Taking place on a major holiday, the weekend of Thailand's king's birthday, IJSBA persistently calls it "King's Cup".  However, the organizers of the event have long changed the name to "Jet Ski World Cup".  The official site is jetski-worldcup.com , all the promo materials call it "Jet Ski World Cup" and at the event rarely will you find a faintly printed "King's Cup", and if so, always followed by bold letters "World Cup".  The organizers also use the tag line "The world's number 1 jet ski professional tournament" to drum up that this is a big event.  The goal is clearly to move away from the "IJSBA King's Cup" roots and trying to promote the event as an alternative to Havasu.  There is not a single mention of IJSBA anywhere -- not at the race site, nor at any of the many banners and billboards adorning the city of Pattaya.

So, the full name of the competition this year was "Thai Airways International Jet Ski World Cup 2014".

With the issue of the name cleared, let's look at the competition itself.  The overall atmosphere is more professional than that of Havasu, races run on time, freestyle performances go one right after another so pilots don't have to bake in the sun.  There is a solid number of international pilots, so it certainly lives up to it's international name. And just like Havasu it competes against, in which over 60% of pilots are from North America, here majority of pilots are from Thailand.  That said, the prize pool is large for a jet ski event, so you will find top level pilots such as 2014 jetGP Super Champion of the World Kevin Reiterer, second place at 2014 World Championship, Chris MacClugage, and more.

This being Thailand, it's hot even in December.  Fortunately, there are a lot of trees and beach umbrellas in the sand, so shade is not hard to find at the beach level.  And a lot there are, because combined with pit tents, which act as a separator between the competition and the viewing area, they provide too many obstacles for viewing the event.  It is basically impossible to see the complete action from anywhere on the beach if you are a spectator (not in the pits).  But, if you pay (around $8) to enter the grandstands, you will have a great view of the complete action.  There is no hiding from the sun at the grandstands, so you will have to choose between a better view or the shade of the ground level.  In the end, many spectators simply go on and off the grandstands, which adds to the overall flavor of action and motion among the crowd.  And a solid crowd it is -- between those at the grandstands, and many more on the street level, the competition seems popular.  If you are a casual tourist walking by, you simply have to see what's happening.

On each side of the grandstands are several exhibition and retail spaces, showing off the latest products from Yamaha, BRP, as well as selling riding and beach gear and accessories. They are all covered with large canopies and provide great protection from the scorching sun.

In conclusion, if it's cold in December at the place you live in, you won't make a mistake by visiting sunny Thailand and enjoying racing action of the Jet Ski World Cup.  Is it a worthy alternative to Havasu?  Absolutely.