Waves from 15-20 feet high and currents with speeds approaching 20 miles per hours - experiencing all of those up-close sounds exhilarating.

John Kinney, president of Whirlpool Jet Boat Tours, invited Spectrum News for a ride into the Niagara Gorge, exploring the famous whirlpool, and then through the Devil’s Hole Rapids.

“At age 17, I was a member of the US Junior Wild Water Kayaking Team. We were going to a white-water river up in Canada. Traveling from Pennsylvania up to Northern Ontario. Obviously, you drive right through Niagara,” he said of how he got into this line of work.

Fast forward to today, and Kinney now provides jet boat tours for people in Western New York and also around the world.

But beyond the fun of the excursion, there is turmoil in the tourism industry because of the effects of COVID-19.

“From a tourism standpoint, I don’t think there’s ever been a more challenging year than 2020.”

As a part of the Niagara Falls tourism industry, Whirlpool Jet Boat Tours is one of many businesses being impacted by pandemic restrictions.

“Our guests look like they’re getting ready for a lunar flight going out onto the trip. They wear a helmet with a face shield now and all the sanitizing that has to offer,” Kinney explained.

A major concern comes when looking at the bottom line. Kinney estimates that it will take the tourism industry 3-5 years to recover from the effects of the pandemic. He says that about one-third of the visitors to Niagara Falls are international travelers. And because of COVID travel restrictions, overseas business has plummeted.

“If we can do twenty to thirty-five percent of what we did in 20-19, we’re going to be happy with that.”

Beyond the bottom line, people in Western New York are clamoring for safe activities during the pandemic. And jet boat tours are one of them.