Flyboarding
LAPU-LAPU City hopes to attract more watersports enthusiasts into the city after a local resort introduced freeboarding, a new watersports craze in the world today.
“This is good news for us because our local and foreign tourist don’t have to go to other places and look for this flyboard as we already have it here. This will add more fun here in the historic resort city, and so we will help them get a market here,” said Hembler Mendoza, tourism officer of Lapu-Lapu City.
The new sport was introduced to tourists and locals here a week before the start of the Ironman event. This was after Diamond Water Sports in Hadsan Beach Resort located at Barangay Agus, Lapu-Lapu City got their flyboard equipment from abroad.
“Using the “flyboard” is just like putting both your feet on a skiboard with a 50-foot hose connected to a 400 cc engine of a Jet Ski. The flyboard can lift a person out from the water with a power thrust from the Jet Ski engine.
One must first feel the gadget (flyboard), the thrust’s directions and learn balance in order to float in the air. The person in the Jet Ski controls the accelerator that gives power to the flyboard.
“It’s the latest water sports craze in other countries. We are never late of what has been trending abroad,” said BJ Ang, Diamond Water Sports operator.
Ang said the flyboard was invented by Frankie Zapata of France in March 2011.
Ang said he ordered the flyboard in 2012 for $12,000 and after a brief training started to introduce it in Subic and later brought it to Batangas and Boracay.
He said his company is the first operator of this device in the country.
Aside from the flyboard, Diamond Water Sports also offers Para-sailing, banana boat and Jet Skis.