It’s pretty surprising that the biggest PWC influencer in the world only started riding 7 years ago. “It’s never too late in your life to find something that you’re really passionate about,” Daniel do Nascimento—or more commonly known in the PWC community—AquaDan tells The Wake Edit.
And he’s right. At 43, AquaDan has amassed about 400,000 followers on Instagram, where he posts all about his on-the-water adventures. “I was about 37 years old, and my mom was having a party at her house. She lived on the Intracoastal, and one of her friends came out there on a Kawasaki. She was like ‘Hey, do you want to try this out?’ And I rode it, and I fell in love with it instantly. Within a year, I bought my first PWC.”
It was love at first sight—or first ride, at that. “That moment changed my life forever. I’ve never felt so passionate and loved doing something as much as riding a PWC for the first time,” Dan says. Before riding, Dan lived a simple, yet fulfilling life. He came to the States from Rio de Janeiro at the age of 16, after his mom told him that she was bringing his family over just for high school. They never went back. Following his education, Dan started his own commercial cleaning company, a successful business that now has given him the flexibility to do what he loves.
Today, Dan travels the world on the back of his Sea-Doo, serving as an Ambassador for the brand and sharing how he ‘lives the Sea-Doo life.’ But it wasn’t an easy journey for Dan to get to where he is today, and he took us back in time to the beginning of his PWC journey. It’s an inspiring story, especially for anyone who has the dream to create content while following their passions, so listen up to what Dan has to say.
The Starter Pack
I first bought a Yamaha WaveRunner. I went to a powersport company here in Spring Hill, and they basically pushed a WaveRunner EX on me. It was the cheapest, entry level, and I had no idea of what was good and what was not good yet. But that was my first PWC: a Yamaha EX. I used to fall off and flip all the time. Within six months, I went to an FX because the EX was just so slow—they’re like in between the [Sea-Doo] Spark and the GTI.
I had a regular account on Instagram—Daniel do Nascimento—where I would post things with my kids, my family, just like any regular person with 500 followers. Most of the content at the time on Instagram of PWCs was people racing. There was nobody showing the beautiful places that you can reach on your PWC. So that’s when I created this character “AquaDan.”
I was like, “Okay, I’m going to start sharing just beautiful places that I go out and can reach on a PWC or on my Yamaha.” I created this persona and started posting, posting, posting. Within two years, I guess people really were enjoying what I was doing. I was able to grow my account to up to 400,000 followers organically, just by posting really beautiful views and POVs of beautiful views every day.
And It Grew
My account blew up in the last two and a half years. Sea-Doo had been watching what I was doing. They don’t do it anymore, but before Sea-Doo used to be like, “I love this post, can we repost it and say ‘living the Sea-Doo life’?” They used to do that with a couple of my Yamaha posts, and I’m like this is odd, you know? I’m not even on a Sea-Doo! Some time went by, and I got a phone call from Anthony Radetic, a Sea-Doo Ambassador and racer, asking me if I would like to go to the Miami Boat Show to meet some people from the brand. Sea-Doo really wanted to have more people on their team that were living the Sea-Doo life. Anthony said, “This is not an official invite, you pay for everything, just come meet people and see what happens.” So I did. I went to the boat show, and I met Duda, who’s the head of our social media team. I met the guy that was in charge of the Ambassador Program. I met a few other people. Six months went by after that.
Then, that June, I had a plan to go to Bimini in the Bahamas. My FX had delaminated so I didn’t have a machine to go. I was already in talks with Sea-Doo, negotiating, but by that time in June, I was like well nothing is going to happen here with Sea-Doo. I had already given up. But I put in a last little request to see if Sea-Doo would let me borrow a machine to go to Bimini.
It was three days away, super last minute, but they made it work. I went to Palm Bay, picked it up, and I went to Bimini. That was my first time riding a Sea-Doo, my first time experiencing what it was like, what the ST3 hull feels like, the space, the accessories, the LinQ system. To do a Bimini crossing on a Sea-Doo—it was this epic experience that every rider dreams of. That was two and a half years ago. It changed my life; it redirected my dreams. From then on, it’s been a beautiful story.
“Don’t let anyone tell you that you won’t make it, because that’s what I had people tell me. Everybody thought that I was never going to do it, and I never let any of those things affect me.”
The Sea-Doo Breakdown
In my contract as a Sea-Doo Ambassador, I was able to choose two different models. My two favorite models are the GTX Limited and the RXP-X. The GTX Limited is luxury; it’s the Rolls-Royce on the water. You have all the space, the comfort, three seats, the ST3 hull which is great for choppy or smooth water. I love the GTX Limited for doing explorations like Bimini. When I’m doing long rides, it has the capabilities to add extra gas, and it has a huge storage compartment on the front where I can even put luggage, a small bag, and my camera.
And there is no other machine that rides like the RXP-X. I don’t know what it is about its horsepower or strength, but it keeps me stuck to the water, even on chop. I leave everybody behind on flat waters. It’s so much more aggressive, and it brings such adrenaline when I turn—they way it grabs and the curves. It’s so hard to say which one is my favorite, but the RXP-X is a mindblowing machine.
The GTX Limited is for when I go on a long ride with my girlfriend so that both of us can be comfortable on it, and the RXP-X is for when I want to rip and ride fast by myself with no passengers.
Safety First
I always knew a little bit about filming and safety, but before, when I was riding my Yamaha, I wasn’t working with a global company. So I was doing a lot of wild things. I was riding under bridges at 70 miles per hour, doing crazy stuff. I think at that time, that was good for me. But once I joined Sea-Doo, there was a whole culture of safety. We have safety briefings before we get our units about how a character that works for Sea-Doo should behave since we’re being watched by thousands of people. Anywhere that I go, I am Sea-Doo. That stuck with me. I stopped a lot of the crazy stuff I was doing—not all the crazy stuff, just the not-so-safe stuff. Safety is really important, not just because I’m working with a global company, but because I have to teach people how to be safe.
One of the things that was big when I came in was that I had to have both of my hands on the handlebars. I was always filming with my cellphone in one hand, so I had a lot of cool videos that Sea-Doo couldn’t use. So balancing safety and riding was important. Now, even when I do a little bit of the crazy stuff, I make sure to put a disclaimer underneath.
“I’ve never felt so passionate and loved doing something as much as riding a PWC for the first time.”
A Few Favorite Spots
There’s many beautiful places in the world that I still want to ride, but there are two places that have a really special place in my heart. To me, the Bimini crossing is one of the most complete adventures that you can have on a PWC: I’m crossing 3,000 feet deep, there’s wildlife, sharks, I swim with dolphins, I’m feeding stingrays, there’s shipwrecks I can take my Sea-Doo right inside of, underwater airplanes I can scuba dive to and check out. There’s so much to see. It’s more than just a ride.
And Lake Powell is also so incredible. That place is beautiful. I get the chills when I’m riding there. There’s so much history and things that have happened in that area, that I always get this eerie feeling. It’s a place that I have to go to at least once a year. I’ve seen and ridden so many beautiful places, different countries—Brazil, Malaysia, Indonesia—all beautiful, but Bimini and Lake Powell are amazing.
Advice for Amateurs
Don’t get discouraged. It’s really hard, and it’s even harder now than it was before. A lot of people are going to doubt you. A lot of people are going to put you down. Don’t worry about others that are doing this. If this is what you love and want to do, have your own style. Be your own self and follow your dreams. Don’t let anyone tell you that you won’t make it, because that’s what I had people tell me. Everybody thought that I was never going to do it, and I never let any of those things affect me. I focused on myself and followed my passion.
I recommend that everybody should try riding a PWC. If you like the outdoors or the water, try to get out there and experience what it is like to ride a PWC. You won’t regret it. You’ll be surprised by how much beauty and how many places that you can reach on PWCs that you would never be able to get to on boats. These machines take you to places that you won’t even believe.
Two Quick Taboos
I’ll never ride a motorcycle. Never! And I cannot be a passenger on a PWC. For a long time, I never enjoyed having a passenger either, because you have to be mindful that there’s someone behind you that might not be as comfortable on you on the chop.
For Now
I want to see, ride, and experience different cultures—all from the handlebars of my Sea-Doo. You know, I’m not sure how long my run is with Sea-Doo, but I’m sure of one thing: I don’t think I’ll ever be too far from Sea-Doo. I might not be an Ambassador forever, but I’m going to enjoy every second of it.
Follow more of Dan’s Sea-Doo adrenaline-packed adventures on Instagram.