Jetpacks Grounded at Newport Harbor for Six Months

The Newport Beach City Council has pulled the ... tube? ... on jetpacks on its waterways.

The council voted this week to temporarily ground the activity while officials make sure it's safe.

Here's how a jetpack, also called Jetlev, Aquaflyer, Aquaboard, work, according to a city staff report:

Typically, the user wears a shoulder pack which is connected to a personal watercraft type vessel.  This modified vessel sucks in water up to the user via a long tube where the water is then forced down at a high velocity, therefore creating lift to raise the user above the water surface.

With that out of the way, officials say they have to "ensure the health, safety and welfare of the residents and visitors of Newport Harbor" by studying the fairly new phenomenon. 

Santa Ana attorney Eric Traut he settled a lawsuit for $100,000 on behalf of a client who was injured while jetpacking in Newport Harbor in March, CBS News reports. 

Residents and boaters have also complained to city staff about noise, exhaust, wake and speed violations, according to a staff report.  

All this has city staffers concerned.

"The proliferation of new water propulsion vessel businesses within Newport Harbor presents a current and immediate threat to the public peace, health and safety in that such operations are out of character with the design and residential character of Newport Harbor," the report says.

Space is also at a premium at the harbor, staff said. Jetpacking requires three separate vessels just for one participant. That could be a recipe for disaster. 

The moratorium is good for at least six months. One company, Jetpack America, was allowed to continue operations because it has a permit from the city, according to the Daily Pilot.