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Jet Pack Company Executive Crashes During A Test Flight (kdvr.com)
The Vice President of Jet Pack International was hospitalized Friday after crashing during a test flight in Denver, according to the Associated Press. Though he's successfully flown the company's hydrogen peroxide-fueled jet pack more than 400 times, Friday the vice president experienced "control issues" while hovering 20 feet over the "Go Fast" energy drink company while testing some adjustments, and ultimately crashed in a nearby industrial park. He fell on his head, and he wasn't wearing a helmet, but after receiving 27 stitches, he was released from the hospital Saturday afternoon. The company's jet pack normally has a range of about one-quarter of a mile (and reaches heights of 100 feet) with a flying time of 32 seconds, the Associated Press reports, adding that "The FAA is investigating the crash."
A 2 story fall into water (~20 feet, ~6 meters) is considered +90% lethal. These odds change radically if it is a controlled dive. This number is the guideline gathered by the US Navy, compiled from Sailors being blown over the deck.
With a jet pack accelerating you, I would imagine that you could simulate a 20 foot fall onto water without actually requiring the 20 feet.
The professional divers survive higher falls onto water by perfecting their entry technique and diving into a pool of bubble filled water (they use machines to add bubbles). This causes the deceleration to occur over a greater period of time. It's not the height of the dive the kills you, it's the rate of deceleration. Diving into a pool of bubbles lengthens the deceleration in the water / air mixture, allowing survival from higher heights. Diving with good technique allows your body to slip through the water, again spreading out the period of deceleration.
There is an upper limit in normal water. Few people have ever managed to dive (regardless of height, or survival) deeper that 15 feet.
Considering these factors, I would imagine that water wouldn't be a friend. One would probably knock themselves out (if not dead on impact) and then drown. Not to mention it greatly complicates the medical crew getting quick access and transport back to a medical facility.