Your heart has to skip a beat every once in a while, or you wouldn’t know you’re alive.

It was this theory, or something like it, that prompted my niece, Liz, and I to strap ourselves into a harness and fly 700 feet above the ocean.

I learned about Smile High Parasail when I was writing a recent article for Family! magazine. “First Coast Treasures” highlights local places to see and fun things to do for families who are sticking around Northeast Florida this summer instead of vacationing elsewhere.

After writing this article and the First Coast Relocation Guide last fall, I thought, I’m sick of writing about interesting things and never doing them. And so, we went parasailing.

Although I was too apprehensive to sleep the night before, once we got to the St. Augustine Municipal Marina I was excited. The anticipation of my first boat ride since returning to Florida coupled with the parasailing adventure ahead struck me suddenly as great fun.

Captain Rob and first mate, Kyle, made us feel completely comfortable. When they say, “We take care of everything,” they mean it. The boat takes off quickly, so there’s not much time to think about it. While Captain Rob maneuvers the vessel, Kyle helps us into our harnesses and goes over safety instructions, of which there is really only one. Don’t touch the clips!

As the boat traveled out of Matanzas Bay into the open ocean, I was glad I took Dramamine. I’ve been seasick before, so I know how miserable it can be. Luckily, I read reviews online that said you can feel queasy up in the air if you have a tendency toward motion sickness, so I was prepared.

After we had traveled several miles south of the St. Augustine Lighthouse, the captain slowed the boat down and Kyle unleashed the gigantic, yellow smiley face. This is when I got that twinge of exhilaration mixed with panic.

We were launched effortlessly off the back of the boat. We were moving further away from the boat and higher into the air with each second that passed, but instead of being freaked out, I thought it was super cool. Up, up and away!

Did I mention I’m afraid of heights?

Liz and I had different experiences in the air. I could look around at the landscape and the vast ocean panorama with no problem. When I looked directly down, however, I got a sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach. Liz was just the opposite. She could look directly down, but got that sickening feeling when she scanned the landscape. As with any type of thrill ride, you never know how you’re going to react to it. That’s part of the thrill, right?

What a remarkable experience to get a bird’s eye view of Anastasia Island and the surrounding ocean. Actually, we got higher than the birds. We could see seagulls flying below us.

We hung on to the straps the entire time, although Kyle assured us we could let go and we’d be entirely safe. I guess it was a natural instinct to hang on for dear life. We were in the air for 15 minutes, which was enough time for a first flight. When you’re up there, it doesn’t seem like you’re moving at all. It was the strangest feeling to look over at Liz and see her perched up in the air. That’s exactly what it’s like—like you’re a bird perched on a tree limb, just hanging out. The utter serenity is startling. The entire world falls away and leaves nothing but the heavens; blue skies, billowy clouds and air.

We chose the “Wussy Flight,” 700 ft. for $70. The other flights are the “Bird Observer,” 1,000 feet and the “Cloud Inspector,” 1,400 feet.

We thought 700 ft. was plenty high enough and couldn’t imagine why anyone would want to go 1,400 ft. When we returned to the boat, Captain Rob informed us that he got caught up in his conversation with Kyle and unintentionally let the line out to 1,400 feet for a mile. So, we ended up inspecting the clouds. That was definitely high enough.

I’m so glad we went. It was an amazing experience, and who knows? Maybe next time I’ll let go.

Smile High Parasail * 111 Avenida Menendez, Ste. B * St. Augustine, FL 32084 * 904-819-0980

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