Parasailing -- flying through the air attached to a fast-moving boat by a tow rope-- is akin to being a human kite: You're held aloft by a canopy wing reminiscent of a parachute. You can parasail solo, in tandem or even in a threesome or foursome, depending on the parasailing company you use. In California, numerous outfits offer the experience over the Pacific Ocean and at some of the state’s larger lakes.
Twenty-Six Miles Across the Sea
- Santa Catalina is a desert island about 26 miles off the California coast just south of Los Angeles. The island is a favorite tourist destination, known for its beaches, nightlife, fishing, diving and parasailing -- with three companies operating in the waters just off Avalon Bay. Two of them offer parasailing flights to heights of 600 and 800 feet. The third, Parasail Catalina, found to the left of the ferry terminal right by the basketball courts, is qualified to use 1,400-foot tow ropes for an unbelievable eight to 12-minute flight. Its 33-foot-long boat, called the Flight 33, takes six people out at a time and offers single, double, triple or quad flights.
This Is No Gamble
- Though Lake Tahoe in Northern California is known for casinos and recreational water activities, two areas offer parasailing above this stunning lake on the California/Nevada border. Action Watersports on the South Lake offers a dry take-off and landing from the back of the boat to heights of either 600 or 1,200 feet. Non-flying observers are allowed to come along for the ride for a nominal fee. North Tahoe Watersports takes participants as high as 800 feet above the lake on boats from two locations on the North Shore. Both companies close during the winter season.
- Make Mine a Triple
- Marina del Rey Parasailing on Fiji Way, near the harbor mouth at Marina del Rey, just west of Los Angeles, offers an incredible view of the Santa Monica Pier and Venice Beach Boardwalk when you parasail at either 500- or 800-foot levels in single, double or triple seats. Launches and landings are made on the boat's flight deck. Visitors who don’t want to fly can come along for a fee. A photo and video package using GoPro HD cameras allow you to take an SD card home. Similar programs are available to parasailers taking off from Newport Beach in Orange County with Balboa Parasail, which offers both double and triple flights, and a photo SD card program is available as well.
Just Like Flying a Kite
- San Diego Parasail Adventures takes 12 people out at a time from Mission Bay near SeaWorld for 1.5-hour parasailing trips that include six to eight minutes in the air for each flyer. You can go up alone or on a tandem flight. Lap tandem and side-by-side tandem seating are available, and both are weight dependent. Captains use winch-direct control to enable you to take off and land on a platform inside the boat without ever getting wet. Bring your own camera on this adventure or buy a photo package.
