As you can see in this clip, the regular seat appears to be taking a toll on the poor man’s back. When the boat drops down after hitting a wave, all of the force from this action is going straight up his spine. This can actually be quite dangerous as it increases the chance of back strain and injury when on the water.
When the man stand at the back of the boat (which many people do during high speed ride or rough sea), he is clearly off balance and could easily fall and hurt himself. The position he is in does not look fun and if he is not constantly aware and holding onto something, he will be at risk.
This is why we encourage passengers to sit rather than stand when on a moving boat. This example is best shown by the driver on the left, he is seated on a Shark Jockey suspension seat. This shock mitigating seat is designed to save your back and ride in comfort in the harshest of conditions.
When comparing the two different rides side by side, it is clear that the driver (left) is experiencing a much more pleasant experience than his passenger on the right. To say it simply, it comes down to the seat. It accomplishes this by allowing the passenger to be seated with the correct posture with your feet flat on the deck. It uses your body to help suppress the forces felt on the water. With his knees bent, you can see that the suspension and his legs working together to absorb and diminish any harsh forces that would be felt in the spine and body. Let the shock mitigation seat doing the work for you, this makes the other aspects of driving the boat far simpler, meaning more of your attention and focus can be placed into other areas of driving.