Flyboarding Is the Coolest Sport You’ve Never Tried

Senechal takes flight. Photo provided for bostonmagazine.com

Here’s the chance for one last big summer thrill: head to the Cape and try Flyboarding. If you’ve never heard of Flyboarding, you’re not alone. The “extreme sport” was introduced in 2012, and it’s still relatively hard to find.

Flyboarding is exactly what it sounds like: When propelled by water that’s passed from a Jet Ski to the board from a hose, it allows its rider to fly. Depending on the amount of power exerted by the Jet Ski and the rider’s positioning, he or she can gain altitude, sometimes flying as high as 40 feet in the air.

“I’ve owned a water sports business for 20 years, so anything that comes in water sports, I want to get right to,” says Eddie Senechal, owner of Falmouth’s Old Silver Beach Water Sports, who discovered the sport two years ago. “I love anything in the water.”

Senechal says that Flyboarding takes “a little bit of courage,” but insists it can be done by anyone, not just adrenaline junkies. “I would recommend it to anyone. Most people think it’s a lot more difficult than it is,” he says. “I’ve had people who absolutely were frightened of it, and I got them flying in 10 minutes and they were so happy after that.” (It helps, he says, that the average first-timer only reaches heights between five and 10 feet, not the stomach-dropping 40.)

If the novelty factor alone isn’t enough to get you flying, Senechal says Flyboarding is also a great addition to any workout routine. “[It works] muscles that you never knew you had. It’s a real good core workout, especially when you’re beginning,” he says. “The first time I did it, the next day when I got out of bed the next morning, even my nose was hurting.”

As of now, Senechal’s shop is one of only a few in Massachusetts—Martha’s Vineyard Oceansports and Wicked Flyboarding in Springfield are the other two—that offers Flyboarding. Zapata Racing, which founded Flyboarding, says on its website that there’s only around 2,500 boards in circulation today. However, the sport may be on its way to a much higher profile. There’s already a Flyboard World Cup held yearly, and Senechal says that he currently has plans to put together a Flyboard “show team” that would be comprised of seasoned professionals traveling around the area performing tricks and flips.

Even if professional Flyboarding isn’t in your five-year plan, Senechal says the sport fulfills a dream held by many. “The thing about Flyboarding,” Senechal says, “is a lot of people have always wanted to fly, and now you can.”

Flyboard lessons are offered daily for groups of six people between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Classes cost $299 per person. Old Silver Beach Water Sports, 350 Quaker Road, North Falmouth; 508-801-3329.