Parasailing in Hurghada (Tandem)

Most people expect parasailing to feel like a rollercoaster. It does not. The winch lets the line out slowly, the canopy fills, and you rise off the back of the boat at walking pace. Within a few seconds the engine noise drops away and you are sitting in a harness roughly sixty meters up, watching the reef line change color beneath you.

This is the tandem flight, so you go up in pairs. That matters more than it sounds: nervous first-timers almost always do better with someone beside them, and it means couples, friends or a parent and child can share the experience rather than watch from the deck.

What actually happens

We collect you from your hotel in an air-conditioned car and drive to the jetty. On board, the crew fits your harness and life jacket and walks you through the hand signals - thumb up to go higher, thumb down to come down. You take off from a platform at the stern, fly for roughly seven to ten minutes, and are winched back down onto the same platform. Your feet get wet only if you ask for it.

That last point is worth repeating, because it is the most common question we get: you do not need to swim, and you do not have to touch the water at all. If you want the dips, tell the captain before you launch and he will drop you in on the way down.

Good to know before you book

• The whole outing takes around 2 hours door to door, of which the flight itself is 7 to 10 minutes.
• Hold on to the harness if it makes you feel better, but you cannot fall out of it - the straps do the work, not your grip.
• Flights depend on wind. If conditions are unsafe on your day, we move you to another slot rather than send you up.
• Transfers are included from hotels inside Hurghada. From Makadi, Sahl Hasheesh, El Ahyaa, El Gouna or Soma Bay there is a $5 per person supplement.
• Lunch, drinks, photography and video are not included.

What to bring

Sunglasses with a strap, sunscreen, and a secure pocket or a friend on the boat for your phone. Wear something you would not mind getting damp.

$25 per person (regular price $30), including the tandem flight, life jacket and hotel transfers.