This was truly one of the most beautiful, and exhilarating experiences. You feel safe because of the amazing crew and everything about the experience was so fun and smooth. I came here with my family and we all loved every moment of it and we are so grateful for Chris and the California Parasail team for making our day unforgettably amazing. They are most definitely the best to do this activity with, so go with them (they are truly great and so kind)! Also I recommend getting the photo package, my family took some photos as well but we purchased the photo package and they were 100% worth it! Thank you again California Parasail! read more

Balboa Parasail - Me parasailing - Boating Near Me - Newport Beach, California

Amazing experience! Great activity to enjoy as a family or a date. Check them out! Parking is a bit tricky during summer time but it's worth the time and money. read more

Balboa Parasail - Parasail - Boating Near Me - Newport Beach, California

It's fun and great experience. They give us presentations before we fly that makes me feel safe and knowing what to do. Once you are in the sky. It's super quiet and peaceful. Thank you Chris and his crew (I forgot his name) for giving us a safe and happy journey. read more

Balboa Parasail - Boating Near Me - Newport Beach, California

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I have come here twice and very nice experience. They have a student discount. They can also sell you a photo package.

These guys were great! We had such a fun time enjoying the experience and the view from up in the sky. They did a great job communicating with us before our appointment and throughout the experience. If you go on the weekend, get there VERY early before your appointment. Parking is super limited on the summer weekends. read more

Balboa Parasail - Boating Near Me - Newport Beach, California

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Hard to gripe when you're hanging 800 feet above water and soaking in the beautiful view. Sky and Brock were great. They took the time to explain the tour, made sure we felt safe. As an added bonus, they made the journey there and back pretty epic (and fast)! Had a great time. read more

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Hands down a great experience! The experience was perfect from the great service from Chris and Brock to the views of the pod of dolphins swimming along with us. I'm always on the hunt for fun things to do around Newport Beach and this is by far the best adventure to do when you're here! The entire experience was exciting and the ride was always smooth. Loved it! 10/10 read more

Balboa Parasail - Newport Beach pink parasail - Boating Near Me - Newport Beach, California

It was our first time parasailing and we had a blast! The crew (I don't remember their names but it's whoever worked the 10:30 ride this day) made the experience 100x better, they were cracking jokes with us and playing music for the ride. We were nervous at first but the crew guided us through everything and made us feel safe. When we were up in the sky, it was extremely tranquil and peaceful; we even saw a huge sun fish! I would recommend this spot to anyone looking to try parasailing! read more

Balboa Parasail - Boating Near Me - Newport Beach, California

My friend and I had a great experience. Kobe (sp?) and Elliot were fabulous and did all the work. We got to sit back and relax and just enjoy the ride. We got the photo package and it did not disappoint. We can't wait to go back and do it again! read more

Took my family parasailing 7/14 and it was an amazing and smooth experience. We were originally scheduled at 4:00pm and got pushed back to 6pm due to unexpected delays in the morning. I do wish we had been told earlier that the call we received at 3:23 so we did wait around since we had arrived on time. Parking is definitely a hassle especially on a weekend so do arrive early. The boat ride and parasailing was a 10/10. Our captain was Dustin but I did forget the gentlemen's name who was helping us on the boat, but they both made conversation with us and made sure our experience was top notch. Would definitely recommend a photo package for the group so that you have those everlasting memories, I was satisfied with how raw and in the moment they were captured. Will be bringing my family back in September! read more

Balboa Parasail - View from above - Boating Near Me - Newport Beach, California

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Surprised my boyfriend to this for his birthday. It was an amazing experience 10/10. And since it was his birthday he got to do this for free, I just had to pay for myself. When we got there, the other party that was supposed to go with us were running late, so we got the entire experience for ourselves. The workers were so nice and cool. They even took pictures of us with my phone. read more

Balboa Parasail - Boating Near Me - Newport Beach, California

What a fantastic time we had parasailing with Balboa Parasailing. Simon and his assistant were very professional and lots of fun. Can't wait to do it again read more

This was an amazing experience, Simon and David were friendly and helpful. Would definitely do again and again! read more

Balboa Parasail - Parasailing - Boating Near Me - Newport Beach, California

We took our granddaughter & her best friend for our granddaughters 14th birthday celebration. The captain & his first mate were both friendly & professional. Everything was well explained & any fear or concerns were put to rest by the captains great explanation of what would happen "in case". The photos are wonderful. Our only complaint was time. They were supposed to have a 10 minute ride, we videoed from the moment the girls were attached to the parachute until their feet landed back on the boat - it lasted 5 minutes & 15 seconds. A huge disappointment for the cost of their adventure. They thoroughly enjoyed it but their time was only half of the already short ride. I feel like they are owed a do-over for 1/2 price. I do recommend the adventure, just make sure you get the time you pay for. read more

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I wanted to do something fun and different for my birthday this year and before I knew it, I was at balboa parasail! The workers were exactly what you would want. Relaxed, calm vibe with music on boat when they take you out/in. I had never been before and I had assumed there would be a little bit more "thrill" to it, but it was as calm as could be. A pretty awesome experience nonetheless. read more

Balboa Parasail - Boating Near Me - Newport Beach, California

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We had a Groupon to try this parasail company. They cancelled our reservations on two occasions. No explanation was offered the second time. We have been unable to get a refund on our Groupon which expired after the 2nd time they cancelled last minute. This is very unprofessional. I found out that this also occurred to my friends who tried to use this company. Please beware. read more

The physical parasailing part was the only 5 star portion of this business. Really poor customer service from Kevin the manager and some staff at Balboa Parasail. We bought a Groupon for a tandem parasail experience. When we arrived to our appointment we were attended by Kevin, he told there would be a hold on the card during our experience but assured there would be no charges--since we already had purchased the Groupon. Two days later I find that a $230 charge had posted to my card statement (which was the amount of the "hold"). I immediately called and one of their staff members seems so frustrated to be talking to be about a refund and was told I had to "call Monday because they didn't have the computer". I called Monday and spoke to Kevin, the manger, he rudely told me to send the screenshots of the double charge and the Groupon. I sent the screenshots. A week went by and no reply so I called again and he gave me another email address to send it to and again, another week went by and still no refund or even a response or explanation! Both emails weren't even deliverable emails, and I had gotten one of them from their website :( Anywaysss, if they make a mistake they won't fix it or help you fix it and also be super rude about it. I wouldn't refer this place to anyone honestly! read more

Balboa Parasail - We bought the photo package too! It wasn't worth $40 bucks. Most were super blurry. They come in a SD card. Whack! - Boating Near Me - Newport Beach, California

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Super fun and my girlfriend really enjoyed it. Great way to start off our Valentines celebration. Definitely will be coming back! Shoutout to David and Jack for ensuring our safety and for the good conversation on the way there and the way back. 10/10 experience! read more

Balboa Parasail - We in the air no cap - Boating Near Me - Newport Beach, California

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Jack and David were phenomenal! My bf surprised me with this parasailing event and it was an unforgettable experience with the crew and our group of new friends. From the moment we checked in everyone was so kind and welcoming! Highly recommend:) read more

Balboa Parasail - Boating Near Me - Newport Beach, California

It was super fun!!!! We saw lots of dolphins. It was amazing. Simon and Ivy were great, Very helpful too.

The experience was so bad and the customer service staff and the office staff was very rude and they messed up our appointment time and they didn't even fixed it right And we bought the Groupon for two people in one group and they insisted that we had to be three people in one group since they didn't have enough time to do it. That's so weird! We won't be there again cause we really upset with them .That's the first time happened to us like that read more

My sisters and I took my mom (75 years old) parasailing here for her birthday. The two guys working were nice and we had a wonderful time out on the water. One guy drove the boat and the other guy fitted each of us with harnesses and handled all other flight logistics. It's a very gentle ride up and down. You don't even have to get wet if you don't want (they ask if you want to dunk you feet in the water, which we did). They'll take photos while you're out and send you a link to view the proofs (and purchase if you choose.) If you get motion sickness at all you may want to take a Dramamine beforehand... although the boat ride is gentle through the bay, once you get out in the ocean where you actually parasail, it could get pretty bumpy. Overall it was a fantastic excursion and mom got to try something outside her comfort zone (without actually feeling uncomfortable at all.) read more

Balboa Parasail's customer service was great. We arrived late for our reservation, and they were kind enough to try to wait for the rest of our party. Understandably, they had had take off at at certain point. They quickly rebooked us for the next boat. They could have been annoyed but they were gracious and kind. The parasailing was great. Capt Dave and assistant Dave had it dialed in. Everything was extremely well run. The 14 year old boys that went up loved it. Thanks for a fun event. read more

Took my family out. My youngest is autistic and had seen parasailing the day before and said he wanted to go. As soon as we got on the boat he flipped 180 and was adamant he wouldn't go "at all.". The captain worked really hard at making it easier for my son to get to a place where he was finally able to muster the courage to go. The captain let him choose what order to go in and sit in the calmest part of the boat and walked him through what would happen. This company really cares about your experience and worked hard to make ours a great one read more

Please read reviews before purchasing! The last thing I want to do is leave a bad review on a business, but I had no other option. I booked a reservation for my Birthday on Friday at 1:30pm. I got a text message stating that there would be an hour delay due to a 'sea swell'. My group and I had no worries at all and decided to stop by just to check in ahead of time. There were two gentlemen in the booth. When we came up to the booth they didn't come to the window, and spoke to us from afar as if we were bothering them. Absolutely horrible costumer service. They told us that they would text us for further notice, since they didn't have a boat. We went ahead and continued our day, and have not received a call or text still. It is now Sunday. They are avoiding the situation. No communication whatsoever. I have reached out multiple times, and on different platforms. Our day revolved around this booking which was very unfortunate, even driving hours out. We completely understood that unexpected things happen, although the least these men could have done was shown empathy, kindness, or even any slight care for the situation. read more

Balboa Parasail - Boating Near Me - Newport Beach, California

For my 1000th review I wanted to do something special so I signed up for parasailing. It is something I have always wanted to try and it seemed quite 1000th review worthy. I honestly went into this experience thinking it would be amazing and they would get 5 stars... but clearly that isn't the case. I read their negative reviews and I got some warning about how they hustle you for TIP. Parasailing is such an uncommon activity, I don't blame people for not knowing to tip. To prevent this from happening, I stopped by the bank to get $5s, $10s and $20s to tip them relative to how their service is... I truly felt that I did my best to be a good customer. In their email they tell you to come 30minutes before your reservation time. This seemed reasonable so we headed down to the area and paid for all day parking and ate breakfast nearby so we would be a quick walking distance away. My reservation was at 10:30am... meaning we needed to be there by 10:00am. Well we were but THEY WEREN'T! They didn't get there til 10:20am. I understand being late once in a while but I also noticed other reviews saying they showed up late. If you expect me to be there at 10am, I expect you to be there before 10am with everything set up and ready to go. Being late is RUDE! Furthermore they walked right on by. When I approached the counter and said, "good morning!" they simply ignored me... I tried again. I asked them about the waivers we needed to sign. I figured I should be proactive if they are going to be less than efficient with their business. They told us to sign and date our waivers, pretty standard... right? Well... AFTER I SIGNED THE WAIVER... Dave, the owner, comes over to tell us about the fog and how he doesn't know when it will be gone and we can stay or reschedule but he did not tell us ahead of time since it could burn off... but probably not... WOW WHAT A WASTE OF MY TIME!! Couldn't he tell us that BEFORE we signed the waiver. So I looked at my calendar to see a good date to reschedule. My next free weekend is in about two months... how anticlimactic. To make everything more and more irritating by the second, DAVE replied with a remark about how they are open 7 days a week and if I was really going to be that busy. And he seemed pretty annoyed of me... I found myself explaining to him how I work M-F and had this and that plans coming up. Then I stop myself, WHY AM I EXPLAINING MYSELF?!?! I want to take this moment to point out there was NO OTHER CUSTOMER behind me, but he was like, I'll just put you at noon today, text me to cancel/reschedule. Umm, he had nothing better to do... Why can't I stand there and figure out a good date for myself? NO WONDER WHY PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO TIP YOU!! Before anyone puts me on blast, I am not mad about the weather. That is definitely out of anyone's control. Their business should really invest in a weather app or device... If Dave came ON TIME and was NICE about the situation, I would have gladly rebooked with him for a better date. I am going to take my lost because I have no respect for people who are late and businesses with horrible customer service. Also I DO NOT trust Dave to launch me hundreds of yards in the air. I refuse to waste anymore time with this business. I will surely go parasailing sometime soon... but with another establishment! read more

Balboa Parasail - they are not very punctual =\ - Boating Near Me - Newport Beach, California

A lovely afternoon! Our crew was great, wanting to be sure we had a wonderful time and we did. I recommend spending the extra money and getting the photos the crew takes. The pictures are clear and much better than anything I caught with an iPhone. We were told that going in the morning is a smoother ride. We went in the afternoon and it was a bit bumpy out there, but totally enjoyable! I would definitely go again. read more

Had so much fun! Went parasailing it was awesome the gentlemen were nice and playing nice music and friendly. If you like to try new things I say try it. read more

Balboa Parasail - Boating Near Me - Newport Beach, California

I was nervous trying this out but it was on my bucket list. It was the most relaxing experience. I totally recommend it. The staff was friendly and made everyone feel comfortable. Would definitely do this again. read more

This was a bucket list item for my 50th birthday, and it exceeded all my expectations! Our captain and the gentleman who assisted us were both kind and friendly. As for the flight itself... there are no words to describe how amazing it is. I felt totally secure, like sitting in a hammock chair, but a couple hundred feet up! Not a thrill ride at all, but a smooth and gentle ascent and descent. I highly recommend taking the opportunity to dip your feet in the water- so much fun! I will absolutely be back to do this again. Thank you, Balboa Parasail! read more

So much fun, My first time. My friend Susan got it for my 60th birthday Kevin and Noia are great at making you feel comfortable.. lots of laughter. Can't wait to do it again read more

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What an amazing experience! Exhilarating takeoff, serene sailing and adventurous speed boating while others take their turn in the air! I 100% recommend this! Tip: wear a poncho for your when you're not in the air. During the passenger rotations we got soaked. read more

The BEST experience of my life. Honestly I was terrified of trying parasailing and I almost didn't go but I'm SO HAPPY I did! Kevin and David were the two people who were the staff on the boat and they were SO incredible!!!! I probably wouldn't have gone on if they weren't so nice. They were both so extremely helpful and so genuinely kind. They made the experience that much better by just being so comforting and understanding with me. I felt completely safe, listened to and comfortable the whole time. I will definitely be returning but will only be requesting both of them. I felt filled with happiness when I left. I couldn't have asked for a better experience. Thank you to the amazing David and Kevin for making this so memorable for me and also my boyfriend for pushing me to do it! Woohoo! read more

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Had a really great time parasailing! Use the discount on their site to fly free on your birthday! Overall fun experience & worth the price with the deal! The guys operating the bot are pretty fun and played music the whole ride. I also paid for the $40 photo package, but it wasn't really worth it.... we ended up with about 30 photos only a few good ones, a lot of which were blurry or looked like the same shot. I recommend asking someone else on the boat to just take pics with your phone & save the $40! In terms of COVID-19, be aware they are not taking any precautions. They will fill up to 12 people in the small boat, no masks, the life vests & harnesses are just passed around between groups in the boat. But if you're deciding to go out parasailing, the lack of precautions might not phase you. read more

Balboa Parasail - Boating Near Me - Newport Beach, California

Super accomodating when we were running late for our original timeslot. Definitely recommend you going an hour earlier bc parking on Balboa Island is no joke... Staff were obviously well trained and the entire experience was fun!! BUT... although it's advertised that you will be up in the air for 10 minutes, it definitely was more like 5. read more

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On the day of our reservation there was a mix up with the boats and they moved our reserved time from 2pm to 5:30pm this was already upsetting as it was birthday and had dinner plans for that time. Last minute they were able to reschedule us after someone cancelled for a 1:30pm boat but having to move my plans around last minute was frustrating. The staff seem overall helpful and knew what they were doing but could work on customer service more since the guys running the boat were on their phones for most of the ride through the bay. They played music which was nice so it wasn't too awkward. This place is also not taking any precautions for COVID. The workers do not wear face masks and if they do it's only on for part of the time. My BF and I both wore masks the whole time as well as the other passengers luckily. The actual parasailing part was a lot of fun but for the price I thought we would be up in the air longer than 10 minutes. We also saw online we could choose touch the water while parasailing but was told they didn't have the right boat for it, which was disappointing. Since it takes about 15min to get out of the bay, half of your trip will be spent driving to and from the parasailing spot. You'll probably be back to the dock from the whole thing in about an hour. Also definitely suggest asking another passenger to take pics/video of you, you'll usually get some good ones. read more

I came here because their prices was pretty good. Tried parasailing for the first time on Friday 6/12/20. They had a deal it was supposed to me $95 each but it was buy one get one. Then they had offered $40 for pictures and guaranteed quality and unobstructed pictures. So obviously we took it cause it was our first time there because the guy had mentioned they take pictures all the time because that's all the one guy does so he has the skill. We were so excited. Out of the four (including the cashier) there was only that one young man who seemed to actually care and was trying to connect during the ride. But the rest could work on their customer service. The photos were obviously unobstructed because the other boy was on the edge but man the quality was shit! I wanted to add photos but I realized my friend didn't even keep it anymore because she felt very upset that it was a waste. You could barely tell it was us, even our iphones would of taken a clearer photo. So save your $40 it was literally a waste. We were so upset when we got home. read more

My boyfriend's and my first time parasailing definitely did not disappoint. It was thrilling to ride on a tiny boat that hopped through the ocean as if it were a rock being skipped across water. It was fun to be harnessed on the parachute and gradually let go from the boat, farther and higher into the sky. It was AMAZING to see the tiny boat tugging you while you're 800 feet in the air, to hear nothing but the parachute pushing the wind... the few minutes in the sky was so peaceful and intimate. The experience was A+, but the administrative stuff with this office was frustrating. I bought this deal on Groupon, and the guy unintentionally charged me the full price. Since I knew how much I owed (only $40 for photo package), he fixed the cost when I showed him my receipt. I was upset that if I had forgotten I already paid then I would've paid another $200. The second thing was that from the entire time we waited at the dock to when we came back, no one told us that their camera was broken and they seemed discreet about not saying it during the ride. I had to go to the office again AFTER the experience to have the guy tell me that the camera broke and he refunded me $40. Had I known that they didn't have a camera, I would've asked someone to take photos on my phone or changed my parasailing date. read more

We were able to get a last minute reservation on the last trip on the Sunday before Labor Day. We got lucky. They said they were $80, which is very costly, but we worked a great deal for it being last minute. Overall we had such a great time. Do note you will get wet no matter what. Our driver went pretty quick into a wave and we got soaked. The experience was great, though. My kids went and I just watched. Such a great experience. I'm hoping I can do it one day, but not sure. read more

Made an appointment for 3pm. Driving from LA- I got stuck in traffic. I called at 2:15pm to inform them that I was going to be late and if I can schedule for the next available appt. the man just told me, check in at the front desk. He could've checked the availability to let me know the next appt was sold out so I didn't have to drive 1.5 hours out. Such a disappointment. I literally went through hoops to get there in hopes they would accommodate me and my child. They could very well called another customer to see if they were willing to switch. Nope. I bet if I was white they would've accommodated me. Reasons why I don't tip- when it comes down to it, they truly don't care!!! read more