Island Water Charters

I made a reservation at Island Water Charters two weeks before my boyfriend’s birthday. I planned our entire trip out to Catalina island mainly for this parasailing event.
On the day of our reservation, we took the boat out to Catalina and showed up at Island Water Charters 20 minutes before our appointment time (the person I spoke with on the phone said we should get to the dock early).
We waited for about 45 minutes. Nothing. No one was at the office, no one was answering the phone, no one on the dock knew what had happened. We could hear the phone ringing inside the empty office. I left a voicemail explaining the situation but still have not heard back.
We went from being excited to being extremely frustrated that we had taken all the time and effort (and money) to come all the way out here for nothing.
Island Water Charters has still not contacted me to let me know what happened. I understand if you have to cancel a parasailing trip due to bad weather or other safety concerns, but I do not understand when you do not contact the people who made reservations to let them know.

Went parasailing here a while back on vacation and had such an amazing time! If you have never done this and have an adventurous streak, you will love it. We had a blast and met some great new friends while taking in Catalina from above. The picture package they offer is amazing and worth every penny for what you get! I really can’t say enough good things about the deals and the experience. Highly recommend!

Bucket list item check off complete! Thanks to this team! We were on the island for 2 days and I’ve always wanted to parasail. I was worried they wouldn’t have a spot since we waited until the day off to make a reservation. We got lucky and they got us on the boat! We walked down to the pier and signed some forms then waited to meet the captain. We were on the boat with a few other people. The captain had one assistant who was also the camera man. We were given instructions and life jackets. He helped us into our harness and set up us for the best experience. We were up in the air for a while and they give you the option of being dunked in the water or not. We opted to stay dry. We were told we would receive 90 photos on a memory card. We ended up with over 100! It was a great experience and a great company. I would do it again in a heart beat!

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.

I will say that the guys were awesome! The parasailing was amazing!!! I would have given them a 5 star rating BUT I bought the picture package because it was my sons first time (7 yo) and my husbands firs time as well. He is scared of heights and he still went! ALSO it was my birthday! THEY LOST MY PICTURES! If I would have known that was even a slight possibility I would have taken my own.
I saw the charter guy give the guy AFTER me a card with the pictures and I KNOW that guy has my pictures as well. I reached out to the company via FB messenger for his contact information because he said that it was his day off and worked for the other island charter. I PRAY they get back to me and give me his contact information. If they do I will change my rating to a 5 star.

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!

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.

Probably the most scariest thing I’ve ever done in my life, so far. I was terrified half the time but the view was just breathtaking. I highly suggest you give it a try because being up there changes your perspective so much! The guides were super kind and informative. I really enjoyed this experience and I plan on coming back with my boyfriend.

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! :)

Pretty fun. And very scary LOL. I was def more terrified of this than I was of ziplining, because the ropes/​harness creaked a lot (which made me freak out) but I think that’s supposed to happen so you’ll be ok! It’s also bit overpriced, but being one of the more exciting things to do on the island, I would say go for it! I personally opted for 600 ft (vs. 800 ft) which I think is plenty high enough unless you have the cash to spare.
Also the photo package that everyone else is so excited about didn’t do much for me. You get about 10 shots of your face and the rest are of the balloon/​you and your friend 600 or 800 ft in the air aka little black dots in the sky… I mean maybe my photographer just didn’t fully grasp the idea of «good lighting,» but for my pictures at least, I felt like I could have just googled «parasailing» and gotten the same thing. But if it’s really important to you that the black dot is actually you, I guess???

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.

Incredible experience!
Went for a friends birthday (free for her!) and will definitely go again. I had actually booked a reservation at another place nearby but when I called to change the time a day in advance, there was no answer and the email they provided didn’t work. Not dealing with those yahoos. Ended up walking over here to see what they could do and made it on the last boat of the day.
The guys on the boat were super cool — great attitudes and truly professional. I felt so comfortable despite the anxiety about going up 800ft. Loved the playlist they had on as well. I think we went up to Tom Petty.
The boat ride was worth it alone. Dolphins kept playing in the wake throughout the trip. When the last couple went up, there must have been at least 10 jumping a few feet in the air! The driver started cruising around the harbor, making waves for them to jump off. We were out there an extra half hour! Really appreciated how they went the extra mile to make our day special.
What’s more, the $ 20 photo packet was so worth it. Went home and saw that the guy took 116 pictures. Holy cow. Thank you guys!

My boyfriend and I went to Catalina Island for the first time on May 16, 2015. We did two activities: an open air Jeep tour through Catalina Transportation Services and parasailing through Island Water Charters. Both were great but parasailing was our favorite between the two… hands down. We went 800ft up and it was an awesome experience! I believe the total cost was $ 158 for both of us to go up plus we paid an extra $ 20 for the photo package. They took well over their advertised photo count, and the pictures came out great! We got to keep the SD card the pictures came with. The view was absolutely breathtaking and I really wish it lasted longer. I can’t remember the names of the two crew members who brought us out but they were pretty awesome. They blasted music during our 1 hour trip on the boat. Highly recommend this company. Can’t wait to do it again!

What an amazing experience! We were in a small group, only 3 couples, so the tour guides gave us each more air time! The parasailing experience itself is just great, you have to try it! But I strongly recommend going with Island Water Charters. They’re easy to access, right at the end of the pier. We opted for the photo package because for just $ 20 (per group, not individual) they promise 60 pictures on an SD card at the end of the trip. They took OVER 200 pictures, and some of them are really terrific!
There were 2 crew members on the boat, the driver and the person who hooks you in, takes the pictures, and helps you land. Both seemed very experienced and did a great job. They played upbeat music which gave the whole trip a very fun atmosphere. They let you choose if you want to be dunked in the water, they can do anything from just your feet to your whole body.
It would have been a great trip with just that, but we also saw dolphins! The boat driver called it out, there were about 30 dolphins playing in the waves. He drove us by them, then looped back to show us how they liked to play in the wake of the boat. Amazing experience all around.

I got to ride for free because it was my birthday! I am terrified of heights and was very scared (even after I had already done the zip line and rock climbing earlier that day). However, Mark and Frank made us very comfortable. We did not want to get wet and they made sure we stayed completely dry. The boat ride itself was awesome and being up in the air with the parachute was amazing. At 600 feet we could see spectacular views of the island and the harbor. I was amazed at how quiet and peaceful is was up there. We also bought the photo package. We received over 60 wonderful photos for only $ 20. I am so glad we did it and I will never forget this once in a life time experience. If I could, I would definitely go again next time I visit the island.

I was fooled by the reviews. I called a day before to check the rates and availability. The lady who answered was probably very busy because she rushed me off the phone, I didn’t even had time to finish my question.
So, the next day we went in and the lady behind the counter couldn’t even lift her head to welcome us. She was texting on her phone for at least 5 minutes while we stood there waiting at the door, right in front of her.
After she noticed that we were there, she then greeted us. But she never apologized or said anything like «My bad I wasn’t paying attention» or maybe «Sorry, I didn’t see you standing there». NOTHING!
Instead, she just went on with the attitude of someone who was giving us a favor by answering our questions. While answering our questions she was being overly pushy. I almost said something, but I bit my tongue.
I was stunned by the lack of courtesy and customer service that this company showed. Definitely not a 4.5 stars, I wouldn’t even give 1 if I could.
I don’t recommend! This company needs new employees.

Parasailing. What an amazing experience that I will cherish, and check off of my bucket list.
It’s peaceful. It’s being between heaven and earth. It gives you the feeling of being closer to God. Looking out at the blue water and the beautiful island. God is an amazing creator.
Parasailing was a blast. Being towed around by a boat eight hundred feet above water for the first time can make a person reflect on some things.
I had a lot of fun.

We had an amazing time here. We walked the island and asked a few locals where to go for Parasailing, we usually try and work out a local hook up for this kind of thing rather than book it through a tour. We ended up here and were happy with everything. I’ve never parasailed before and it was really the highlight of my trip.
I thought it would be incredibly windy up there… it’s so quiet! So peaceful and the views were amazing. My boyfriend and I went up together and were able to have a normal conversation while we were up in the air.
We paid extra to go the higher distance above the boat, and we paid extra to have them take pics of us while up there. I decided that taking my iPhone up there after I just had to replace it a few weeks ago was a bad idea.
I would 100% return and do this again. Worth every penny. And I checked in on Unilocal and got a free Frisbee!

Great first experience parasailing!
We had a group of 10 planning on going parasailing during Labor Day Weekend. Knowing that holiday weekends get super packed, I made a reservation through the phone about a month in advance. I wasn’t able to get any email confirmation and they told us to just trust them.
When our group showed up, the girls that we signed in with had a little bit of an attitude like sassy valley girls that were trying to rush us into the boat. However, the rest of our experience made up for it. The two guys who took us around on the boat were so much fun! By paying $ 60 each (group discount), we could choose to go either 600 or 800 feet. Usually, 600 ft is $ 65/​person and 800 ft is $ 79/​person. We also got the photo package, which is SUPER worth it. They took like 200 pictures on the SD card and it only costed $ 20.
We even got to shoot our friends with a water gun as they were getting reeled back into the boat :). Very fun experience!

This was our first time parasailing and we loved it! We came to Catalina Island with Carnival Cruises so we booked through that website. We don’t know what the price would be if we booked directly with this company because we didn’t do the research although we should have. We ended up paying $ 92 per person to parasail in the air for about 6 – 8 minutes each.
On our boat, we had 2 groups of three and 4 groups of two as well as one guy who was riding along to watch his wife do it. (I don’t know the cost of the ride-​along.) The whole journey was about 1.5 hours for us to all do it and get back to the dock.
They recommend you to arrive 45 minutes early to do the paperwork but it only takes about 5 – 10 minutes do sign the waivers. We were there about 1 hour early so we filled out the paperwork and wandered around because the lady said we didn’t need to be back until 5 – 10 minutes before we take off. She does allow you to go a little earlier if the entire group is already present and ready.
You can also buy an SD card for the guys facilitating the parasailing to take pictures for you. He just keeps snapping pictures while you’re up there so there’s a lot of photos to choose from. The SD card is $ 20 but you can share with friends if more than one group of friends go with you. We split is among 2 other groups of friends so we each paid $ 6-​$ 7 each. The camera that they use is a dslr with a lens with extra zoom.
If you’re wondering about how parasailing goes, they take you on a boat out into the ocean. He’ll explain to you that you should sit down before take off. Don’t try to stand up while in the air because you’ll get a massive wedgie. Then just relax and have fun until you return. When you get close to the boat, they’ll tell you to hold onto the bar so you can land standing.
They help you put on life jackets. None of us fell in the water but fear not if for some weird reason you do, they will just come get you. Seems pretty safe to me.
I had a lot of fun doing this and can’t wait until I go parasailing again!
And tips are always welcome of course!