Doing x-treme sports in Hong Kong
Bored with Hong Kong and tired of doing the same things every weekend? Look no further—here are 3 extreme adventure sports you can try out in Hong Kong! After all, you only live once—if you survive. Hehe….
Have you ever heard of Wake Surfing?
This is the latest instalment to gliding on the water. Unlike wakeboarding you do not hold on to any rope to pull you along. Instead you are launched at a much closer distance to the speedboat and ride the waves that are generated.
Not only that, you are riding much closer to the boat to catch the waves and at a much slower rate (approximately 11 miles per hour). Make sure you are on a specifically designed boat that has its propeller covered or much further below the boat for safety reasons in case of any unwanted wipe-outs.
Credit IG: yoshimura_y
It is no cheap feat, at around $4000 for 4 hours with a usual max capacity of 5 people it can turn into an expensive afternoon. But when you are out on the water with the sun beaming down you may start to wonder why you hadn’t thought of this sooner.
Check out Wake Surfing Hong Kong located on the southside of HK Island in Tai Tam. With four different coaches and 3 different boats you are in capable and safe hands.
Wake Surfing HK
Website: www.wakesurfhongkong.com
IG: @wakesurfinghk
Whatsapp: +852 6650 0900
Credit IG: yoshimura_y
Want to Fly without Covid restrictions? Go Paragliding
For those wanting to experience flying again without going through the covid restrictions, try paragliding in Hong Kong. Paragliding is jumping off a cliff with a pilot while having a parachute strapped to your back then jumping off the cliff in order to fly. The pilot is a trained paraglider and teaches you the basics before you both take off and you usually land on a beach. Hong Kong lawyer, Ling Ling tried this after seeing other people paragliding while hiking in the area. As a first-timer, flying with a pilot gave her courage and confidence.
Credit： Ling Ling
There are some paragliding schools in Hong Kong that provide paid flying experiences and provide equipment. Age, weight and height requirements vary amongst different paragliding schools. If you enjoy the experience and want to go further, you can even obtain a licence to fly solo and become a pilot. To get a licence, you will need to study basic theory on how a paraglider flies, how the weather affects flying and what training is required to become a solo pilot. There are different levels to achieve depending on flight hours, learning how to tandem fly (fly in pairs with a novice) and passing in written exams.
Credit: Ling Ling
Paragliding schools in Hong Kong:
1. Paragliding in Hong Kong
Website: www.paraglidinginhongkong.com
Price: HK$2,500 (including action video and equipment provided)
Duration: 2-5 hours including pickup and return from nearby station, hike and flight time
Flying locations: Sunset Peak on Lantau Island, Ma On Shan, Dragon’s Bank near Shek O
2. Hongkong Hike n Fly
Website: www.hongkonghikenfly.com
Price: Provided on demand
Flying location: Sunset Peak on Lantau Island
Video: Paragliding, Credit: Ling Ling
Kitesurfing - a mixture of surfing, windsurfing, paragliding, and skateboarding.
Pics: Jerry Ovares Lopez
Kitesurfing is a fairly new competitive professional sport but has been around recreationally since the late 1970s. It is a mixture a whole range of other sports including wakeboarding, power kiting, snowboarding, windsurfing, surfing and paragliding. Kitesurfing is about riding and gliding across the water while holding onto a large hand-controlled kite that is powered by the wind. Waves are not essential.
Pics: Jerry Ovares Lopez
People who practise one of the before mentioned sports can pick up kitesurfing quickly. Those new to water sports may find kitesurfing to be one of the easiest to learn. It has a very quick progression curve with many people being up and ridng after just a few hours of lessons.
Pics: Jerry Ovares Lopez
According to Jerry Ovares Lopez, a kiteboarding instructor based in Hong Kong, anyone can learn the sports as long as you meet the min 30 kg weight requirement. One does not need to be a good swimmer. What is more important is the learner’s confidence swimming in open water.
Pics: Jerry Ovares Lopez
Shui Hau Wan and Pui O Beach in Lantau are the two main kitesurfing locations in Hong Kong. Just like learning any extreme sports, taking lessons from a certified instructor is highly recommended as one needs to learn safety guidelines on top of mastering the skills of the sport. Jerry has been a IKO certified kiteboarding instructor since 2019. He offers different level of courses to cater the learners’ needs. Lessons are one-to-one and all basic equipment will be provided.
For more details, please visit Jerry’s website at https://kiteboard.hk or alternatively https://www.facebook.com/jerryskiteboardingprivatelessonhongkong.
Jerry can be contacted directly at +852 61907039
Pics: Jerry Ovares Lopez
So there you have it—we’ve done the homework—just waiting for you to embark on an adventure a MTR/ bus and hike away. As Jason Mraz sings, go “living in the moment, with peace in [your] mind, with peace in [your] heart.”.