A jet propelled watercraft includes a vessel body, a jet propulsion mechanism, a bucket, and a controller. The jet propulsion mechanism is configured to propel the vessel body. The controller is configured and programmed to control a thrust of the jet propulsion mechanism to propel the vessel body. The bucket is configured to move to a retracted position spaced away from the jet of water ejected from the jet propulsion mechanism and a jet receiving position to receive the jet of water ejected from the jet propulsion mechanism. The controller is configured and programmed to change an increase rate of the thrust in accordance with a forward speed of the vessel body until the thrust is increased to a predetermined value after the bucket has been moved from the retracted position to the jet receiving position.