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Parasailing Far Above the Ocean for 14 Minutes off Hawaii’s Big Island

April 17, 2010 by Shelli

We just returned from a week of blissful rest and relaxation on the Big Island of Hawaii. What a magnificent place!

Parasailing was an exhilarating experience.

While there, one of the exciting adventures we embarked upon was a parasail over the ocean. It was amazing.

My view.

I talked our two oldest sons, Wolf and Hayden, ages 9 and 8, to join me on a tandem parasail. They weren’t that excited about it, and actually a little nervous about it. But, being good sons, they did it for me. I wanted to share this experience with at least some of our family.

My husband, Jerry, is recovering from a spine fusion so he stayed at the beach and in the pools with our 2-year-old son, Fin, while we went “flying.”

Wolf, our 9-year-old, smiles from 1,200 feet above the ocean.

All told, we were up in the air — way up there, as in the equivalent of being 50 stories above sea level — for 14 minutes. It was thrilling and spectacular. The boys were yelling “woo hoo!” over and over again. They really got a kick out of it, as did I.

The view of the ocean was spectacular… turquoise in some areas and deep blue in others. As a bonus, we floated near a gigantic cruise ship that was docked in Kona.

Hayden, our 8-year-old, smiles from 1,200 feet above the ocean.

The “deluxe” adventure was provided by UFO Parasailing, who provides parasail experiences off the Big Island, as well as Maui.

About mid-way through our flight, the crew lowered us to right above the ocean for a short bit before jerking us up, up, up again. It was exhilarating. Then, right before reeling us back into the boat, they briefly dipped us in the ocean.

Here’s some helmet camera footage of part of the flight:

Hayden, Wolf and I, feeling a rush after our 14-minute flight over the ocean.

I would highly recommend this as an adventure for you or your family to consider. This was my second parasail. The other one I did was a few years back of Lake Tahoe. It’s an incredible experience that although it’s short-lived, provides yet another great vantage from which to view your surroundings — and a little bit of an adrenaline rush.

The boys were asking if we could do another parasail. I said, not until the next trip. But definitely count us in for another in the future.

(Another adventure we enjoyed during our trip to the Big Island was swimming with dolphins in the the wild.)

Filed Under: Family, Travel & Tourism Tagged With: adventure, big island, family travel, hawaii, parasailing, ufo parasailing

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About Shelli

Hi. I’m Shelli Johnson. I live on the frontier of Wyoming, and my office is a 100-year-old Wyoming Sheepherder’s wagon parked alongside the Popo Agie River. Travel and adventure are among my biggest passions.

I’m an Entrepreneur, Wilderness-Inspired Keynote Speaker, Author of Breathtaking: A Field Guide to Living Your Epic Life, and Executive Coach, Leadership Facilitator, and Wilderness Guide.

I’m also a wife and a mother. I’m married to Jerry, my husband of 34 years, and we have three wonderful sons–Fin, 19, Hayden, 24, and Wolf, 26–who are off forging their own paths.

I’ve been finding my own way for more than 32 years. I’m in my 16th year of operating Epic Life Inc. During the last 15 years, I’ve worked with hundreds of individuals, leaders, teams, and organizations.

Much of my play and work includes travel and adventure, which I share about extensively on this site.

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