Abstract: A marine vest 10 designed to be worn by an operator of a personal watercraft while wearing a life jacket. The vest 10 includes a back section comprising a pair of shoulder straps positioned to fit over the shoulders of the operator. The straps are attached to a waist section which wraps around the operator's waist. This waist section has free ends which terminate near the middle of the front upper torso of the operator. Each free end has attached to it one component of a two-component buckle, so that the operator can manually buckle and unbuckle the two-component buckle while the vest is being worn. A pair of handles are attached to the waist section, each handle at one side of the operator. A second rider immediately seated behind the operator can thus grasp firmly these handles and more securely maintain his or her seated position on the watercraft. The vest 10 being sized to fit over the life jacket and is made of buoyant materials so that it will float in water.