VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Picture yourself about 400 feet in the air over the ocean, taking in a panoramic view of Virginia Beach's skyline and shore. With parasailing, you can actually see it for yourself.
"It's just a fun water activity to do,” Nolan Agner said. “You get to go out and fly high above the Oceanfront, you get to look down and see all the fish."
Agner operates and owns Pirate Parasail, a small parasailing tour company located near Rudee Inlet.
"We get a lot of people who are afraid of heights or something,” Agner explained. “They're not sure if they'll be able to handle it, and they go out and love it a lot."
Tyson Crul was about to find out. He and his family were some of the visitors who arrived at Pirate Parasail before 9 a.m.
"I'm low-key looking forward to it, low-key scared,” Crul said. “My cousins asked me to go, so I said, 'Yeah, I'll go.'"
Crul and his family visited from Ohio and thought parasailing would fit well into their vacation. It was Crul's first time, though some of his relatives have parasailed before.
Laughing, Crul told News 3 his relatives didn't give him tips and pointers beforehand.
“They didn't tell me nothing; they didn't tell me how high it was, how scary it was,” Crul said. “I had to watch it on YouTube to see if I really wanted to do it at first."
Safety is also important, and you can expect to wear some equipment. There are thousand-foot cords connected to the boat that attach to the parasailer. The length allows the parasailer to soar up to 400 feet in the air.
"The first mate is going to get you harnessed up. We've got a real high-quality harness here,” Agner explained. “There's no way to slip out of it, we secure you in real well. Then we make sure you're wearing a life jacket while you're up."
You should also not worry about hitting airplanes or helicopters.
"We're actually FAA-regulated,” Agner said. “We have to stay below a certain distance, they have to stay above a certain distance."
They also keep an eye on the weather and ocean conditions.
You can bring your own camera and phones but just remember, "If you lose it, it's not our fault,” Agner said.
"I think most people that come, we see them again and they come back,” he added.
