Up, Up and Nearby

Some nature-lovers, such as Maggie Fleming of Irvine, call para-sailing the ultimate trip.

You drive to the water, hop on a boat, cruise down the coast, listen to a little Jungle Cruise-like rap on what’s passing by, strap on a harness, step onto a hydraulic winch--the reel that winds you in and out of the boat--then sail 400 feet into the air.

The breeze, the sea mist, the sun, the sheer height. Yeah, baby.

“It puts everything into perspective,” says Fleming, who spent $45 on Sunday to sail to new heights, courtesy of Balboa Parasailing, which reports sending 25,000 people airborne in eight years.

“It exemplifies what living in Southern California is about about--the sun, the water, the beautiful coast. There were pelicans below me, and I saw a whale breaching. I’ve been whale-watching in the past, but nothing compares to this.

“I love nature and love being out in the sun, but this was so much more. It was spiritual.” The first-time para-sailer says she didn’t need any coaxing to fly solo for 15 minutes above the Laguna Beach coast. “It was something I always wanted to do,” she says. “The only thing I regret is that I didn’t bring a camera. I wanted to concentrate on what I was doing rather than trying to get a picture. But now I realize I could have done both.”

Balboa Parasailing is a member of the American Cetacean Society and donates a portion of ticket sales for the conservation of whales.