Adrenaline rush spurs business success

Rockingham is rapidly becoming one of the most exciting destinations in WA for adventure junkies, with people travelling from far afield to jump out of a plane or take a flight with a jet pack.

Edward Murcia is the owner of Jetpack Perth and operates his business in the calm waters off Rockingham Foreshore.

Mr Murcia began offering jet pack and flyboard flights in October, 2014, and has been growing his operation ever since.

“I have owned jet skis before and after seeing jet packs on TV I started researching and found that nobody in Perth was operating these flights,” he said.

“I decided I could run this kind of business, contacted local councils and the Department of Transport, flew to Miami to learn about the machines and get qualified in safety operations.”

Mr Murcia initially scouted Swan River locations but discovered the fragile river environment was not the right place.

“We then saw that Rockingham was the perfect spot for jet packs and flyboards,” he said.

“The sandbar allows us to take off safely from where people are standing and then almost immediately you are out in deep water.

“The area is very sheltered and the swell never gets big.”

Jetpack Perth offers flights on four different devices — jet packs, flyboards and the new jet bikes and hoverboards.

“There are no prerequisites or experience needed for any of the four options, although some people do pick it up easier than others,” Mr Murcia said.

“The adrenalin rush is different on each device and some are slightly easier than others to get the hang of. I have found that it is quite similar to skydiving in that people want to tick something off a list.

“Some customers do come back again to have another go but most of the time its a one-off adventure.”

Mr Murcia said his company worked in partnership with Rockingham Apartments and Quest and was also well supported by the Rockingham Visitor Centre.