A natural archway that Vlad Melnik photographed when he completed a solo run to Farallon De Medinilla with his jet ski.
A natural archway that Vlad Melnik photographed when he completed a solo run to Farallon De Medinilla with his jet ski.
As part of his preparation for his travels to Rota and FDM, Vlad Melnik tested his jet ski’s seaworthiness by conducting sea trials around Saipan and Tinian.
Vlad Melnik throws a shaka off the coast of Goat Island.
Vlad Melnik may be the first person to utilize a jet ski to travel between Saipan and Rota.
Vlad Melnik said he ran a steady pace for his travel, going mostly between 28-35 knots or 32-40 miles per hour.
Vlad Melnik on his Sea-Doo GTX 300.
ADVENTURER and nature enthusiast Vladislav “Vlad” Melnik recently sat down with Marianas Variety to share how he used a jet ski to travel from Saipan to Rota, and from Saipan to Farallon De Medinilla on two separate open ocean voyages.
Melnik said when he made the CNMI his home in 2011, he brought with him a passion for being outdoors and “feeling alive” by connecting to nature.
For his trip to Rota, Melnik took off from Smiling Cove Marina on Aug. 18 aboard his Sea-Doo GTX 300. He may very well be the only person to have ever attempted and completed a solo jet ski trip from Saipan to Rota and back.
Melnik said he prepared thoroughly for this voyage, packing navigational equipment, a satellite phone, personal safety equipment, a first aid kit, and enough fuel onboard. He likewise filed a float plan with the U.S. Coast Guard, and informed the Department of Public Safety of his trip.
In addition, Melnik said he mentally and physically prepared for the voyage by conducting training runs around Saipan and Tinian.
He circumnavigated both islands using a jet ski, and went on a training run to Aguiguan or Goat Island.
“Many things could go wrong so I had to be prepared well,” Melnik said. “I went around Saipan a few times and around Tinian also a few times. And then for Goat Island I did it in rough seas. I intentionally chose rough water to see how the jet ski glided in choppy waters. I got more confident about the jet ski, and about myself.”
Although his jet ski features a cushioned chair, Melnik said he made most of the trip standing to “compensate for the bumps and the waves” he encountered on the open ocean.
Melnik said he ran a steady pace for his travel, going mostly between 28-35 knots or 32-40 miles per hour.
“I could go faster depending on the fuel, but it’s not really comfortable,” he said.
He also had to keep an eye out for debris — and sea turtles.
“Anything could happen…. You don’t want to [hit] them,” he added.
Melnik said his Aug. 4 trip to Farallon De Medinilla was incredibly rewarding, especially because it is one of the Northern Islands that he had yet to experience. He said he had seen it from afar on his way to Pagan and other Northern Islands, but the August trip was his first opportunity to see it up close and personal.
“You can see the beautiful formations, ridges, and holes, not from the bombings, but from natural erosion,” Melnik said. “The wind and waves and everything made it a beautiful architectural work.”
Melnik might make adventuring look easy, but his skills as an outdoorsman have come through a life spent outdoors in his native Russia.
“I grew up in the mountains and nature. It was absolutely natural back in those days to play in the woods, go fishing, pick berries, mushrooms. You can feel it, it got deep under your skin — the knowledge, the skills,” he said.
Melnik said he is not done pushing his jet ski and himself to the limit.
He plans to island hop his way through the Northern Islands, making stops at Anatahan, Sarigan, Pagan, and beyond.
“I really want to get to Urakas and Maug, with the support of a supply boat to carry and drop fuel along the route on the different islands,” he said.
