Keeping a distance from big ships when sailing is an essential rule any good sailor should respect in order to preserve his own safety. The main character of the video below has learned that to his cost.
The jet skier who is personally filming the sequence of pictures begins with an irresponsible manouevre: he cuts off a cargo ship sailing close to the shore. Not satisfied, the brave irresponsible young man voluntarily gets close to the left side of the ship. The only explanation we can give for such behaviour is the pursuit of a sensational video to show his friends. A video that could have cost him his life.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3c9IKvfmsQ
In a matter of seconds, the rider is in trouble. The first waves generated by the ship make him lose his balance and he almost gets sucked under the ship. The situation is therefore out of control. Instinctively, the rider uses his hands to move away from the ship but this gesture provokes the jet ski to turn off: the safety rope to stop the engine is tied to his wrist.
The situation turns unrecoverable, the jet ski is sucked by the ship and the man falls into the water while the ship goes on sailing. The inevitably confusing video shows the man trying in vain to jump back on his jet ski.
His fate seems to be sealed, the next step for him seems to get sucked under the ship’s propellers.
But, fortunately, the young man is not only irresponsible but also lucky. After a few moments of panic, he, indeed, surfaces aft of the ship, uninjured and still clinging to his jet ski. From the pictures, it is not clear how this was made possible.
The only thing certain is that living an experience like this might mean to die. Sure, the game’s not worth the candle and the young man will have certainly learned the lesson.