MARK GOMEZ 

You Might Know This Guy From…

Clips that made people stop scrolling and say, “Wait… I’ve seen that guy.”

Many people first come across Mark Gomez through a video long before they ever see his name. Whether it’s a stunt, a show, or a moment that caught fire online, these clips tend to travel fast. Here are some of the most recognized ones, listed in reverse chronological order.

• Gymkhana Hydroplane Jump with Travis Pastrana (2021)
  Freestyle jet ski riding off the wake of a 115-mph rally car hydroplane during Gymkhana.
  ▶ https://youtu.be/LXzPkkQirnM?t=358

• Flooded Street Jet Ski Riding on 550 in Fullerton
  Creative riding through flooded urban streets during heavy rain.
  ▶ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrGxnYIae-o

• 8-Foot Pool-to-Pool Gap Jump – Mid-America Outdoors
  A stand-up jet ski launched across an eight-foot gap between pools.
  ▶ https://www.instagram.com/p/COyNsrdpOPa/

• GoPro Freeride Feature – “Mark Gomez Freeride” (2019)
  A dedicated GoPro feature capturing Mark’s freeride style in natural surf and open-water conditions.
  ▶ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2_0CSlV9SU

• Smallest Pool Jet Ski Backflip (Viral Clip)
  One of the tightest pool backflips ever performed on a stand-up jet ski.
  ▶ https://www.instagram.com/p/CJeM4VHJo_Y/

• T-Rex Jet Ski Backflip (Global Viral Video)
  A freestyle backflip performed in a full inflatable T-Rex costume.
  ▶ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJcjCb6hs_g

• Cirque Electrique LED Night Performances – SeaWorld San Diego
  Programmable LED freestyle jet ski performances in a nightly live stunt show.
  ▶ https://www.instagram.com/p/Bzi9JISnzqe/

 

If one of these looks familiar, that’s usually how the introduction happens.

 

Five-Time World Champion. Builder. Trainer. Performer.

A career shaped by obsession, discipline, and showing up long before results.

Mark Gomez is a five-time World Champion stand-up jet ski athlete with more than 17 years of experience spanning freestyle competition, freeride progression, racing, professional training, and live performance environments.

His career and unconventional path have been documented through interviews and feature articles, including profiles in Boating Magazine (2017) and MotorAction Media (2018), which highlight not just podiums, but the work and persistence behind them.
https://www.boatingmag.com/how-to/on-board-with-mark-gomez/
https://motoractionmedia.com/features/spotlight-mark-gomez/

What defines Mark’s career is not a single win, but a lifelong commitment to learning, rebuilding, and returning to the water with purpose.

 

Where the Spark Started

A dream made tangible before it was attainable.

As a child, Mark grew up watching the VHS film JETDREAMS on repeat. The freedom and creativity captured in the movie left a deep impression, but the dream became real much closer to home.

In his driveway sat a red Kawasaki JS550 that looked identical to the one Scott Watkins rode in the film. Seeing that same machine in person made the idea tangible. It wasn’t just something on a screen. It existed.

By middle school, Mark found more opportunities to ride. He saved over $600 by running a drive-through snack and drink stand outside his hometown street each summer and spent every dollar on his first stand-up jet ski, a Kawasaki JS440.

The first session in Oceanside was unforgettable. The next trip ended before he ever made it outside the harbor. The engine failed catastrophically.

 

The First Real Break

Family belief and getting back in the water.

Mark’s middle brother, Philip, was alongside him throughout the journey. Weeks after the engine failure, Philip surprised Mark by picking him up from school with a trailer carrying a low-hour white 1991 Kawasaki 550SX.

Unknown to Mark at the time, Philip had fronted the money himself, found the deal independently, and purchased the ski outright to get his brother back on the water.

With renewed drive and a jet ski payment tied directly to working hours, Mark poured everything into riding, maintaining, modifying, and learning that 550SX. He began sharing progress through early jet ski forums, slowly building recognition through consistency rather than hype.

Philip didn’t just buy Mark a jet ski. He got him back in the water at the moment it mattered most. That belief became a recurring theme throughout Mark’s career: when setbacks appeared, the answer was always to rebuild, return, and keep riding.

 

Learning the Trade

A full tradesman immersion into the industry.

While still in high school, Mark began working at Pacific Motorsports, where he remained until the shop closed in 2015.

Mark worked primarily as a mechanic but steadily took on broader responsibilities. He ordered inventory, connected directly with distributors, managed supplier relationships such as Hot Products (a partnership that continues today), ran the shop’s eBay store, answered customer calls, and wrote service requests.

Pacific Motorsports carried deep vintage inventory, including purchased PJS parts and molds. Mark remains close friends with owner Gordon Oelkers and continues supporting the PJS line through https://www.PJS-USA.com.

What some might view as just a job, Mark credits as a rare opportunity to earn a living while fully immersed in the exact industry he wanted to grow within.

Oceanside and the Freeride Era

Progress fueled by community, not shortcuts.

Outside of work, Mark rode surf in Oceanside one to three times per week, learning alongside freeride standouts including Randy Laine, Ross Champion, Taylor Curtis, Jerry Jones, Zack Bright, John Howe, Matt Smith, Mike Serlin, and Chris Rosner.

The camaraderie of that era reinforced values that still guide Mark today: respect for the sport, respect for others, and earning progression through time on the water. Many sponsor relationships formed during this period remain intact.

 

 

Universal Studios Hollywood – WaterWorld Live Stunt Show

In 2012, I auditioned for the WaterWorld Live stunt show at Universal Studios Hollywood and was fortunate to be cast and trained as a #7 Smoker (Jet Ski Villain). I began performing on a Kawasaki X-2 jet ski, launching off a hydraulic catapult ramp while towing a water skier into the venue, similar to a jet fighter being launched from an aircraft carrier. The sequence required precise timing and immediate transition into choreographed on-water action inside the show arena.

Over time, my role expanded beyond riding to include staged fight sequences and deeper integration into the overall performance. I also interacted with guests after each show, gaining valuable experience connecting with audiences both on and off the water.

This was part-time, on-call work, and I started at the bottom of the roster. Over the five years I worked with the show, I balanced shifts around my full-time work at a jet ski shop. Many days meant riding in Oceanside in the morning, then driving straight to Burbank for an evening performance at WaterWorld, with my wetsuit, jet ski, and gear still drying in the back of my truck. It was a demanding routine, repeated day after day, and one I genuinely loved.

During this time, WaterWorld Live stood as one of the longest-running live stunt shows in theme park history. Originally opening in 1995, the Universal Studios Hollywood production became an iconic fixture of the park, blending large-scale practical stunts, watercraft performance, and direct audience interaction. By the time of its 30-year anniversary in 2025, the show had become a benchmark for live-action stunt entertainment and operational longevity.

Working within the WaterWorld stunt environment was especially meaningful as a jet skier because of the legacy behind the show. Many of the riders and performers who helped open and define WaterWorld were people I admired growing up in the sport. Being part of that lineage, alongside figures such as Larry Rippenkroeger, Clay Cullen, and Mike Serlin, added weight and responsibility to every performance and further shaped my respect for precision, professionalism, and showcraft.

Working in this environment also opened the door to professional connections and established credibility within the stunt industry. Through those relationships, I was called to perform my first film stunt work, stunt-doubling Ken Jeong in a swimming pool for an Adidas commercial. That opportunity led to additional work, including appearing in the feature film I Am Number Four, performing stand-up jet ski sequences alongside the film’s lead under the coordination of Clay Cullen.

I was present during the period when the show was operated by WSSI and continued on through the transition when Action Horizons took over operations, remaining part of the evolving production and operational upgrades that have helped keep the show alive and relevant to this day.

In 2024, I returned to the venue in a full-circle moment as a contracted performer, providing precision jet ski entertainment for The Fall Guy Live Stuntacular pre-show. Performing multiple shows per day, I was now riding my own professional equipment and executing aerial freestyle maneuvers, including backflips, inside the same iconic arena where I once wondered what it would be like to do exactly that.

What began as an on-call stunt role became a defining chapter of my career. WaterWorld Live shaped my approach to performance riding, audience engagement, and professional execution, lessons that continue to influence my work today.

 

 

Competition and the Long Climb

Earning every step forward.

In 2009, Mark wrote a letter to Wamilton Teixeira of Wamilton’s Customs. Around the same time, Wamilton’s team had come across a customer’s running but broken-down 2004 Yamaha SuperJet and chose to support Mark by sending it to California.

With help from additional sponsors and countless hours of personal effort, Mark built that ski and won the 2009 Blowsion Surf Slam Amateur Freeride Championship in Pacific City, Oregon.

For years, Blowsion Surf Slam remained the only IFWA World Tour stop Mark could afford to attend. A performance bump came in 2012 aboard his first aftermarket hull from Trinity Composites (Matrix). Progress accelerated significantly in 2014 when Mark signed with Rickter RRP and began a decade-long collaboration with Taylor Curtis of TC Freeride.

Taylor provided Mark with consistently well-built competition skis, allowing him to wrench less and focus more on riding and progression. Beyond equipment, Taylor set a lasting example by embracing the fun and family side of the sport through freeride trips, travel, and creative content. To this day, Mark considers Taylor one of the best in the business and remains grateful for his time under the TC Freeride banner.

 

Debut into Pro Flatwater Freestyle (2015)

A turning point where curiosity became commitment.

In 2015, while in Lake Havasu for the World Championships, Mark made his debut in Pro Flatwater Freestyle. At the time, he was primarily focused on racing and staying in a rental house with longtime friend Tanner Thomas and Team Rickter mechanic Hiro “NINJA” Ogino.

Tanner went on to win the Amateur World Title that year. Mark spent the week testing a newly developed Rickter XFR equipped with a DASA 1000cc powerplant, a strict demo unit.

Coming from a surf and freeride background, Mark was largely incapable of backflips or structured flatwater freestyle. Still, something clicked. Within two sessions, he began landing flip variations. Recognizing his fast but sloppy progression, Rick Roy and Hiro Ogino pulled him back to fundamentals, redirecting his energy into sustainable growth.

When Mark returned to riding, he blended freeride-style movement into flatwater jumps. Because the 1000cc setup exceeded the Amateur limit, he entered the Pro 1200cc class with reduced power and placed top ten, earning his position.

From that point forward, Mark committed fully to freestyle, returning every year, renting houses with Tanner, working alongside Hiro, and supporting fellow Rickter and DASA riders.

 

World Titles and Global Recognition

All in, across every discipline.

Mark’s competitive achievements include:

• 2009 Blowsion Surf Slam Amateur Freeride Champion

• 2011 IJSBA Amateur Ski Lites Racing World Champion

• 2015 IFWA Freeride World Champion

• 2016 IFWA Freeride World Champion

• 2017 IFWA Freeride World Champion

• 2017 IJSBA Pro Freestyle World Champion

• 2017 Thailand Jet Ski World Cup (King’s Cup) Pro Freestyle Champion

• 2018 Thailand Jet Ski World Cup (King’s Cup) Pro Freestyle Champion

• 2018 IFWA Freeride World Tour Runner-Up

Winning world titles in racing, freeride, and freestyle, including Freeride and Freestyle in the same year, reflects Mark’s commitment to rising to every challenge the sport offered while enjoying the process.

In 2018, Mark also served as lead liaison for the IFWA World Tour stop in Japan.

 

Shifting Focus, Performance, and JETEFX

From competition to sustainability and impact.

After relocating to Lake Havasu in 2019, Mark deepened his focus on freestyle, training, and performance. One week after the World Finals, he married Kaley McNay Gomez at the Nautical Resort Beach.

From 2017–2019, Mark performed as part of Cirque Electrique at SeaWorld San Diego. In 2021, he partnered with Black Rifle Coffee Company, highlighted by his appearance alongside Travis Pastrana in Gymkhana. That trip also enabled collaboration with Jetpilot teammate Sean Murray, producing content that broadened Mark’s perspective across motorsports.

As training and performance demand grew, Mark founded JETEFX to unify his work and support both his career and family.

 

Family and the Road Ahead

Anchored by partnership and purpose.

Kaley is a competitive wakeboarder who earned second in the world in her age division at the 2016 WWA World Wake Association Championships, competing in the Women’s Masters class.

Today, she plays a central role in logistics and planning. Their family includes their French bulldog Jet and their daughter Kaz Gomez.

Anchored in Lake Havasu, Mark continues building a future rooted in progression, mentorship, and respect for the sport.