Flyboarding in Curacao is Like Having Super Powers
Image courtesy of Zapata Flyboard Caribbean
Flyboarding in the Caribbean island of Curacao will make you feel like you're on top of the world
Flyboarding in Curacao is about as close as it gets to having superpowers, and just about anyone with $140 to spare can become an aquatic superhero at Jan Theil Beach.
Wim van Gilst, the owner of Zapata Flyboard Caribbean, takes time to go over the basics with new riders. In simplistic terms a flyboard is a type of water jet pack that’s attached to a watercraft, in our case a WaveRunner. The WaveRunner’s rebuilt engine propels water through a hose, a force that can thrust the rider nearly 50 feet above the water.
Of course, you’re not going to be doing anything that crazy your first time. The focus of an intro lesson is learning how to balance on a Flyboard. I listen to Wim’s advice to keep my feet balanced and unwavering and find myself up in the air on my first attempt. Hell yes!
Our lesson gradually gets more challenging as Wim teaches me fundamentals such as turning. By bending one knee, the Flyboard starts to push me in a circular motion. I slowly begin to turn in the direction of my bent knee.
Another building block for new riders is the art of dolphin diving. If you begin to lose balance, you can turn your fall into a dive and pop right back up.
Of course, my performance today was not without rookie mistakes. If your body position is slightly off, dolphin dives can hurt like a bitch. Truth be told—my version of this maneuver is more like a whale flop.
I might not be an aquatic superhero, but trying something so curious in an extraordinary destination like Curacao is probably the next best thing to having superpowers.
Image courtesy of Zapata Flyboard Caribbean
Zapata Flyboard Caribbean operates year-round in Willemstad, Curacao. Each session includes a 15-minute briefing with an instructor and about 45 minutes in the water. At the end of the lesson, your instructor will treat you to a beer at the nearby beach bar. Cheers!
My trip to Curacao was made possible by the Curacao Tourist Board. Views expressed are my own.