Best parasailing experience to date!! The captain and crew were so friendly, helpful, and fun. You must use this company for your next parasailing experience. Plus you get the best view of Catalina from high up in the air!!! Totally recommend Island Water Charters! read more

So I'm terrified of heights and I want to challenge my fears for my birthday. Parasailing was the first thing I did when I arrived on the island for my birthday. There is an option for 600ft or 800ft and we did the 800ft. The staff was really amazing both at the registration port and on the boat. Truly the best experience ever. The photo package is so worth the $20. Especially if you're a memory hoarder like myself. Over 150 photos. read more

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If a six star review was a thing for truly exceptional experiences then this is what I would rate them. We booked a time first thing in the morning when we arrived to the island and had the most unbelievable parasailing experience. Hands down the BEST part of our trip. Not scary at all, very smooth ride and on top of it they went and chased down a school of dolphins we stumbled across and we followed them for a while...... truly unforgettable. Great speedy service as well read more

This experience was one of the most tremendous things I've ever done. Growing up, you could find me jumping from rocks, flapping my arms or putting my arms thru a plastic bag trying to fly. This experience is about as close to flying as I've ever gotten. Once you're up there, it's the most peaceful thing. The only reason it didn't get 5 stars is the price would have been pretty expensive (but worth it, and pretty on par with things like skydiving) AND the party right before us came back soaked and not smiling. On their tour, the roap snapped while someone was about 20 feet in the air and they slowly (and very safely) landed down in the water (wearing life vests). They were very cold and not happy. They of course were given vouchers to come back, but if they were like us and traveled down for the weekend, they may not have had the opportunity to reuse it. Of course this worried us for about a second, but these guys knew what they were doing and were incredibly competent regarding everyone's safety. We also spent the extra $20-$40 for the photo card. We got over 100 pics of us up there on an SD card, which is always a great conversation piece at home and a great addition to our Yearbooks. read more

Groupon wasn't a bad deal (2 for 1). Parasailing was interesting, probably wouldn't do it again though because of the price. Quite a relaxing experience actually. We didn't buy a photo package for $20. We just had our own camera and asked another customer on the boat with us to snap photos for us. Nice people. One star down for the customer service, though. We scheduled a month ahead and showed up an hour before our appointment time. The lady told us that they cancelled the trip out because of the high winds. I don't understand why she didn't even tell us. She claims that she was going to call us, but she should have still notified us ASAP, and no later than an hour or two before our appointment. That kind of killed our plans for the day... read more

We headed to the zip line first as this was one of our Carnival Cruise stops but found we were too late so we opted for parasailing. I must say me and my bff Darlene had a blast parasailing they took lots of pics and we felt so free and alive up in the air. We were in great hands that day! Thanks for a great time that we will both never ever forget! read more

Island Water Charters - Up in the air. woo hoo ! - Boating Near Me - Avalon, California

This was a great experience. The girls at the counter were nice and the guys on the boat were super laid back. You didn't feel like a tourist or anything, you felt like friends and the experience was great. I highly recommend the photo package, it's really worth it. read more

Came here for my birthday. I called and reserved ahead of time. Girl on the phone was super nice and relaxed. When we got there checked in signed stuff. Same girl I talked to was there and again was super nice. The 2 guys on the boat were cool too. Enjoyed the boat ride and watching everyone parasail. Parasailing was great! We did not get pictures due to some of the negative comments on here about the quality, and I think that was a good decision. I simply asked another rider if she'd snap a few pics on my phone and she did a great job! Id say that's a better option. If you want to get dipped in the water just ask! Also, they had the best music selection, ac/dc, Metallica, black sabbath...yes yes yes! Will def be back! read more

Island Water Charters - 800 feet - Boating Near Me - Avalon, California

Went out on the 9:15 boat today ......the boat was beautiful. The equipment was in pristine Condition . There were 12 of us on board. My friend and I were the first to go up. We were strapped into the harness and life jacket got our instructions then helped up to the back of the boat. Up we went....we purchased the picture package and the 800 feet instead of 600. Decided to be dipped in the water too. Be sure to purchase the photo package, you won't be disappointed with the photographs. The guys on the boat were very laid back and friendly. I thought the adventure was priced very well.... Bring some extra cash to tip the guys! They truly made it a wonderful adventure. read more

The parasailing experience can not get better than this. Alicia, Frank, and Carlos are all great, very nice, polite, and go beyond your expectations for excellent customer service. The whole experience from beginning to end is worth every penny spent. It was my wife's B-day and Alicia said that she gets to fly for free! :)) We also did the photo package, Carlos shot amazing photos, given on a memory disk to take home. Thank you all for this great water adventure!! I could only dream of becoming a regular here!! haha read more

This was our second trip with Island Water Charters. The first trip was for my Birthday. The second we won during the Catalina Island Harbor cleanup ( thank you for donating and supporting the event) During our trip there was a pod of dolphins going through the area. I had my Intova Sport Camera with me and was filming during our trip up in the air. The crew put us right over the pod and we got some great footage. Everything was smooth, accommodating, fun and relaxed. We look forward to our next trip. read more

Waylon and Carson rock this island parasailing!!!! So friendly! Cute too! 10 stars!!!! read more

Island Water Charters - Boating Near Me - Avalon, California

This place has great fast and friendly service! We booked our parasailing and we got the deluxe package that included photos! We also asked some of the other customers to video tape our lift off. The instructor was really chill. The time we spent in the air felt enough but of course more would of been great! The photos are very high quality and is given on a usb drive. The place is location on the edge of the pier. It can be quite difficult to find. Just ask around and follow the signs read more

Mixed feelings about this one. Ride was fun until when we were in the air and my wife noticed that our rope was frayed. She felt very uncomfortable after that and we were done. The men in the boat were very courteous and kind. Once we arrived to shore and told the person at the front about the rope she seemed to not really care at all. read more

We found this place by default after being rudely rejected by *the other company*. Long story, read here: http://www.yelp.com/biz/parasail-catalina-avalon#hrid:_peX9BbKgNB-Bddh_PHZbA. And like a girl going through a rebound, I jumped on this opportunity quick. It was a busy day in Catalina when we arrived. Thankfully, Island Water Charters was able to accommodate us. The kind lady listened to us vent and offered us the 800' flight ($79) for the 600' price ($65) per person. The boat was filled up with 8-10 ppl and 2 employees. On that particular day, the waves were pretty rough but it made the boat ride fun. The workers were also kind enough to take pictures with our own camera. The actual parasailing experience was beautiful, calm and PEACEFUL. I hate to sound like a total effin sap but guys, I would propose up here. Just not in Catalina, that's lame lol, but somewhere more exotic. Tip: Dip your feet in the water. Go for the 800' flight. Once you are up there, you will want to go higher. read more

Island Water Charters told me to walk down the Pier and that they would honor the deal that the other company offered I had the Chamber helping me and calling them for me and then I hopped on the phone When I got there and introduced myself to them A FEW MINUTES LATER - they went back on what they said on the phone And tried to charge me their regular rate - which is overpriced in my opinion I knew I was getting ripped off Bait & switch So I didn't end up parasailing that day In addition, you can't fly alone You have to be paired up with a stranger - which is not comfortable or relaxing And the trip in the air is not very long Especially for THAT kind of money I noticed that the owners replied to my review (I didn't realize how powerful Yelp is to make or break, help or hurt a company) I guess this line of work is a tourist trap And the tourists spend a lot of money and have a good time That is not what I do or what was in my budget And I wanted to speak freely about it read more

This place is amazing. I think it was Mike? that made the experience enjoyable. Super friendly service and despite the gloomy weather, was able to up the good vibes on the boat. I've never gone on a parasailing adventure before so this review is coming from a first timer, therefore, my expectations are pretty low haha. The price for parasailing was pretty decent, not bad considering the Birthday Promotion. I also added the picture combo. Additional ~$20 for a good amount of amazing shots and your very own SD Card, why the heck not. Being on Catalina Island itself, you're already expecting to spend some $$$, so $20 isn't even that bad. I had booked a reservation at 12:30 pm, but had checked in at 11:30 am, why? because why not. After checking in, I wasn't sure what I could do for less than an hr before my reservation and the staff asked me if I wanted to hop on the one that was going to take off at 11:45 am. I wanted to use that hr before my original reservation to mentally prepare myself, but who really has time for that? so we decided to just hop on despite how nervous I was considering the fact that I can't swim... anywho... After taking off, they thoroughly explained everything to us, so I knew I was in good hands. BRING A SPARE OF CLOTHES TO CHANGE OUT after the event trust. They asked if you want to be "dipped", and of course, we said yes. So glad that we did. How can you make a trip to an island and not get wet haha 600 or 800 ft? We chose the 800 ft because ... the higher the better? I guess I wanted to live on the edge for a bit. haha Whether or not it the 200 ft difference in elevation really made any difference, you'll have a good time regardless. If anything, you'll spend a tad bit more time with the 800 ft. Enough review, book a reservation and enjoy yourself! Don't forget to tip! :) read more

It was my Birthday. My wife and I decided to do some exciting watersports, Parasailing! The experience was fun. The 2 guys in charge were nice to everyone. We had purchased the photo package for an extra $30, but the pictures he took were disappointing. Many of them were out focus, blurry and/or dark, we were able to save 4 pics, thank god we asked one of the other groups in our group to take pictures on our phone, they were actually a lot better. As I got off the boat, I gave them $10 tip, but now I am disappointed. Unless they can 100% guarantee good quality pics, just skip that part. read more

I called to make a reservation for 4 people to parasail and the woman covers the phone to talk to someone else and I hear her say "I don't know why people call a month in advance, like why don't you just call the week before"(in her annoying valley girl voice) ......ummm first of all it's 2 1/2 weeks so learn how to count, and 2nd of all how am I supposed to know how busy your are??? SO RUDE! Update: the girls answering the phone are horrible but the boat crew is amazing. read more

Had a great time with my boyfriend for our first time parasailing! The workers on the boat were super nice and friendly! Made the experience much more enjoyable! We also got an upgrade to 800ft for free! Would definitely do it again! read more

Great time - friendly staff an amazing experience! So glad I was able to do this experience with my cousins

Who knew this gem of an adventure lay waiting 26 miles across the sea? On the hottest day of the summer, we escaped to Island Water Charters, on the central pier of Avalon. They gave my daughter a free birthday ride, sandwiched between my wife and me. Our little family of three ranged from scared to serene, with a giggling, excited little girl in the middle. The chaos of the sweltering pier is tempered by the sweetness and professionalism of the office and boat staff, who cheerfully indulged my wife's 20 questions. Once out on the water, a half dozen pairs and trios of passengers took turns surfing the sky and scraping the water. The boat operators had us laughing, indulged both our fears and our whims, and led a floating (on the sea and in the air) party. As far as the risk/fear side, I fly hang gliders and my wife has gone on a tandem with the guy who taught me. There is no comparison: parasailing is so easy and relaxing I wanted to stay up there all day, fall asleep, have coffee brought up by a pelican, and generally never come down. My daughter giggled all the way. Even the missus, coming off vertigo last year, was over the moon as we were over the water. Don't miss out. read more

These guys were great, totally professional. We purchased a parasailing trip at the pier on the same day. Two of my kids, my husband and I did the parasailing. My other two kids rode along for $20, they did not parasail. It felt very safe and the guys on the boat were very good at what they do. I recommend this for kids and adults, you get a beautiful view of the island! read more

Great experience. Totally exceeded expectations! Went for boyfriend's birthday-- he got a FREE ride (even at 800ft, despite the advertisement that stated it was only for the 600ft one!), so only had to pay for mine. Ended up getting the photo pkg-- was a bit reluctant to spend the $$ at first considering I had my own camera gear-- but was glad I did. Turns out everyone else on the boat paid the extra $20 as well-- and it was no wonder they did-- EXCELLENT photos and provided over 100 shots after they originally said there would be just over 20! Wow. The guys who drove the boat were super friendly, accommodating, and fun. DEFINITELY recommend for even the slight adventurous! Such a beautiful island to see from up high...and the ride is very peaceful and smooth. Just do it!! ;-) read more

Island Water Charters saved our vacation from starting off terrible. Allow me to explain. We made online reservations with PARASAIL CATALINA over a week in advance & even got a confirmation #. We arrived 45 minutes early for our 10am appointment and was told by the young lady there that she tried to call us (earlier that same morning) but I showed no missed calls on my phone. Anyway, we were told their company PARASAIL CATALINA had sold all their times(including ours) for that day to the Carnival cruise line hence the "non-morning call" so they were going to have to reschedule us for after 5pm (7 hours after our confirmed time). Well that was a problem since we were on that cruise ship and had to be back on board by 4pm. Our silver lining was we were able to get up (at 10am) with ISLAND WATER CHARTERS (they're on the pier). It was less expensive, the photo package was better & their customer service was awesome from the young lady that signed us up to the guys on the boat. Even tipping the guys $20 on the boat, it still worked out to be more economical than PARASAIL CATALINA. Thank you ISLAND WATER CHARTERS for doing things right and starting our vacation off on the right track. If you're parasailing on Catalina, don't bother with other companies, these folks will treat you right. read more

I read favorable reviews on Island water charter and made a reservation a day ahead of time for our family of six to parasail. I gave my Credit card number to hold the reservation for the next day as requested. The next day we arrived at the green pier a half hour early as advised. We had just finished Zipline and we walked as fast as we could to make to our parasailing appointment and the girl couldn't find my reservation. Then, she mention that was probably with the other company across from the basketball courts, so we walked over there. After arriving at the other parasail company the woman check their schedule and told me she had no reservation under my name and guaranteed me that they don't take Credit cards over the phone. Took me a while to find the number I called and once I called the number no one answered, so we walked back to the green pier. The girl was clueless which made me furiously due to the fact that they had all my Credit card information. She said that someone must had forgot to write my name on the schedule. So, they request a credit card number to make a reservation but when we arrived there was no reservation, so where did my Credit card information go? That was the question that the not so professional girl couldn't answered. They failed to provide any kind of explanation or excuse on what happen with my Credit card information, they made us to walk all the way to a different company and all what they offered was to put us on a different time, later than what I originally scheduled for. This Company is rule by employees who have no clue of what they are doing. The girl at any moment apologize for the big inconvenience she caused all of us. After this big joke we decided to go back to our hotel. A huge disappointment, esp. for our kids. We were leaving the next morning and didn't get to look for a more reputable company to parasail with. Beware when making reservations with this company don't give them you Card information. We'll definitely be back to parasailing in Catalina but i'll make sure not to be with this company. read more

My wife and I went there on Thursday on my birthday. We'd reserved in advance. I got a free ride for my bday with the bday ribbon I got on the Catalina Express we took to the island. It was our first time parasailing and it was fun. They dip your feet into water on request while getting back after the parasail. Try that , it was fun! We also took the photo pack for 20$ and were happy we did when we came back home and started going through them. It was a great experience and these guys were very professional. Check them out! read more

Beautiful!!! I surprised my husband with a birthday parasail... Island Water Charters provides a free 600 foot parasail on your birthday, which is essentially 50 percent off a tandem sail. Our experience was so lovely, we would have happily paid full price! Frank and Carlos were professional, fun and funny. Each of the 4 couples on the boat, including us, had at least one scaredy cat. We all came down safe, exhilarated and happy... Next time, 800 feet! read more

Everything with their company was great and amazing. They took myself and my husband out when out other plans with another parasailing company, the counter staff we're get, and the boat crew were extremely friendly, very professional, and made the trip very relaxing. The $20 photo option is worth it! We got over 100 pictures and we did not have to worry about dropping our camera or phones. It is a great way to remember the trip. Thank you guys so much!!!!! read more

WOW. This review is many weeks past due, but short story, this is the parasailing trip to go on. Get on it now, and take care of the captain and deckhand, and they'll take care of you. My girlfriend and I were lucky enough to be on the boat with Waylon and Carson. Great crew, these guys have this parasailing thing dialed in like a well oiled machine... Seriously, these two guys need to get Employee of the month! read more

AMAZING! Staff was super friendly and helpful. Guides on the boat were understanding of my "fears" and made sure to make this as enjoyable an experience as possible. Fully explained everything. Not only will I go back and go parasailing, but I will definitely use this company to do it! Thanks Dave & Carlos for being amazing, patient, and just a lot of fun! read more

So much fun! The staff was super friendly, the boat was spacious and clean, and they even turn on some fun music for your trip! I hadn't been all that interested in parasailing because I thought I would be bored after about ten seconds, but I'm so glad I did...not only are the views amazing, it is so peaceful up there I didn't want to come down! It wasn't as windy as I thought it would be, and even the harness was comfortable. We purchased the photo package for a very reasonable price and received 116 great photos (on an SD card) that we could each download for ourselves. We had such a fabulous time I'd recommend anyone who wants to go parasailing to go to the guys on the green pier!! read more

My friend and I came to Catalina for two days for her 21st birthday, and we decided to go parasailing. It was such an amazing experience and I would definitely come back and do it again. The crew was absolutely incredible. I would recommend this to anyone that wants to see a beautiful view of the island. Worth every penny. read more

Wow, what an experience this was! I've never been the type of person to do any sort of these thrill-filled activities, but this was definitely a fun and unforgettable time! Love that the staff here is so friendly, helpful, fun, and funny! Can't wait to come back! read more

The guys were great, took my 14 year old granddaughter and I was totally confident they would take care of her. Took over 200 pictures for $20.00, I would definitely recommend this place! We are already planning our next trip and this will be first on our day. Thanks guys read more

We went out to Catalina Island on my wife's Birthday. To have special day, we decided to do exciting watersports, Parasailing!! Doing so was awesome, two guys were nice to all the customers. We had photopackage costs $20, but the pictures he took were disappointed. Many of them were out focused, blurred and dark. As I got off the boat, I gave them $20 tips, but it was regretful. They can't guarantee that you get satisfied 100%. Anyway, have fun with it!! read more

Wayan and Mike were great with my kids. Very upbeat and friendly. I recommend the photo package, also go 800 ft. vs 600 ft. We were on the boat with two other people that did not choose to dip into the water, my kids went all the way under. They loved it! The ride was about 15 min. and when I asked the kids they felt that was a perfect amount of time. If you are looking for thrill, sky dive, this was relaxing and quiet, (from a 16, 15, and 13 year old). read more

We did parasailing and tubing with this company! Such great staff! They were very knowledgable and friendly. We scheduled parasailing at 9am and tubing at 12:15pm. Since we did parasailing with them, they gave EACH of us (there were 5 of us) $10 off on tubing! I was surprised because I didn't think they would give EACH of us $10 off. We thought it was a great deal! They were also not hesitant and cool about giving me a refund because I accidentally booked the 800ft online when we wanted the 600ft. Doug informed me that I just need to show up and explain to them and that was exactly what I did with ease! I highly recommend doing parasailing and tubing with this company! read more

Professional, good work ethic, super friendly! A+ service. I called the day before and secured a reservation for a Friday. Was great to go out early (10:30am). We all had an amazing experience. I highly recommend getting your feet splashed and the photo package. Thanks Island Water Charters for a memorable occasion! read more

I was surprising my boyfriend with a parasailing trip in Avalon. After reading all of the reviews I decided to book our trip with Island Water Charters. From the beginning everyone was so nice and welcoming. Our deckhands were so fun and upbeat. Once we were up in the air they did a few things to make the experience even better by letting us fall close to the water only to pull us back up before we touched. Before pulling us in they dipped our toes in the water. We bought the photo package and received our sim card with over a 100 pictures on it! Definitely worth every penny. I HIGHLY recommend them for your next parasailing trip!! read more