Parasailing Anyone?

Two Sports in One!

"The first Parasails were developed by Pierre-Marcel Lemoigne in 1961. Lemoigne is a well known developer of ParaCommander-type of parachutes known as 'ParaCommander' or PC-canopies. The first towing of a parasail is not known, but one of the first mentions is a flight by Colonel Michel Tournier from France flying behind a tractor in the same year - 1961."

Wow, boating is great fun and I would bet my last dollar that the parachuting part of this cool sport would appeal to those who're too smart to jump out of a perfectly good aircraft. I have always wanted to parachute from an airplane and have not done so thusfar. I think this nice, gentle lift-off, from the land or sea and a limited altitude would strike a great balance and would also appeal to a wider range of people.

In such a rig one could look out over the waters of Hawaii. There are many companies that cater to tourists seeking water sports in the islands of the Aloha state. I even found one as low as $59 per trip (per person), where they shuttle you to the parasail boat and "experienced captains will fly you 300 ft over the clear Pacific Ocean. For added fun you can be dunked in the cool refreshing water. The ride will leave you breathless and a guarantee to return again and repeat the experience at your earliest possible convenience."

At least that's what they claim. One great thing is that you can easily spot large sharks and try to avoid the premature ending of a trip by giving the old water-skiing "faster signal" which is done by a forward moving, straight armed gesture. No reason to have your ride end with you gently splashing down like a human fishing lure and right in front of a 14 ft Tiger shark - but I digress.

If you're heading out on a vacation or even find yourself with free time on a business trip to a location that offers this relatively new, cool sport, I'd highly recommend giving it a whirl. Don't forget to seal your personal stuff in an all purpose waterproof pouch and leave it with the family or the Captain. You can even tie it off, or wear it around your neck by using the included lanyard. Here's a vote for getting out of your hotel suite and trying out flying - high and safely!