're after peace and quiet or wildlife, or if your back complains. For that there are boat trips or kayaking, much slower and quieter. If there are several of you and you want the sea to yourselves, compare with a private boat.
Combinations that work: Water Sports Tenerife sells a 40-minute jet ski plus parasailing on the same day, and the platforms list a combined jet ski and quad or buggy outing of about four hours.
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See all options on GetYourGuide →
Do I need a licence to ride a jet ski in Tenerife?
Not on a guided safari or a buoyed circuit: Royal Decree 259/2002 allows it with no qualification. To hire a jet ski and go out on your own you need a recreational boating qualification or a navigation licence.
How much does a jet ski cost in Tenerife?
The 20-minute circuit costs €54–60 for a single jet ski. A 40–60-minute safari costs about €90–140 per ski at direct rates, depending on single or double, and the 3-hour route to Los Gigantes is around €200–230 per ski. The "from" prices on the platforms are lower: check whether they're per person.
How old do you have to be to go on a jet ski?
To drive, 18, or 16–17 with written parental consent and a copy of the parent's ID. As a passenger, from 10 on the safaris and from 6 on Water Sports Tenerife's circuit.
Where do jet skis leave from in the south of Tenerife?
Most leave from Puerto Colón in Costa Adeje. There are also circuits from beaches such as Fañabé, Torviscas, Troya and Los Cristianos, safaris from Las Galletas and the odd trip from Los Gigantes.
Can you see dolphins from a jet ski?
You shouldn't get close: Canary Islands rules ban watching whales and dolphins from a jet ski within 500 m. To see them, book an authorised whale-watching boat.
What happens if the weather is bad?
The Harbour Master can suspend sailing, and operators cancel if the sea doesn't allow it. Water Sports Tenerife gives a full refund and JetScoot moves your date.
