Our Story, From Pioneer to a New Legend
From the Beaches of St. Maarten to a Global Concept, and the Birth of YoHo Pirates
In 1999, on the shores of St. Maarten, Olivier Auvray wasn’t trying to build a global brand. He was trying to solve a problem. At the time, watersports offered two extremes: passive sightseeing tours, or high-adrenaline jet ski rides. One lacked engagement. The other excluded a large part of the market, families, older guests, and anyone looking for something more accessible. Olivier saw the gap and more importantly, he understood where the market was going. Guests no longer wanted to watch, they wanted to participate.
Designing a New Category
After years of operating land tours, watersports, and working closely with DMC, Olivier recognized the shift toward interactive, experience-driven tourism long before it became a global trend.
Jet ski tours had proven the demand for action on the water but they weren’t enough.
The next step was clear, create an experience that was just as engaging, but safer, more inclusive, and accessible to everyone.
What followed was not a simple idea but a process.
Over the course of a year, Olivier entered an intensive phase of research and development, working alongside major marine industry players, including Brunswick, the parent company of Mercury Marine and Boston Whaler.
Inspiration came from an unexpected place, Disney’s marine operations, where he was given behind-the-scenes access. There, he observed how safety, operational flow, and guest experience were engineered down to the smallest detail.
The conclusion was clear, the experience didn’t exist yet because the right boat didn’t exist yet.
Determined to bring his vision to life, he immersed himself in the design process. He revisited and revived a side boat project that Quicksilver had previously set aside, recognizing in it a strong foundation for what he had in mind.
From that starting point, the concept took shape. The result was the first Rhino Rider boat.
Launched in St. Maarten in 1999, it was unlike anything on the water, a hybrid between a jet ski and a rigid inflatable boat.
It featured a jockey-style seating position for control and excitement, combined with a wide, inflatable tube structure that provided stability and safety.
It was tough. It was forgiving. And most importantly, it was accessible.
The name Rhino came naturally. Like its namesake, the boat was built to be strong, stable, and capable of handling anything in its path, while remaining nearly impossible to tip over.
A new category was born the guided self-drive watercraft tour.
What began as a single operation with a few boats quickly grew into a fleet of almost 50.
By 2001, Rhino Rides had expanded, proving that the concept was not just innovative but scalable. Guests embraced the idea of becoming captains of their own experience, and demand surged.
The formula was simple, but powerful; structured guided route, full guest participation, a controlled, safe environment all done in a extremely fun yet professional way. It worked across ages, cultures, and markets.
As the concept matured, so did the boats.
By 2006, new designs were being developed by Oliver and tested internationally, where performance, durability, and comfort were pushed further.
Each iteration refined the core pillars: stability and handling, passenger comfort, ease of operation for first-time drivers, durability in harsh marine environments
These were not recreational boats adapted for tours. They were purpose-built machines engineered specifically for this experience.
The boats and concept didn’t remain a Caribbean secret.
The concept expanded into the United Arab Emirates, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi, markets known for high traffic, strict regulations, and demanding operational environments.
Success there proved something critical. This was not a location-based concept, it was a globally adaptable platform.
Innovation didn’t stop at tourism.
The Rhino platform evolved into specialized applications, including the Rhino Patrol boat, a more advanced, high-performance version designed for homeland security and professional use. A drone boat with advance technologies in a versatile format size capable of much.
It demonstrated the versatility of the original design, a platform capable of adapting far beyond leisure.
In Dubai, the concept continued to evolve with the introduction of Sea Camels, an adaptation tailored to local markets and guest expectations.
The DNA remained the same; simple, safe, guided self-drive experiences but the branding, positioning, and execution adapted to new audiences.
After more then 25 years from the beginning, Olivier Auvray returned to where it all began but this time, not with the original concept but with its evolution, bringing with it the most advanced version of the concept ever created YoHo Pirates and it’s fleet of Generation 6 boats.
Designed and engineered in Dubai, Generation 6 represents the next evolution of self-drive boats, with Premium finishes and refined design with heavier load capacity … is not just an upgrade, it is a complete rethinking of the experience.
- More spacious and refined
- Greater power with smoother handling
- Low-emission propulsion systems
- Hydrodynamically optimized hulls for reduced energy consumption
- Premium finishes and enhanced comfort
But the biggest change is not technical, It’s experiential.
YoHo Pirates transforms the ride into a fully immersive adventure, blending performance with themed storytelling, exploration, and identity. Guests are no longer just participants, they become captains.
From a single idea that began on a Caribbean beach to a globally proven concept, the journey has come full circle.
Back to St. Maarten. Back to the origin. But with more than 25 years of innovation behind it… and a new chapter ahead.
A Proven Concept
Over more than two decades, our boats and concept has carried over eight hundred thousand guests worldwide without a single major incident.
It has been voted “Tour of the Year” multiple times by Princess Cruises, received numerous international awards, and earned consistent recognition through TripAdvisor and global media with the latest 2025 prestigious Travel & Hospitality Award for best watersport.
But beyond the numbers, one thing remained constant, the experience worked, from young children to guests in their 90s sometimes spanning five generations of the same family, it was designed for everyone.