Parasailing is an adventurous water sports activity which is becoming immensely popular among adventure seekers in India. Parasailing is also known as Para kiting. In parasailing, a parachute resembling a wing is connected to a moving vehicle and in most instances, it will be a powerboat running at considerable speed and the parasail is controlled by the Capitan of the boat using a lever. The control of the entire trip is done by the boat captain and the parasailer just sit back, relax and enjoy the scenic beauty around him/her during the flight. It’s purely a fun activity and it doesn’t come under an extreme adventure activity. This activity can be done by anyone from the age of 10 years.
History of Parasailing
Parasailing was first introduced in the ’80s and has been very popular since then. There are also parasailing competitions conducted internationally where the parasail is raised to a certain height and the parasail gets released and the parasailer tries to land in a designated location.
Parasailing vs Paragliding
Parasailing is often confused with paragliding, where you need an experienced glider to take you around. Paragliding is often done from a cliff where you get a steady wind and you runoff from the cliff to the air and the operator controls the wing.
Parasailing Boat
Parasail boats are custom made as it has a deck which allows the easy takeoff and landing of the tourists. The boat normally accommodates a pax of 12 plus three-member boat crew. The crew members assist the travelers in wearing the slings and get them connected to the parasail wing.
Parasailing Destinations in India
There are multiple destinations in India where you can enjoy a parasailing tour. Destinations such as Jaisalmer offer jeep parasailing where the parasails are connected to a moving jeep and the takeoff and landing happen on the famous Thar Desert. They also offer Para motoring trips in the Thar Desert.
Parasailing in Goa
One of the most popular destinations for parasailing in India is Goa as Goa is India’s top water sports destination. In goa, one can enjoy both beaches parasailing where the takeoff and landing happen on the beach and the normal parasailing. There are over 100 operators in Goa conducting parasail operations.
Ideal time for parasailing in Goa: October to June
Popular beaches for parasailing in Goa: Calangute Beach, Anjuna Beach, Baga Beach, Vagator Beach, Candolim Beach, Dona Paula Beach and Sinquerim Beach
Parasailing in Maharashtra
Maharashtra also offers some wonderful parasailing trips both in Mumbai and Pune.
Ideal time for parasailing in Maharashtra: October to May
Popular locations for parasailing in Maharashtra: Pawna lake, Munshi lake, Khadakwasla lake and Panshet lake; Tarkarli beach, Murud beach and Devbagh beach
Parasailing in Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh is popular for both parasailing & paragliding. They conduct international events every year.
Ideal time for parasailing in Himachal Pradesh: March to October
Popular locations for parasailing: Kullu, Manali, Solang Valley, Bir Billing Valley, Dharamshala, and Lahaul Spiti
Parasailing in Uttarakhand
One of the most beautiful states in India with snow-topped mountains with greenery as a garnish surrounded by oak forests. The water bodies now offer fantastic airborne views.
Ideal time for parasailing in Uttarakhand: May to November
Popular locations for parasailing: Naukuchiatal, Bedni Bugyal, Doon Valley, and Auli.
Parasailing in Karnataka
Karnataka being the silicon valley of India now is slowly becoming a favourite adventure destination too. The beaches and the hill ranges offer enough for thrill-seekers.
Ideal time for parasailing in Karnataka: October to May
Popular locations for parasailing: Malpe Beach, Gokarna Beach, Murudeshwara Beach (winch boat parasailing), Hosakote lake and Jakkur in Bangalore (platform parasailing)
Parasailing in Rajasthan
Rajasthan is often known for the rajas and the ranis and a traditionally beautiful state with its majestic landscapes, deserts and the high rising forts offers thrills too.
Land parasailing is more popular and it’s done mainly in the Thar desert. The activity is done mainly using a high speeding jeep or a car.
Ideal time for parasailing in Rajasthan: September to February
Popular locations for parasailing: Jaipur, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Kota and Jaisalmer
Parasailing in Kerala
Watersports in Kerala is still in a nascent state with few operators offering international level watersports activities. One of the most popular destinations for water sports lovers, when they visit Kerala, is the most famous Kovalam beach in Thiruvananthapuram, which lies in the southern part of the state.
Kovalam has been a favorite tourism destination over the last very many years. It’s equally loved by International, domestic and local tourists. It’s one of the favorite places for a fantastic family hangout.
Watersports activities started in Kovalam in the year 2015 with the introduction of scuba diving in 2015 by a private operator called Bond Safari Kovalam. They introduced scuba diving, snorkeling, and kayaking, deep sea fishing etc. in Kovalam. Kovalam was never known as a diving destination as it was never explored. Now Kerala is also one of the hot destinations in the international diving maps. Kovalam deep sea offers a fantastic opportunity to see a variety of marine life with good visibility during the season time of October and May.
Some of the fishes you can spot underwater in Kovalam are anchovy, silver moony, blue fin trevally, moray eel, puffer fish, box fish, sergeants, pipe fish, butterfly fish, rabbit fish etc. You can book an underwater dive with Bond Safari Kovalam by visiting their website www.bondsafarikovalam.com
Parasailing in Kovalam
Parasailing in Kovalam was introduced just recently in Jan 2021 by a private tour operator , Bond adventures Pvt ltd ,under the brand name #flykovalam. They are the only private operator in Kerala which has the license of Kerala Adventure Tourism Promotion Society (KATPS) under the new adventure tourism operator guidelines.
Parasailing has become a very big hit among the adventure seekers in Kerala as it’s the first of its kind in Kerala. Devoid of water sports adventure activities for many years, the tourists have welcomed this activity with both hands and the demand has been great since its inception. Thrill-seekers from all over Kerala are visiting Kovalam to experience this fun activity.
The company imported the custom built parasail boat from Goa and they have and the winch and parasail is manufactured and imported from UK to ensure the utmost safety to the riders. The crew consists of a captain with over 15 years of experience in Goa and his certification was done by the National Water Sports Academy in Goa.
How much does parasailing usually cost?
The cost of parasailing ranges anywhere from Rs 1,500 to Rs 3,000 depending on many factors like flying time, cost of operations, accessibility etc. In Kovalam, they are charging Rs 2,500 per head. We have to use a feeder boat provided by the company to access the parasail boat which is anchored at a short distance from the beach. The entire experience will take about 30 mins to go, finish the activity and come back to the beach.
How long do you stay in the air while parasailing?
Timing depends on wind condition. But on average, a person can get anywhere between 5 to 6 minutes here in Kovalam while in Goa they get you landed in 2 to 3 minutes.
Do you get weighed before parasailing?
No. Normally you don’t get weighed as the parasail can hold up to 200 kgs and you don’t need to worry about your weight.
How wet do you get during a parasailing?
You don’t normally get wet during a normal parasail as the takeoff and landing happens on the boat. But you have an option to take a dip which can be requested to the boat captain before you take off. You will be dipped half body in the water and they charge additional Rs 200 for this.
How much do you tip during a parasailing?
This depends on your pocket and it’s entirely your wish. People often tip the captain and the crew anywhere between Rs 100 and Rs 500.
How high do you get while parasailing?
A parasailing ride can take you up to 200 meters from sea level depending on wind condition. Although we may feel a bit scary while watching others parasail, but it turns out to be a fun activity while you do it yourself as we don’t really feel the height.
Is parasailing more adventurous than skydiving?
Parasailing is more of a fun activity and it cannot be compared with sky diving. Skydiving is where you jump off an airplane at a very high altitude with an expert. Sky diving needs a lot of courage as the thinking of jumping from the flight itself can be very intimidating.
What can go wrong while parasailing?
Parasailing is relatively considered a safe water sports activity. In the unlikely event of a winch tear, you will be safely landing on the water and you will not sink as you are wearing a life jacket. There is no need for panic as the parasail boat is often accompanied by a rescue boat to get you out of water in case of an adverse event.
How do you land while parasailing?
Landing and takeoff happens on the boat while you do parasailing in Kovalam. The boat is custom made for this purpose and the entire process is done with the help of boat assistants and there is no need to worry. We also have back support and we can sit like on a chair while enjoying the scenic beauty of the majestic waters and the landscape of the Kovalam beach.
I had a fantastic experience while parasailing on the majestic Kovalam beach. You too can enjoy this thrilling ride by booking with #flykovalam. It’s better to book in advance due to the heavy demand during the launch months.
You can book your preferred time slots by visiting their website www.flykovalam.com
If you need more information about this article, please write to me at travellertechy@gmail.com. I will be more than happy to help you. Please feel to write comments about this article in the comments section.
Please read my other articles as well and leave your comments:
