The engine revved as a cascade of water shot from my feet and the ocean appeared to recede beneath me. Trying to steady myself, I teetered back and forth, climbing higher and higher into the sky. I was really up there — flying alongside seagulls. With a slight bend of the knee, I started to spin around like a top in mid-air. It was a sensation unlike any other, as if I were dancing in the clouds.
“Now that’s flyboarding!” shouted Wim van Gilst, owner of Zapata Flyboard Caribbean, from his WaveRunner below.
Flyboarding is about as close as it gets to having superpowers, and just about anyone can have an experience like mine within minutes of strapping into a Flyboard. At his Jan Thiel Beach location in Willemstad, Curacao, van Gilst has even taught an octogenarian how to fly.
During a one-hour private course, van Gilst explains the basics of Flyboarding, including a primer on how the darn thing works. Essentially, the Flyboard itself is similar to a wakeboard and is connected to a WaveRunner by a hose. The WaveRunner’s rebuilt engine propels water through the hose, which allows the user to fly upward of 30 feet above the water.
Most first-timers will master the art of balancing on a Flyboard within the first 10-15 minutes of trying. In total, guests will spend about 40 minutes in the water, and the entire experience costs $140 per person (post-class beer included).
On TripAdvisor, Zapata Flyboard Caribbean is ranked fourth out of 64 activities in Willemstad. While the tour operator doesn’t have a website at this time, travel agents can email [email protected] or call 599-9512-3359 to make a reservation.
The Details
Zapata Flyboard Caribbeanwww.facebook.com/zapata
