JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – It's a brand new water sport and it's making waves in Jacksonville beach. Flyboarding is kind of like wakeboarding and surfing, with a jet pack. And a new company is letting you get in on the action.
It's a bird, it's a plane, no it's a flyboard. Haven't seen one before? Well that's because it is the first in our area.
"I saw a YouTube video with my friend and I just knew we had to do it," said Brandon Landis.
Brandon Landis, Flyboard First Coast co-owner, bought one and now teaches lessons. And yeah you could say he's pretty good.
"You can do backflips, double backflips, spins, you can go as high as 45 feet and you can swim underwater like a dolphin," said Landis.
The crazy concept is actually pretty simple. They attach a hose to the back of a jet ski, harnessing the power. Two jets on the bottom of the board shoot out a high-powered stream and the rest is history.
"You strap into the boots and you turn into a superhero. You have an 180 HP jet ski pushing the water out your jets," said Landis.
I even tried it for myself.
"Floating on two jets of water! Take that back to the future," I yelled.
I won't lie... It did take a few minutes, and wipeouts, to get the hang of. But soon enough I was up and flying. And it was incredible!
Now don't think I'm some super athlete. The guys teach people to soar all the time..12-year-old Brittany Taylor has been flybaording several times and has gotten pretty good.
"It's fun. Awesome," said Taylor.
She and her friend recommend the new kind of flying to everyone.
To book an appointment visit Flyboard First Coast's Facebook page or call 910-7480.