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Did this: H20 JetPack in Maunalua Bay

By Catherine Toth Fox • October 3, 2013 • #CatTravels

IMG_3269

I love the ocean.

But I’d rather be on it than under or over it.

So you can imagine my apprehension to try the H20 JetPack, a fairly new ocean thrill offered by H20 Sports Hawaii.

I’m not used to flying above the ocean — or being strapped to a jetpack powered by a 250-horsepower marine engine that follows you in a pod attached to the jetpack. I’d much prefer to sit on a longboard at a mellow surf break and worry about catching a set — not air.

But, as is often the case, I was on assignment. So you gotta do what you gotta do.

IMG_3236I met the crew at the H20 Water Sports office at the Hawaii Kai Shopping Center. We rode a slow-moving boat into Maunalua Bay, where we met up with an anchored barge that had cubby holes for our belongings and every water toy imaginable.

There were about 15 of us on the boat, all visitors to the island and eager to get out on the ocean, whether on a Jetski or Banana Boat. Only five were braving the H20 JetPack — and all of them were from Japan.

Apparently, some Japanese celebrities had tried the JetPack and now it’s a badge of honor for visitors to Oahu to do the same.

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You start by strapping the 27-pound jetpack to your back. Then you learn how to move it with hand controls. The throttle is controlled by an instructor, who communicates with you via a headset in your helmet. So it’s safe — at least safer than if you had to control the entire thing yourself.

Experts can fly up to 30 feet in the air — the length of the tube that connects the jetpack to the marine engine — but you’ll likely just get a few feet above the water. In fact, while most will catch some air, only a very small few will reach remarkable heights. (And they tend to be helicopter pilots, believe it or not.)

It’s not really my thing, to fly over the Pacific Ocean, though it’s definitely an experience. But if you’re a thrill seeker and you’ve exhausted all of your options in Hawaii, this is the toy for you to try.

For me, I’d rather fight the crowds in the lineup.

H20 JetPack is offered Monday through Friday only by H20 Sports Hawaii. Cost is $169 (subject to change). To try it, call H20 Sports Hawaii at (808) 396-0100 or visit www.h2osportshawaii.com.

h20 jetpackh20 water sportsHawaiijetpackMaunalua Bayocean thrills
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About the Author

Catherine Toth Fox

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5 Comments

  • Reply Dennis October 3, 2013 at 6:27 am

    Hi Cat! I agree with you! Above the water is totally nuts! Something to think about for out of town tourist.

  • Reply Annoddah Dave October 3, 2013 at 6:36 am

    CAT: Did you actually try it? Could you determine whether there is really an environmental impact like some detractors claim? Wondering how long a time you have for the $169? BTW, “tub”=tube

  • Reply M October 3, 2013 at 6:58 am

    Hello Cat!
    That’s something I would try once, just to say I did it.

  • Reply David Jackson October 3, 2013 at 1:25 pm

    I’d do that. Always wanted to try.

  • Reply Bruddah Shaun October 3, 2013 at 9:04 pm

    Da Podagee Rocketeer

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About Me

About Me
Born and raised on O‘ahu, Hawaiʻi, Catherine Toth Fox has been chronicling her adventures in her blog, The Cat Dish, for more than a decade. She worked as a newspaper reporter in Hawai‘i for 10 years and continues to freelance—in between teaching journalism, hitting the surf and eating everything in sight—for national and local print and online publications. She’s currently the editor of HAWAIʻI Magazine.

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