It’s been a few years coming, but Yamaha enthusiasts were bouncing off of the walls to learn that the JL Audio SlamPak – designed specifically for Yamaha FX WaveRunners – system delivers a powerful audio option never before seen on a WaveRunner before. The sound delivered by this system “is sure to transform your WaveRunner into a serious music machine,” and simply adding more fun and enjoyment to your riding experience.
Available through Cycle Springs Powersports, the JL Audio SlamPac System for Yamaha FX WaveRunners was designed with only Yamaha FX WaveRunners in mind, so the system will fit as if it came from the factory so equipped. The kit includes a pair of waterproof VeX speaker pods housing two high-performance 6.5″ marine-grade coaxial speakers delivering loud, clean audio. Neatly tucked away, is a custom-formed Stealthbox subwoofer system, and a compact, 500 watt, 4-channel amplifier to power the entire system.
And because having your new Yamaha JL Audio SlamPak package installed at Cycle Springs Powersports, you’re guaranteed a beautifully flawless installation and the promise that it will be done right. Check out the video below for more information:
According to this announcement, registration is open for Round 1 of the 2017 P1 Racing Fuels European Freestyle Championships! This is even is sanctioned by the IJSBA and the Freestyle Personal Watercraft Association is stoked to let everyone know.
Competitors can find registration forms here on the European PWC Freestyle site, where more information pertaining to the event and other European PWC contests may be found.
Round 1 will take place in So’Fun Village (Villeneuve La Guyard), France on Saturday May 20, 2017. The event is in its 6th season of the freestyle only tour in Europe. The organizers have even added a new class for this year; Beginner Freestyle Open, which was a highly successful class in the USA last year.
They hope the Beginner Class encourages new riders to enter and become part of competitive freestyle skiing. The competitors in this particular class are allowed to compete on OEM or aftermarket hulls and the stipulations are that the riders cannot have previously had any podium finishes nor competed in World Finals.
The 2017 competition class are as listed below:
Freestyle Beginner Open
Freestyle 800
Freestyle 900
Freestyle 1200
Best Trick Freestyle Beginner Open
Best Trick 800
Best Trick 900
Best Trick 1200
The event is sponsored by P1 Racing Fuels, Hydro-Turf, Jet Lift, Eric Malone Enterprises, Skat-Trak, Thrust Innovations, Hot Products, Rickter RRP, DASA, Full Spectrum, and ProRider Watercraft Magazine. The organizers hope to see you in France!
We were lucky to spend some time with Gary Day who let us know about his experience owning a Jetsurf:
If the saying is true, he who dies with the most toys wins, then I’m ready to claim the prize as I have discovered the ultimate toy, the Jetsurf. Sure, spellcheck might not recognize the word yet, but it’s just a matter of time before we have all heard its name. And as a water sport junkie, I thought that at my ripe old age of 45, I had seen it all, rode it all, and got the t-shirt to boot! But then along came the Jetsurf. The Jetsurf feels like a combination of a jet ski and a snowboard. And with a 90cc engine, the Jetsurf can catapult your surfing/lake riding experience to new heights!
I purchased the Race model with the 90cc engine in February of 2017 from Jetsurf Factory in Miami, Florida, and have taken it out for hardcore ski sessions on about 12 different occasions; one of the benefits of living in the Sunshine State of Florida is being able to ski in February!
I took it out on a few local lakes where the conditions were glassy, which made it ideal for getting up on the board. It made for an easier ride, and allowed for better carving. Throttle control is by far the most important element to getting up and riding with grace. Within a couple days of riding, I had gotten into my own rhythm of standing and throttling to make the launch a smooth process. I highly recommend wearing a life vest with the buckles on the side so you don’t scratch up your shinny new toy. The biggest difference I found was that on a jetsurf you use so much more of your body to lean into a turn which makes it feel like snowboarding. Yet after roughly two days on the water, it felt natural to me.
In my experience, if you had to start off in the middle of the lake, you have to get up on the board from a surfing position. However, the area between the foot bindings is a bit slick so I added Hydro-Turf traction mat, which definitely helps for when you’re in choppy conditions. The hand throttle was made of hard plastic and so I wrapped bright orange Hydro-Turf around it as well, which softened it up and also made it stand out when it’s floating off the side of the board.
Within days, my thrill-seeking nature had me trying to jump boat wakes on the lake. The horsepower is enough to launch you a good distance off the water. This of course, begged the question: how would this puppy handle on the rough waves of the ocean? So off I went! I have taken the Jetsurf to Daytona Beach twice. The first day was slightly choppy conditions making the initial standing and launching a bit more difficult. The second day was ideal. Smooth and glassy with 4-to-6 foot waves. This was by far my best experience thus far on the Jetsurf.
Unlike surfing where you are limited to the wave you rode, the Jetsurf allows you to push your way down a wave and cruise back around to catch the next wave, all without stopping. The only thing I may add or change to the Jetsurf is a quicker ignition (the current ignition starts in five seconds after you insert magnetic plug) for when you’re down and waves are coming at you quick. Jetsurfing in the surf is NOT for beginners. You definitely need to get a good feel for the machine before attempting the pinnacle of rides at the beach.
One of the best aspects of the Jetsurf is its portability. It is heads above the most portable watercraft I have ever owned. I used to think my hitch hauler was convenient for my standup jetski, but the Jetsurf has it beat. It comes in a backpack. The board slides right into my Jeep. And with my standup, I have to bring a beach dolly/cart, an item I can now happily leave at home as I Jetsurf the beach waves. The Jetsurf also comes with its own stand; a tripod of sorts, that is lightweight and folds up for very easy storage when not in use.
As for fuel, you don’t use even half of what is used with a jet ski. The Jetsurf only has a ¾-gallon tank. The only downside I see is that the oil needed for the Jetsurf is the fully synthetic 2-cycle type, which is close to triple the cost of the oil I use in my jet ski. A small price to pay for the savings you get on fuel.
I have 25 years of experience riding jet skis, surfing, snowboarding, you name it! I love doing radical and daring tricks on my standup ski. However, if you get a Jetsurf, I can tell you this: you will be the envy of all watercraft enthusiasts! Every single day I have taken my Jetsurf on a lake, someone always stops me to ask what this cool thing is that I’m riding. I became the local attraction both days I went to the beach, causing crowds to stand around watching this strange new vehicle they saw whizzing around in the surf culminating in Beach Patrol spending an hour intriguingly asking me about my uniquely different toy!
I think the Jetsurf is a great combination of all the toys I love, it is a thrill to ride, and it is so easy to transport and maintain. In my opinion, the Jetsurf is ideal for any jet skier who also enjoys either surfing or snowboarding. And at just $10,000, many enthusiast can afford to add this to their toy collection! If you’re a watercraft thrill seeker like me, I would highly recommend picking one up at Jetsurf Factory!
Something big is happening this year. In fact, to those paying attention and simply feel a change coming like it’s floating in on the breeze. Many rack it up to two very significant “game changer” watercraft debuting this race season – specifically the Yamaha GP1800 WaveRunner and the Kawasaki SX-R 1500. Others are noting a sudden boom in local and regional events (be them races or group rides). And lastly, a great many are simply sensing an overall sentiment of optimism for the future, encouraging significant increases in new and used PWC sales. In fact, this more than anything is tilting the landscape; Yamaha is up by double digits, Sea-Doo is reporting a 40-percent increase in boat show sales. Even Kawasaki is pleased with the reception of its new standup.
For The Watercraft Journal, things are looking strong as well. Over the past 9 months, we’ve been paying close attention to who is reading the magazine, how people read the magazine, and how we can improve their experience. Already we’ve improved loading speeds, shortened delays, and made the magazine more cellular/mobile friendly. In fact, we average 60-to-70 percent of our total readership as being via smartphone. And of course, this makes sense. With today’s phones, access to all the world’s information is a few thumb strokes away. Unfortunately, people can’t dedicate the time to reading on a tiny screen so while our readership numbers have been dramatically increasing, we’ve noticed a dip in how long people actually hang around on the magazine. It’s understandable, but we want people to linger a little longer.
Additionally, we’re producing more video content than ever before and will (finally) be offering a selection of T-shirts and stickers in an official online store – expected around the first of summer. It’s been a long time coming but we didn’t want to just plop out a few shirt designs and not be able to meet the demand. We’re finally able to do things right and to our increasingly high standards, so make sure to look out for that. Of course, we’re ramping up our race and event coverage from across the continent and beyond, once again proving why The Watercraft Journal is the world’s most popular (and reliable) personal watercraft magazine.
Below is our monthly “By The Numbers” report showing the world how we perform, who our readers are, and how much content we produce each and every month on a daily basis. Needless to say, this article exists to convince those few remaining advertisers who still want to remain relevant in our ever-changing industry that 1990s are over, and with it the old ways of doing business. If you want to get your brand in front of more would-be customers, it’s time to come where the people are – and that is here, at The Watercraft Journal.
March 2017
March 2016
Watching Where We Go As We Grow
As hinted at above, we’re paying close attention to who is reading The Watercraft Journal and how they’re doing it. Sure, we’re up from last year by over 130-percent. That’s the level of growth we’ve come to expect (not used to seeing that level of growth with other magazine’s and media outlets?). But what interests us are two items: first, you’ll notice our bounce rate has increased, which combined with our increasing mobile readership, makes more sense; yet what we’re happy about is the increase in average pages per session and session duration. What that means is that people are staying longer and reading more articles with each visit than ever before. It’s still not to our liking, but it’s still more than last year (and consequently, the year before that). On every level, The Watercraft Journal is welcoming more and more readers, and at an accelerated, exponential rate. No other magazine is growing as quickly as The Watercraft Journal and that’s just the beginning.
March 2016
Total number unique readers: 22,765*
Total number of articles read: 50,778
Percentage of new readers: 62%
March 2017
Total number unique readers: 30,877*
Total number of articles read: 59,607
Percentage of new readers: 60%
*This number is considered equal to an individual sale of a single copy of a magazine.
Course Corrections That Prove Consistent Results
Everything must change; whether it is through the undulations of trend and interest, or the application of best practices. We find that over time, very few articles can truly keep the average reader’s attention span that requires more than 8-to-10 minutes to read. It’s a sad reflection on the dwindling attention span of the westernized PWC enthusiast, but something we need to adjust accordingly. Therefore, we’ve found that abbreviating some of our longer full length features and boiling down some of the fat and sinew in an effort to get to the meat of the article helps convey the point faster and more precisely. Because of this new policy of brevity we’re able to retain greater readership and even direct them towards supplementary articles on similar topics rather than having them bounce out of the magazine completely.
News articles published in February 2017: 27
Feature articles published in February 2017: 9
Total feature word count: 8,463 words*
News articles published in February 2017: 26
Feature articles published in February 2017: 10
Total feature word count: 7,869 words*
*When this number is translated to print publication standards equals a 92-page magazine. Please note that this number does not include an average of two uniquely-written news articles published daily.
Giving Everyone an All-Access Pass
You know what sucks? That what we do to put our magazine content in front of as many eyes as possible really isn’t all that hard. But what it does require is a commitment to doing things a certain (a proven way that works, mind you) and to remain consistent and reliable. Other media outlets publish sporadically, leaving many to wonder if they’re still alive and kicking (or not). Others spam their subscribers with dozens of shared posts and pictures but never actually producing content of their own. By offering our content freely and easily – whether it’s via a desktop, a laptop or a portable device, anyone can read our content. And with our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and weekly newsletters, we bring our content directly to our readers so they never need to wonder if we’re still open for business – and neither should you. And that’s a huge part of our success!
March Facebook likes: 21,368
Top Five countries: United States, Australia, Canada, France, United Kingdom
Welcome to the party, pal!
For our loyal readers, they know that this is little more than a glorified sales pitch. (Why lie?) And admittedly, it becomes a little tiring to keep banging on the same doors of the same companies who choose to hold out. For the very few companies choosing not to place their products and services in front of the largest readership of any PWC enthusiast magazine in the world, chances are that they’re doing it for emotional reasons – not smart business sense. For those who do, they place their wares in the one media outlet who welcomes over a third of a million annual readers. That’s a radical decision to make, particularly when you’re weighing the future of their company and their employee’s salaries. Look at the numbers. We’re not lying. In fact, do a quick search on our magazine’s search widget and look up all of our monthly reports. You’ll know first hand that we’re continually growing onward and upward. If you your company and products on The Watercraft Journal it’s not that hard. To inquire more about advertising with The Watercraft Journal, please email [email protected]
Praia do Norte in Nazaré, Portugal is home to beautiful, long, sandy beaches that attract people from all over the planet. While the beaches are what the tourists love, jet ski freeriders only care about what the surf is doing. With some of the biggest waves recorded at Praia do Norte, freeriders flock to this beach. While the conditions are extremely dangerous, it is what drives the freeriders to wake up in the morning and get out riding.
Recently, Abraham Hochstrasser has been in multiple headlines for riding in rough conditions and putting on a fantastic show. Equipped with a Rickter freeride hull, he is able to hit any wave, at any speed, and pull off any trick. Having the right equipment is the first thing to check off your list but having the guts to be only holding onto your craft while being inverted is insane. Abraham Ho, the Mexican freerider was invited to come down to Portugal and ride for a upcoming action sports film. This film will showcase riders from all over the world and it only made sense to have Ho riding in the best surf in the world. The film is expected to be released by the end of 2017 so be sure to mark your calendars and get your hands on a copy before they sell out.
We think Ho summed up his recent experience perfectly in an interview with Monster Energy, “I had to try and go into, a wave of almost 20 meters is something difficult to explain, interact with so much power is truly exciting and frightening at the same time; that sense of being so small makes you feel so alive!” The power of the waves and power of his craft is what makes him one of the best freeriders around.
For those paying attention to the powersports industry (outside of PWC sales), you’ll know that there has been quite a few highs and lows for the domestic manufacturer of side-by-sides, snowmobiles, motorcycles, ATV, and electric vehicles. Only in January did the OEM announce the closure of its famed Victory motorcycle brand, with Polaris Industries Chairman and CEO Scott Wine stating, “Over the past 18 years, we have invested not only resources, but our hearts and souls, into forging the Victory Motorcycles brand, and we are exceptionally proud of what our team has accomplished.”
Wine justified the decision, stating “This move allows us to optimize and align our resources behind both our premium, high performing Indian Motorcycle brand and our innovative Slingshot brand, enhancing our focus on accelerating the success of those brands.” Yet, what Wine left out of his public address was the deepening of Polaris’ relationship with a certain engine manufacturer and the widening of the company’s portfolio into the personal watercraft category (yet again).
Polaris is the SxS leader with over a 50-percent share of the market and “a stranglehold on the hero-building Pure Sport segment with the company’s RZR performance vehicles,” according to SuperTraxMag. Moreover, Polaris’ snowmobile division is the second most successful in the marketplace. Placing Polaris at the top of the SxS heap is their turbocharged Pro Star DOHC twin 4-strokes producing 168-horsepower (from a 1L no less!). But unless we were talking about Sea-Doo GTIs and Yamaha VX’s, that’s simply not enough to cut it.
Interestingly, General Motors revealed it will be investing $233 million into its small engine production at its Spring Hill manufacturing complex. The Spring Hill facility currently manufactures GM’s Ecotec 2.0L, 2.4L and 2.5L 4-cylinder engines, including direct-injection and turbocharged variants. And why this matters is because, as per Polaris’ CEO Scott Wine, it’s looking to “expand” its Slingshot line and “deepen” its relationship with General Motors, who supplies the Ecotec LE9 2.4L DOHC for the three-wheeled street trike.
In it’s current form, the Ecotec LE9 displaces 2,384cc making it, effectively, the largest displacement engine in the PWC market. Equally, the DOHC (dual overhead camshaft) VVT (variable valve timing) allows the Ecotec to perform at various speeds better than current overhead cam engine platforms, producing a strong 173 naturally-aspirated horsepower @ 6,200 rpm. Conversely, the turbocharged version adds an additional 92-horsepower at the flywheel, pushing the Ecotec’s output to over 260-horsepower – well within the range of the Yamaha SVHO (Super Vortex High Output) – at 265HP.
In a brief exchange of emails with Polaris’ Social Media Coordinator, Shana M. O’Hara, plans for an aggressive, full-sized 3-person watercraft have been “in the making” since the brand’s withdrawal from PWC in 2005. O’Hara states, “The image of the clay sculpt [above] is of a prototype runabout [rumored to be named either the “Icon” or the “Element” -Ed.] similar to what the final product would have been but was never released.” O’Hara hinted that interest in returning to PWC began in “early 2014” with the advent of the Sea-Doo Spark’s release. “We thought it was a very bold move [for Sea-Doo] and got us reconsidering our program.”
Although inspired by the entry-level Spark, Polaris has no intention of starting off small. “It’ll definitely carry some Slingshot DNA,” O’Hara needled, giving us ample room to believe the Ecotec 2.4L will reside beneath the bench seat; and as next year promises to deliver a turbocharged Slingshot to the public, so too will the GM-supplied 2.4L find a home in the future Polaris. The hull itself is expected to share much with the brand’s old flagship the aggressively designed limited edition Matrix (a derivative of the previous MSX 140 that has been discontinued for 2005, Jeff Hemmel once wrote back in 2004), capable of top speeds reaching up and beyond 67 mph with a full tank of required 92 octane fuel.
The model shown is a dated one, as indicated by the minuscule sponsons and lacking left-side brake/reverse lever. The Maxtrix though, was surprisingly avante guarde for its time, with scalloped fairings giving the runabout a early Ergolock design, predating the current RXP-X by nearly a decade. We expect changes to the sloping seat to take a more tiered look, and the unusual nodules on the nose to vanish. Obviously, we don’t expect the return of a Polaris watercraft to happen overnight, but as the brand expands its reach (and market share), so should logic follow that a return to PWC would be imminent. Competition breeds excellence and we’re excited to welcome a fifth manufacturer to the field. For all future updates on the coming Polaris return, make sure to check in HERE regularly.
Over the last few days, parts of Southeastern Queensland, Australia has been getting pounded with some severe weather. In fact, rains have been so heavy that flash flood warnings have been issued for the popular surfing location, as various areas have been instantaneously washed out, turning roadways into raging rivers.
Existing rivers have swollen to record heights, taking with them tons of sediment, trees, plantlife and much, much more. Certainly topography will be changed over these next few days, and with it damage to municipal infrastructure. So how to locals manage to cope? Well, they go surfing, of course. And if the video below isn’t enough to convince you, we really can’t convey it any better.
Not only are a handful of surfers enjoying the surging tide of rushing waters, but they’ve also enlisted a friend on a full-sized Yamaha WaveRunner to literally tow the surfers (at speed) into the surf, whipping back sharply propelling the surfers into the surf break. It’s both a feat of amazingly piloting talent and a wild exhibition of idiocy, as literally thousands of people die from pulled under in flash floods, but you gotta hand it to these tow-in surfers for their determination.
I found myself laughing. In fact, I was laughing a lot. Unlike test riding the ludicrously fast (88mph!) RIVA-tuned GP1800 a few minutes earlier – which is serious business because one misstep at those speeds could result in an unexpected trip to the hospital – the lightly reworked Yamaha EX WaveRunner equipped with RIVA Racing’s Stage 1 Kit was pure, unrefined joy and it was showing on my face. The combination of an ECU tune, a new prop and a bit of breathing assistance for the EX TR-1 engine was all it took to turn Yamaha’s happy-but-ultimately-humdrum Rec Lite entry into a lively, alert and rowdy little colt.
When first introduced to the all-new EX WaveRunners, I found them to be a very conservative response to Sea-Doo’s Spark, which is actually very much in line with Yamaha’s modus operandi. The EX is well-built, solid and well-balanced (all fancy euphemisms for being 170-pounds heavier than the Spark). Yet, that added weight serves a valid purpose; gone is the loose, tipsy feeling, replaced with a hull that feels well-seated and predictable. The bench narrows at the knee allowing for comfortable-yet-forward seating, as the EX, EX Sport and EX Deluxe are meant to carry a trio of riders, offer more storage and are significantly more stable.
Powered by a 100-horsepower TR-1, the EX-edition powerplant is slightly restricted for the Rec Lite unit by a revised exhaust manifold, muffler and redesigned shaft coupler driving the completely original two-piece pump and venturi. The 3-cylinder, four-stroke is seated beneath the one-piece seat and a large black plastic base. The base comes off quickly with basic hand tools and requires no hoist or extra set of hands to heave out of the way. Already tuners have found that the VX-level TR-1, producing a base 120-horsepower, responds brilliantly to modifications, leading all to believe the EX to be equally responsive. RIVA chose to prove that fact this day.
The RIVA Racing Stage 1 Kit for the Yamaha EX is constituted of four parts: the RIVA MaptunerX Yamaha TR-1 Bundle, RIVA Yamaha EX Power Filter Kit, RIVA Yamaha EX Free Flow Exhaust Kit and a Solas Yamaha Concord 144mm 12/17 Impeller. It doesn’t sound like much, but the package alone adds a solid 5 miles per hour to the unit’s top speed (56mph @ 8,400rpm over the stock 51mph @ 7,500rpm) and a significant jump in the EX’s 0-to-50 acceleration, leaping to speed in 7.2 seconds over the previous 10.5 seconds. The throttle’s immediacy is palpable and the increased response plays a big part in the EX’s newfound playfulness and ability to pull itself out of a hard turn.
In RIVA’s own words, the “Maptuner X programmer is utilized to reflash your original ECU (Engine Control Unit) for added performance. The MaptunerX Bundle delivers instant plug-in horsepower! Quickly and easily load our Stage 1 performance tune into your Yamaha ECU eliminating the need to ship out your ECU for programming. The MaptunerX features a slick, full color, touch screen display for easy operation. Includes full access to RIVA’s World Famous Tuning Library along with unmatched technical support. Easily switch between performance tunes and then back to stock settings if you wish.”
The RIVA EX Performance Power Filter replaces often restrictive factory intake opening up the engine’s intake to cool, dense air, improving both throttle response and top speed; as the RIVA EX Free Flow Exhaust Kit replaces the choking factory sound suppression system (between water box and hull exit) helping relieve backpressure and lower engine operating temperatures. Finally, the new Solas impeller features a new design specific to the EX and “incorporates a large blade area and superior hub design that deliver increased acceleration and top speed”, according to RIVA.
I got to spend as much time on the Stage 1-equipped EX as I wished and admittedly found myself taking it out not once, or even twice but three separate times. In fact, during the test session, 8 different riders took the EX out on the lake and experienced the same joy as I did, nary once requiring a refill of its 13.2-gallon fuel tank. Two thirds of RIVA’s Research & Development team were on-hand for questions, and both Bruce Clarkson and Jesus Garcia said that a ride plate, sponsons and intake grate were soon coming, but that as it stood, the Stage 1-equipped EX was using all stock handling products – and it showed.
Putting the EX on its bond rail and power sliding it like Rhys Millen is effortless. In fact, pinning the throttle uproots the EX and will jut skyward when weighted on the stern. (Jokes of “Yamaha’s new ‘TRIXX EXX” earned some solid laughter.) While somewhat nimble, the stock EX simply didn’t pack the responsiveness of a Spark in “Sport” mode until now. Racy turns, winding Figure 8’s, and the aforementioned power slides kept many of us entertained until exhaustion. Suddenly, one tester noted, putting an EX on a closed course against the Sparks sounded like a good idea. With current IJSBA rules notwithstanding, the RIVA Racing Stage 1 kit for the EX WaveRunner retails for $1,659.35.
When Kawasaki decided to bring back the standup, which started the whole industry, it shook things up. Questions we’re going around asking whether or not a 4-stroke motor would be put into the new hull. Well, as we all know, there is a 4-stroke standup now. While the hull is much bigger than any stand up previous, there have recorded speeds of 63mph.
While this is a huge step for Kawasaki as they are trying to get back into the game, there are some concerns that have arisen. What class will the SX-R race in? Will the size of the hull and power of the motor be too much? Recently, the IJSBA announced that they have received a product from Skat-Trak that is a reduction nozzle and will be used to restrict the speed of the new 2017 SX-R. Skat-Trak is a industry leader when it comes to jet pumps and all of the components included which makes them a great company to work with in testing speeds.
The new SX-R is extremely powerful and IJSBA wants to be sure that anyone racing in the Novice Stock, Women’s’ Ski, and Juniors classes will be safe. With this speed control device, it will allow for women and young riders to be competitive, have fun but most importantly be safe while racing. It can be dangerous going around buoys in such a large JetSki. IJSBA wants to do whatever they can to help. Testing has been underway and any findings will be announced.
Bryce Trevett, a self-described “modern day adventurer” with a passion for nature and wildlife has made a name for himself traversing the globe doing research, photographing wildlife, getting up close and personal with nature. Bryce, and partner Angel Hernandez, have logged hundreds of hours filming their exploits, particularly reptiles and marine life. Recently, while off of the coast of Southern California, the two (aboard a Sea-Doo Spark and Yamaha VX, respectively) encountered a sea turtle is dire need of help. Bryce wrote:
“Angel and I were out filming wildlife on the open ocean off the Los Angeles coast yesterday and thought we saw a balloon from a far distance. We always collect the many balloons we see on every ocean expedition and as we approached this balloon, we noticed it was entangled with a young loggerhead sea turtle! We jumped in, pulled it on board, and cut the line/balloon material off. We took the opportunity to quickly talk about and hopefully educate people about the importance of throwing away your balloons and trash and how they affect marine life. This is the second sea turtle we have encountered in the last couple months that has been tangled in trash. Throw away your balloons!”
Marine biologists have attributed several deaths of sea turtles to swallowing balloons and plastic bags as they (the sea turtles, not the marine biologists) often mistake them for jellyfish. This particular turtle was wound up in a balloon that hindered its ability to swim freely. Recently, the entire State of California outlawed the sale and/or distribution of plastic bags by grocery stores, and recently the city of Laguna Beach proposed the outlawing of balloons in the city. (We’re literally not making this up.) While laws such as these bare questionable if not completely negligible results, it’s best to remind people to not be dirt bags and just pick up after themselves.
According to 
