Had a great experience today with Ethan for the 13k tandem dive. Couldn't be happier. I was a bit…read morenervous but the team was so chill and the atmosphere was relaxing gradually with the whole group of fun jumpers joining us on the plane ride. Totally recommend for anyone who wants an eye opening experience. Again thanks Ethan and the amazing SVS team. You guys rock!

‼PLEASE READ‼ I originally booked two tandem jumps 4/10 as a…read moregift for my boyfriends 21st birthday, it got rescheduled to the next available Friday 5/1 due to weather conditions. The previous day I received a text at 5pm telling me my dive is going to be rescheduled from 10am to 11:30am due to weather (which when I checked was going to be foggy all day as well so I felt like there would've been a strong possibility of them rescheduling on me again). I replied stating I will not be able to make it, they've notified me too late as well (not even a full days notice) & asked if there was another Friday I can reschedule to. I mentioned my boyfriend's elder family member has been experiencing serious life threatening medical issues and that we won't be able to make it any time soon. I asked to reschedule to a later Friday and they requested a doctors note for proof or they'd keep my $100 deposit as a "no show fee" (which is a lot for me as a broke college student). I had mentioned I am not comfortable asking for a doctors note due to the severity of the situation, my boyfriend & many of his family ended up getting weeks off work, that's how severe the situation was. In the end I GOT GHOSTED!!! A front desk person stated management would get back to me--They haven't replied to my text or email which was sent 5/1!!! Very disappointing situation & very disappointing the way they operate business! I was really looking forward to this experience, all I wanted to do was to reschedule the skydive!

Absolutely lovely location.Be careful of High Tides. Cold,cold water right now, so bundle up while…read morestrolling. Will definitely experience it again!! Possibly Summer camping again!!

This beach is a quiet, smaller spot within walking distance of the Marina Dunes RV Resort. It has a…read morepeaceful, almost private feel to it. We stayed at the resort and loved the easy access, there's a direct path that leads from the resort straight to the beach. On both sides of the path, fencing helps protect the local wildlife and their habitat, which adds to the natural charm of the area. The parking lot can get a little hectic, especially in the mornings and around sunset. There are public restrooms nearby, which is a nice convenience. Many people head here in the evening to catch the beautiful sunset. Overall, it's a lovely beach worth visiting.

I have been training with Jesse (and Dave) for almost 3 years at this point. Jesse is hands down…read morethe best instructor for paragliding in the bay area. As a high intensity sport, you want your instructor not to make decisions for you (except in intro), rather impart skills that you can make better judgement by yourself in variety of conditions. Jesse does just that. He'll help you get started and then push you to improve yourself over time. And the lift community Jesse has built is amazing. People share when and where they plan to fly, lookout for each other and share their knowledge, helping everyone get better.

It took me 4 months sporadically learning with Jesse and Dave toward P2, and each lesson I felt…read moresafe, content and I learned something new. It has been a year since I got my P2 certificate, and I have grown into loving paragliding more and more. Jesse has maintained a loving community where pilots have fun flying and hanging out. I have made many amazing friends for Jesse's trips to Dunlap, Mexico and Woodrat. The dream to fly took me to learn paragliding, and the great people hooked me in. 10/10 recommended if you are interested to learn paragliding in Bay Area!

My boyfriend and I took a hang gliding lesson with Mike bright and early on a Saturday morning (we…read morearrived ~8am) and had a LOT of fun! There were 2 other attendees other than my boyfriend and myself, so our class was a total of 4 people, all of us beginners. One person had taken classes before, but was doing more lessons in order to get his hang 1 license. Mike starts the class by introducing himself and teaching us some safety lessons. We put together the hang glide together as a group, and he teaches us the different parts of the hang glide and how they work together. Then, we roll the glider up a small hill and he gives us some pointers on how to approach the lesson and what to do what we start running and once the glider starts taking off! The lesson was from about 8am to noon. Mike REALLY works for the money he makes during these lessons - he is running up and down the hill, and coordinating to make sure that everyone gets plenty of time on the hang glide. His passion for this sport is palpable, and it's clear he is friends with all the other folks at the area / park that morning who are regular hang gliders. This is a really fun activity to do on a weekend morning, not to mention the VIEWS are amazing. Attaching some photos as proof! Overall I had a GREAT time and would certainly consider taking more classes with Mike!

I found Eric to be an excellent instructor. His patients and willingness to restate his…read moreinstructions, many times over, drives home the needed understanding for the skills he is describing. On those occasions when I was not getting the instructions, he restated them framed differently. His vast knowledge and experience was demonstrated through his patients and confidence. With his guidance I learned very quickly. I have no hesitation recommending Eric for hang gliding instructions. I would have no hesitation if I were starting over asking his support and training. Thank you Eric, for all your help and assuring I learned the skills needed to be a safe pilot! Mikee Bowen

This beach is beautiful and not crowded. The parking is very limited. I don't like the porta potty…read morebecause it's very dirty and no where to wash your hands.

Beach about 10 minutes north of Monterey. We've seen paragliding out here and always wanted to stop…read moreby to check it out. The parking lot is small and gets packed quickly and getting in and out can be challenging with the amount of people parked in the parking lot waiting for someone to leave. There is an estuary right next to the parking lot so if you bring swim clothes or roll up your pants you can walk across it for pretty quick access. If you don't the walk is longer to get to a secluded part of the ocean. It's much colder near the water than at the parking lot so bring warm clothes. A lot of the beach is littered with burnt firewood even though fires aren't allowed and there are small sections that are roped off for fragile native plant habitats so you feel less integrated with nature. There are some driftwood logs I saw couple leaning on and watching the waves together. For some reason this is very romantic to me and it looks like a good place at sunrise or sundown for a date.

Awesome beach to take your littles to:…read more There are bathrooms and sinks (but no soap, so remember to bring your own or hand sanitizer!). The parking lot is right next to the beach, so not a far walk which is great if you're carrying a ton of stuff (which you probably are if you're bringing kiddos). There is usually a pool/small body of water separate from the waves/shore which is fantastic if you want to chill and feel relatively unstressed and able to lean back and let your kid(s) play in water without needing to be right there next to them.

This beach stretches out wide with a ship wreck on one end & nice waves. There are bathrooms &…read moreshowers along the parking lots, life guard posts & lots of families having a good time. BBQing is allowed but no glass bottles or alcohol. Makes sense. It's great place for the babies if you're worried about the larger waves that come in!

I've had lessons at three different schools. First with Morningside Flight Park in NH; then with…read moreKittyhawk in NC; and finally with Mission Soaring. I enjoyed all of it, but I have to say that the professionalism, quality of instruction and safety at Mission Soaring is outstanding. Pat, Eric and team have tons of experience and know exactly the right thing to say to help students progress *safely* through each stage of learning. The community of pilots at Tres Pinos is amazing and supportive. Experienced graduates often return to take advantage of the unique combination of consistently flyable conditions and expert help with any lingering bad habits. At Tres Pinos you can make friends that will gladly help you at every stage... from your first flights and landings to your graduation to coastal and mountain flying. This is a great place to learn to soar but also to practice humility and grit along the way.

Holy poo that was fun!…read more My buddies and I had our first hang gliding lesson with Mission a couple weeks ago. Since the Milpitas office was closed during Memorial Day week, we didn't have to do the one hour orientation in Milpitas (although most people normally do). They instead sent us the packet with the waivers and directions to the Hollister site via mail. We called the instructor when we arrived and he drove us up through some dried up grassy hills with his truck. There were 4 of us (two per hang glider) and one instructor, which meant that we got plenty of attention, each did 7-8 jumps off the hill each& got 8 ft of air at the end of the day- yea we no beginners yo! I must admit I was scared, but with each jump, the instructor ran beside us and reminded us of what to do (e.g. to steer left/right/up/down). He also reminded me to breathe& relax each time before I took off. Breathing is important! We spent a good 4.5 hours that day on that hill. For $160/per person, this lesson was about $40/hr which in my opinion is much cheaper than sky-diving or tandem hang-gliding. We put away the hang-gliders just as the sun set. Exhausted &hungry, we walked back to the truck ready for the long drive home. To our surprise, our instructor pull out a huge cooler and handed us some beers. "My students always get beer!" He smiled. Already dehydrated from the sun, the beer hit me fast. And then like he can read my mind, he hands me a soda and Iaughs.

Amazing experience!! The owner/instructor is kind, fun,…read moreinspiring and FULL of INCREDIBLE ENERGY!! We fly! We laugh and bond with each other! Learning about ourselves and getting a fantastic workout!I LOVE Pat & Mission Soaring!! You will too, if you're lucky and can appreciate being a bird and feeling "lifted"!

From the owner: Our training site has practice hills that are a great way to start with a landing zone that is a…read moremile long and a half mile wide. Over the years, we have taught at dozens of sites in the Bay Area, but Tres Pinos is by far the best place for teaching Hang Gliding. The hills are gentle and the training area has the most consistent, reliable winds anywhere in the Bay Area. With foot launched flight it is important to have the wind blow up the hill - the valley where our training site is located, funnels the wind straight in for the best possible training experience. The town of Tres Pinos is 5 miles past Hollister on Highway 25, turn left on Quien Sabe Road. The first gate on the right is where you'll park and meet your instructor. (Only instructor vehicles are allowed beyond the gate.)