A jet ski covers more water in ten minutes than a swimmer does in an hour, so the beach where they last saw you stops meaning much, fast. VesselSOS keeps your live position, course and battery in a browser ashore, and puts a one-tap 999 call, with your position ready to read for the Coastguard, on one screen.
If your ski has a kill cord, the MCA’s advice is that the driver wears it at all times, and HM Coastguard adds: carry a spare. Since 31 March 2023 the Merchant Shipping (Watercraft) Order has applied Merchant Shipping law to jet skis and other powered watercraft, including its offences for dangerous use, and since 15 April 2026 a PLB or EPIRB carried on one must be registered with the UK Beacon Registry (free). Wear a buoyancy aid or impact vest, and see safety rules for leisure boats.
Searching for a “jet ski tracker”? GPS units hidden in the hull are for theft. VesselSOS is a live safety link: start tracking at the slipway, zip the phone into a pouch and ride. The person ashore watches your position and course and sees your battery level, so a quiet phone never has to mean the worst. Nothing to install and no account on their side.
Out of fuel a mile off the beach, with nobody in danger, isn’t a 999 call yet. The app doesn’t list a UK breakdown service, so know who you’ll call before you launch. If it could become dangerous (drifting towards rocks or shipping, the weather closing in, someone getting cold), call 999 and ask for the Coastguard early. When to call which is in Mayday or a tow?
VesselSOS is not an anti-theft tracker, and it doesn’t promise rescue. It’s a quick way to be seen from shore and to make the right call fast.
Yes. The phone stays zipped in your buoyancy aid or a pouch; tracking runs by itself and needs no attention while you ride.
Anywhere on Europe’s seas, yes: the responsible rescue centre is chosen by your position, from the Channel to the Mediterranean. In UK waters it dials 999. On a hired ski, set the craft type to jet ski in your profile.
Nothing. The link opens in any browser, with no app and no account.