Disclaimer: I have not tested these methods yet, but theoretically they should work.
On Steering Handle
Use a U-bolt mount on the left handle grip. Use a selfie stick so you can see more of the driver in your shots. You can have the camera positioned in front of the driver or to the left or right of the driver.
If you have the selfie stick going over the steering unit, you may need to secure it in place using endless ratchet straps. You may need to loop the ratchet strap around the selfie stick once or twice to keep it from moving around.
To avoid damaging the plastic steering unit, wrap the selfie stick in pipe insulation, which you can buy at Home Depot.
On Life Vest
If you have a life vest with straps, you can secure your camera with selfie stick between the vest and the straps.
However, if you want to extend the selfie stick to get a bird’s-eye-view shot, then you’ll need to do more. One way is by inserting the long selfie stick between your body next and the vest next to your shoulder. To prevent the bottom of the stick from moving around, wear a belt that has a stick holder. To prevent the stick from moving around near your shoulder, hold it against the vest using a reusable rubber twist tie. If you use the 10′-long Insta360 selfie stick, the bottom of the stick is too large to fit in the stick holder in the belt. As a workaround, you can connect the Insta360 tripod attachment to the selfie stick and then insert that attachment into the belt. Another option is to remove the stick holder in the belt and screw the selfie stick to the belt using a 1/4″ male-to-male camera screw.
On Arm
You can rig together a selfie stick mount on your arm as pictured below. The benefit of this is you can move the camera around hands-free. Learn more.
Other Spots
Depending on the jet ski, you may be able to use endless ratchet straps to secure a selfie stick to other areas like the front, where the rear-view mirrors are, and the rear passenger handle. You can also use a suction mount, as pictured below, but you may want to tether it to the jet ski using a lanyard in case the suction mount fails while riding.
Since I have the following cameras
- two Insta360 X3 (360-degree action cameras)
- one Insta360 Ace Pro (traditional, single-direction action camera)
I would use the following setup on a rented jet ski:
Camera 1 (Insta360 X3)
- Insta360 X3
- 10′-long selfie stick
- Insta360 tripod
- Belt with stick holder
- 1/4″ male-to-male camera screw (if necessary)
Usage: Secure the camera under your life vest.
Views:
- When speeding, keep the selfie stick retracted to avoid it breaking due to rough motion. You can get an FPV (first-person view) facing the direction of motion.
- When not speeding, you can turn the camera on and then extend the stick upwards. This will allow you to get a bird’s eye view of everything around you.
Camera 2 (Insta360 X3)
- Insta360 X3
- 10′-long selfie stick
- U-bolt mount
- insulation for selfie stick (if needed)
- GPS Action Remote
- Endless ratchet strap
Usage: Screw the U-bolt mount around the left handle. Screw the camera to the 10′-long selfie stick and screw the selfie stick to the U-bolt mount. Position the U-bolt mount so that the selfie stick lays over the right handle. Secure the stick to the steering unit using a ratchet strap. Wear the GPS action remote on your wrist and push the shutter button to start/stop shooting.
Views:
- When speeding, don’t extend the stick fully to avoid it breaking due to rough motion. You can get a 3rd-person view of yourself and a partial view of the jet ski.
- When not speeding, you can fully extend the stick and get a complete 3rd-person view of yourself and the jet ski.
Camera 3 (Insta360 Ace Pro)
Usage: Mount the suction mount somewhere on the front of the jet ski such that the camera can face you. Attach a lanyard to the camera and secure the lanyard to the jet ski so that you can retrieve the camera from the water in case it falls in. Wear the GPS action remote on your wrist and push the shutter button to start/stop shooting.
Views: Whether you are speeding or not, you can get a 3rd-person view facing you from the front of the jet ski. Since the Ace Pro is not a 360-degree camera, you can only film in the direction of the single lens.
Note: you can use one GPS Action Remote with both the X3 and the Ace Pro.
