Parasailing on Siesta Key
If you had the time to read my last post then you’ll know I spent a day at Disney’s Magic Kingdom at the beginning of my trip to Florida. Once back to Siesta Key, I spent a lot of time of Siesta Beach with my best friend, Kyle, because if you’re on the Florida coast and not at the beach, then you aren’t living life right. We also had amazing dinners each night and tons of laughter with my family. Before our trip, my mom and little sister, Leslie, came up with a deal that we all could have two fun adventures. Little Sister Leslie had to pick between four options: Magic Kingdom, kayaking, parasailing or a shopping day at St. Armand’s Circle.
Clearly Disney and parasailing won.
If you’ve never gone parasailing and you don’t have any fear of heights, I do recommend that you try it out if the opportunity arises. It is a lot of fun and provides great views of the surrounding area (along with fun memories of those you do it with). As a kid, I’d parasailed a handful of times with my family down in Siesta Key, Florida, and I did it once up in northern Michigan.
Even though I had parasailed before, I had reservations about doing it again. No fear of heights here but there is a massive fear of divulging my weight! I was the fat kid in school probably as early as kindergarten. I did not want to tell a boat full of people how much I weigh so they could strap me into a parachute and make sure I didn’t fly away! I like how I look for the most part but no one needs to know the number on the scale. I ended up biting the bullet because Best Friend Kyle has never been parasailing and he was really excited at the prospect and we had a blast, AND, they didn’t ask me how much I weigh! Yay! Anyway…here are some tidbits for parasailing, especially on Siesta Key!
Family and friends on the pontoon boat to the parasailing boat!
It Takes Time
The actual event of parasailing was only about 15 minutes. The crew was incredibly efficient at having one set of partners harnessed and ready to go as soon as the previous partners landed on the boat. However, the boat rides and such that go along with parasailing took us nearly four hours! Parasail Siesta was the company we used and I highly recommend it. Leslie and her best friend had used the company in April during spring break so we opted to use them again. All crew members were funny and knowledgeable. 12 people went out to parasail at a time, meaning that we had the chance to make 6 new friends. We all loaded onto a pontoon boat for a 25 minute ride through the intercostal waterway. It was beautiful to see the large houses on either side of us. Incredibly beyond my price range but nice to look at the nonetheless. The pontoon boat took us to the actual parasailing boat where a family of 4 loaded off and then the 12 new people loaded on.
Wear Sunscreen
Wear lots of sunscreen and reapply. I lubed up with Coppertone SPF30 Sport but it wasn’t enough because I only applied it before leaving our condo! Sitting on a boat with no cover in the middle of the ocean will get you a bit of a sunburn if you don’t reapply sunscreen. My family has used Coppertone since I was a kid but even as I’ve transitioned to adulthood, I’ve continued using it, especially the Sport version! I am a sweaty person so the Sport versions of sunscreen always work a bit better. There were six seats in the shade on the pontoon boat but members of the other parties took those seats during the trip out to the parasailing vessel and then back into dock, so a few people in my group got sun-kissed and sunburnt skin. My face is really the only thing that hurt so next time I’d bring a baseball cap to protect my forehead!
Bring Sunglasses
It seems pretty obvious to bring sunglasses but you never know! People often forget things. Your eyes will be quite sore if you fail to bring them along. I wore my prescription sunglasses and had no issues with feeling like I’d lose them while I was up in the air. If you’re worried about your glasses falling off of your face as you gaze down at the shore, wear one of those funny straps that keep them attached to your head. Honestly, those straps are totally unnecessary though.
Hydrate
A few people in my group brought water bottles and those that didn’t were lucky enough to get water on the boats from the crew. The pontoon boat and actual parasailing boat had coolers filled with water that the crew allowed us to drink as we needed. Those of us over the age of 21 were extra lucky because our pontoon boat cooler had leftover beer from the previous night’s sunset cruise and our captain told us to help ourselves. We did! But beyond beer, I am serious that you will want to drink a good deal of water. Find the balance between hydration and the chance of being stuck on a boat without a bathroom.
Don’t Eat a Sandwich
Personally, I think I would be fine eating on a boat but one girl from a different party had half of a sandwich and then was soon hanging overboard to be sick. Know what your stomach can handle. Small snacks might be fine such as crackers or chips, but don’t eat half of a sandwich. You don’t want to be ill on a boat and the people around you don’t want that either.
Parting Thoughts
I am very glad that I decided to join along on my family’s adventures. Even though I got a sunburn, it’s turned into a nice tan and I quite like that. I do wish I’d worn a hat though so I didn’t have a flaking forehead that made me look to have dandruff. Oh, we saw dolphins on the pontoon boat back to the dock and that was super exciting. Everyone had their phones out trying to get a Snapchat but we all looked stupid because the dolphins would pop up on a different side of the boat each time and it was for the most fleeting second where no one could get a photo. I wish I’d stopped trying earlier and just absorbed nature for what it is.
What Do You Want to Know?
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#PeaceLoveEd
