I'M SOARING! A long overdue review…read more.. 5.0+ One morning, as we sat in our Waikiki hotel room, I overheard my husband talking on the phone. Most of the conversation was garbled, but I distinctly heard the words "airport" and "reservations." Knowing my daredevil husband all too well, and remembering that he has skydived in the past, I immediately had to put a stop to whatever crazy adventure he was planning. "I AM NOT JUMPING OUT OF A PLANE TODAY!" I exclaimed. Then, for emphasis, I added, as simply and clearly as possible: "NOT today." He assured me that we were not skydiving. But as we drove farther from Waikiki, heading north, and began seeing signs for the airport, I knew something was up. I took a deep breath and walked into the office of Paradise Air Hawaii, where we met Tom and Denise. They were both so warm, friendly and welcoming. They talked about their many years of experience and the thousands of flights they have conducted in powered hang gliders, also known as trikes; an open-air aircraft that offer an entirely different kind of flying experience. Tom has quite the resume. He is an FAA-certified flight instructor and has more than 6,000 hours of experience flying this type of aircraft. He is also an accomplished skydiver, hang-glider pilot, BASE jumper, aerial photographer and Hollywood stunt professional. Tom was inducted into the International Skydiving Hall of Fame in 2019 and has even skydived with former President George H. W. Bush. Needless to say, we felt that we were in very capable hands. After a safety briefing and getting geared up, we were ready to go. Tony flew with Tom, while I flew with Denise. Just as with an airplane, we picked up speed along the runway. As we lifted off, I could feel the excitement building. And then suddenly, we were airborne. The sights we saw as we flew over Oʻahu's North Shore are something that have stayed with me ever since, although they are difficult to put into words. It was the feeling of the air all around me, the sounds and the complete openness of the experience that made it unlike anything I had ever done before. I was soaring. It was AMAZING! We flew over beaches, mountain ranges and fields. At one point, we even saw a 360-degree rainbow, a once-in-a-lifetime sight that I will never forget. There was also a point during the flight when Denise gave me control of the aircraft for a minute or so. Yes, I can officially say that I flew a powered hang glider! Because we were in the air a bit longer than usual, I even accumulated an hour of flight instruction time. I never expected that to happen when I woke up that morning! The landing was just as smooth as the takeoff. But once we were back on the ground, I already missed being up in the sky and feeling that incredible sense of freedom. Sometimes, it's the things we are unsure of, the things that make our hearts pound and send our adrenaline rushing, that make us feel most alive. And sometimes, you just have to trust your daredevil husband.

I've been walking through a pretty unbelievable difficult journey. However, through this painful…read morejourney I've decided to keep living and am focused on checking off my bucket list! Life is a journey. How you choose to live yours is up to you. Do some activities carry risks? Yes. However, in my opinion you risk your life every day if/when you get inside a vehicle and travel anywhere. That's why it's so important to stay close to the Lord! Where ever you are on the island will be a beautiful drive to Durham airfield. There is plenty of room for parking, but still get there early enough you can be relaxed. When you book your reservation, Heidi is pretty thorough on when you need to arrive and what to expect when you get there. I love heights. Always have. As far back as I can remember, I dreamed of being a pilot and also jumping out of a plane. I just didn't realize it would take a dark journey for me to make at least one of these dreams a reality. In 2018 , I discovered North Shore Oahu was one of the top 10 places to skydive in the world. Score ~ booked and jumped! Then in 2021 I discovered hang gliding was also available just a hop skip and a jump down from Skydiving Hawaii on Durham Airfield. It wasn't much of a conversation with myself that morning when I decided to book both hang gliding and my 2nd skydiving jump over the North Shore in the same day. I know, right?! It was epic! Tom and Heidi were amazing. Not only did I enjoy my conversation with each of them, but I enjoyed my 45+ minute flight with Tom. Spectacular views of the island I love. Tom explained how the glider worked. He also allowed me the experience of holding the wings as we flew. Flying free feels like sitting on the back of a motorcycle which I also enjoy doing and still do. The pictures show the beauty below, but they don't share the exhilaration of sitting in the seat flying high! The saddest part was coming back down to reality. Thanks Tom for an amazing memory and one I would and will repeat in a heartbeat!! All rules, and chances of mishaps are reviewed with each and every applicant. This sort of activity is not for everyone, however, each applicant signs a paper indicating their understanding of the risk. It's always incredibly sad to hear when accidents happen. My heart goes out to anyone who has lost a loved one who is choosing to experience an activity such as hang gliding. Accidents happen. In the short amount of time I spent with Tom and Heidi never once did I feel they would purposely jeopardize anyone's life while they share their love of hang gliding.

Jay was great but he failed to mention that the video that you can purchase from them, is not of…read morethe whole flight. You only get a video that is 1 1/2 MINUTES long..... and you dont get it right then either.... it takes approx. 24-72 hours to receive via email. Oh yeah one other thing.....you are not up in the air for the full 30 minutes.... time starts when you get in it...

I had a fun Zipline experience with CLIMB Works. Views were amazing and the guides had great jokes…read more They were also incredibly knowledgable and made sure everyone was safe. About a 2 hour experience. It was a quick 10 mins ATV ride up! You can get some mud on you during this. Only ziplines down until you reach where we started! You had the opportunity to go upside down if you wanted to...(I could not haha). We also got a chance to try apple bananas, dried apple bananas, and some tomatoes! There are some fun bridges that you end up crossing. Guides do take some photos for you that you can purchase at the end of the experience. I would definitely recommend booking with CLIMB Works!

Awesome experience, great views, guides were very attentive and welcoming, gave great tips for…read moreposes, and the farm scenary is great. The entire Zipline experience was about over 2 hours. We went at the last available time and weather was nice with a cool breeze, but can get very hot and sweaty if there was no clouds. They have plenty of water stations on the trails and they have a super long zipline that is 1/2 mile long super cool view of the mountain and ocean. Definitely recommend them and this was my second time and as great as I remember

I had an amazing opportunity of being able to go on one of their boats for a field trip that's part…read moreof my part-time job (went for free because my job paid for the trip!). The crew were very knowledgeable about the different sea life (such as dolphins and whales) that tend to appear. The boat ride itself is a bit rocky and it can be very easy to get seasick. However, there are lots of places to sit and lay down, and the crew provides free food + unlimited non-alcoholic drinks for all passengers! On the day I went, I got a buttered biscuit and some fruit for breakfast, and a pesto sandwich for lunch. Near the end of the boat ride, passengers are able to jump into the water and are provided flotation devices. I thought it was pretty cool that you can jump directly off the boat! (The crew cares about your safety and will brief you on water safety before you get into the water). All in all, the view of the ocean is super pretty and I was able to see dolphins multiple times on this trip! I'd recommend local residents and tourists to take a trip out into the water like this at least once in your life.

We did a morning three hour spinner dolphin snorkel sail on a catamaran last Friday. 9am-noon…read more We were picked up at the Marriott in Ko Olina by the company shuttle and driven to the Waianae harbor where the catamaran was docked. Pros; * great crew with great attitudes. Willingness to assist. * spinner dolphins spotted. 100% guaranteed as the dolphins are indigenous to Hawaii. They never leave. * breakfast & lunch served. Breakfast was fruit and a tiny biscuit. Lunch was a veggie wrap with bag of chips. * two drink tickets. But lenient. I went with a draft IPA with my first ticket. Passed on my second drink. Cons: * as a non-swimmer I think more emphasis on use of snorkel equipment was necessary. And more discussion on safety. * they put out a blue floating mat but it wobbled due to current. * add more floatation options - I've been on snorkel trips where there's been a floatation view box; snorkel vests for rent, etc. Pro or Con - it's how you look at it. Most seating was on the two nets in the front of the catamaran. Which meant you either sat up or laid down on it. But no back support. Having said all that it was a fun experience with room for improvement. Heads up - shoeless requirement. We had to put our shoes in a storage box at the marina. Upon our return a crew member lined up our shoes for retrieval.

Katy and Celeste are phenomenal zip line tour guides. They made me feel completely safe, calm, and…read moreready to have an amazing time. Celeste even let me win the race at the end of the tour, which was such a fun touch. They're truly the best. I had so much fun that I came back the very next day for an ATV adventure. Ahi was our guide for the ATV tour, and he had big shoes to fill--but he absolutely delivered. He was both safe and fun, and he made sure we got the full ATV experience. At one point, I felt like I was in another world. It was fantastic!

we had the most amazing time! dirt e-bike riding with CODY B! he was awesome and super helpful!…read more zip lining with Brit & Levi was out of this world! they made the experience fun and exciting!

What a great service! No need to stress and lug all your stuff to the beach. Super convenient and…read moreservice with aloha Mahalo nui Gary!

Rob was kind, thoughtful, and articulate during our paddling excursion. Though we had reserved five…read morespots, I didn't have the opportunity to paddle since we were short one paddle, however, I thoroughly enjoyed learning how to navigate the ocean with Rob's interactive instructions. In fact, it was so impactful that I'm already looking forward to venturing out on another outrigger journey when I visit again. Thank you Rob for making special accommodations for us on your day off. Our first of many experiences here was sensational. I appreciate how easy it was to socialize with you. Our lesson on how to navigate the ocean using the proximity of the horizon and stars was the highlight of our Oahu trip. I highly recommend Royal Hawaiian Beach Services. Happy holidays and cheers to you all! Mahalo! Sincerely, Bri W.

Awesome captain and crew! The boat is new and amazing!I highly recommend this company! My captain…read morewas JR Chalker

Great boat. Large and spacious. Captain was a great easy going guy. Only downside to my trip was…read morewe had no catch.. As disappointing as that was, it is called fishing n not catching. Oh well maybe next time.

Who does not have skydiving on their life list?! Well, I got a chance to do this with the best…read morepeople in my life in the best place in the world, Hawaii! We had a reservation for 7am and we were harnessed up and waited until 8am and off we went in the plane. My tandem partner was Cam and he was amazing! He gave me the safety briefing and told me to take the "banana" position for a smoother ride. We had an amazing airplane ride up, with views of North Shore and we saw mountains, oceans, amazing cloud coverage and whales! The airplane went up to 14k and had to circle a bit to find the right air condition. Cam asked me if I wanted a standard exit or if I wanted a reverse flip exit! Of course I wanted the reverse! So amazing. We went through a rain cloud and it hurt. Haha. As we were parachuting down, it was obvious I was having a blast and so Cam did a lot of loopty loops (not the official name). We landed on our butts in the field.... Best landing ever. Apparently the winds were picking up and we were the only load for the day. They also told me the wind was so strong the previous day that they did not even fly. We were lucky! I bought the video and photo package and it was well worth it. They got us our footage within an hour of the jump. Please come and create your own experience.

If zero stars were an option, I would give zero…read more I chose GoJump because of its 4.9-star rating and booked the 18,000-foot jump as a walk-in, paying nearly $800 in total, including an additional $100 walk-in fee. I went with two friends, and while they had positive experiences, mine was completely different. My instructor, Aleks, spoke to me almost entirely in a commanding and aggressive tone, with no friendly or reassuring interaction. This was especially surprising because many reviews describe him as friendly and humorous. During freefall, the goggles repeatedly struck my left ear, causing significant pain and leaving it visibly red and swollen. When I told Aleks afterward, he did not examine my ear or the goggles--he immediately blamed my hoodie, even though the video shows that my hood remained in place. Before deployment, he also held my legs so tightly that my lower legs almost touched my thighs. I have completed a tandem skydive before and never experienced this degree of restraint or discomfort. The videographer did a good job and deserved the photography fee. However, management's response focused on defending its procedures and minimizing my concerns, without meaningfully addressing Aleks's attitude or offering a genuine apology or resolution. I cannot understand why my treatment differed so dramatically from my friends' experiences and from the reviews describing Aleks. I would not recommend GoJump based on both the experience and how my complaint was handled.