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Flyboarding: An Exotic Experimental Attempt…

Tags: Adventure Activities in India, Adventure Experience, Adventure Water Activity, Flyboarding Activities in India, Flyboarding Experience, Water Sports In India

The monsoons have started retreating, and so the season to go coastal for vacations is returning. The sea is always a welcome break from the monotony of life, and a popular retreat for the people rugged with city life.

Relatively new, flyboarding is a water sport which is fast catching the eye of the young generation.Excitement, thrill and adrenaline rush are the words that can sum up the experience. Picking up fast as a popular water sport in most of the foreign countries, you can experience the thrill of flyboarding at some places in India like Goa as well. Priced at about 6000 INR, the experience is worth every minute and every penny charged for the half hour session.

Selling the experience…

Although I experimented flyboarding abroad, a number of water sports companies had their ‘sales representatives’ on the beach trying to lure the revelers to come try the sport. Each came up with their USPs, some offering a little extra session than the usual half hour, some offering wine or other refreshments on board. Me, being it my first attempt, decided to opt for the company giving me a 45 min. session well within the same cost as everyone else on the beach.

Speed boating into the waters…

So once I paid up, a speed boat took me and some other 5-6 people a little deep into the sea, although well within barricaded waters- so I was assured I would not be a piranha-lunch or a great white-snack. Music played on the vessel, while the instructor introduced herself and narrated some of her sea-water experiences. Once at the spot, she made us all dance a while to the summery afternoon tunes and clicked some pictures for us as well.

Prepping up…

Once done with the dancing, she started to prep each one of us to get into the water – she strapped a life jacket tightly on me, further asking me whether I wanted it to be tighter around myself. I must accept, that woman, although tiny for her size, had some good strength in her hands. She then started explaining us the basic mechanics of the hydraulic lift, showed us the basic communication signs, eventually raising my excitement for the session.

She then put on my boots. Gosh, they were really heavy. I could well say they were equal to my weight considering I have a petite frame. My struggle began the moment I got into the water, it is just too difficult to stay upright managing the weight of those boots. And she had instructed me she won’t lift me up from the water unless I get into the right position to flyboard, which was standing upright! I am glad she didn’t, otherwise I would be flying away horizontally on the surface of the water!

Flying away…

So I somehow finally managed to stay upright and waved her a thumbs up (the water sign language) so that she could start pumping water to lift me up. The water gushed in to the pipe, and I could see the pipe bloating to a full round advancing towards me from under my feet. And then I feel the push…I swarmed out of the water just like the scene from the movie Dhoom-2…although only a couple feet high before I fell back into the water with a loud splash!! The salts hit you hard on any part of the body you fall over in the next few attempts, you fighting with the water entering your nose and eyes, all this while struggling to maintain the upright balance in the water.

Slow and steady, I gained some control over the water jets under my feet, and one fine attempt I realised I was FLYING!!! It indeed was an amazing feeling to have a jet pressure holding me up over the sea while I opened my arms to soak in the flight looking at the shore from afar!

Some tips for an exotic experimental attempt…

Make sure you get some great pictures of your flight because this is one experience worth remembering and flaunting. Obviously, we ain’t professional enough with the sport to attempt any acrobatics, but our flight is one acrobat event for ourselves for sure. Share those pictures and videos with friends and family, and gladly accept all of the appreciation that would come along with you trying your hand (or balance) at fly boarding.

Happy Flyboarding..!