I really enjoy parasailing. I’m not just saying that to sell tickets, it’s a really cool activity. I would call it a “once-in-a-lifetime” activity. As in, you should at least experience it once. I’m lucky enough to have done it several times. Full disclosure: I get a little anxiety when flying in an airplane, but being tethered to a boat attached to a parachute over the water is no problem.
As a customer, I hate when businesses create rules that don’t make sense or add excessive fees they camouflage to look like something else. There’s a company I do business with (and I wish I didn’t have to because of this one bad practice) that charges huge fees for shipping. I hate it when they treat me like I’m stupid. It doesn’t cost $20 to ship one bolt. Why is it in a box large enough to ship Shaquille O’Neal’s shoes? The box doesn’t need three feet of paper to prevent it from breaking. It’s not going to break. Throw it in a padded envelope, charge me $10, and let’s call it even. Just be honest. Tell us what your shipping fee really is: a revenue producer. At Kitty Hawk Watersports, we do so much better by our customers.
As the proud owner of Kitty Hawk Watersports for the last 23 years, I’ve made a lot of good memories out on the water. When working in watersports, you’re destined to meet a few characters. One individual – I’ll call him Ron – has become a successful, small businessman. But when he was a college student mating on a parasail boat, his summer hobby was making moves on high school girls.
At Kitty Hawk Watersports, our business is so many things to so many people. It can be an emotional outlet, an adventure, a time to stretch boundaries, entertainment, or it can simply be play. Some people come out just to get away from the daily ho-hum, while some want to give their kids a new experience. Others come out for the excitement, and many customers just want to relax.
As I write this post, a pandemic is shutting down the entire country. I can go in a few directions. I can write about how this event is affecting Kitty Hawk Watersports and the entire Outer Banks, I can pretend everything’s fine and that we’ll see you this summer, or I can spend some time reminiscing about the good times so we can distract ourselves for a few minutes.
As the longtime owner of Kitty Hawk Watersports, I can tell you from experience that the Outer Banks offers great fishing. For the record, I consider myself a horrible fisherman. But, on the bright side, the Outer Banks can occasionally make me feel like a pro.
I met my future wife in Buffalo. The connection we made was through windsurfing. I was shocked to find a pretty lady in Buffalo who knew how to windsurf. I’m still not sure how I impressed her, and for some reason she didn’t disqualify me.
If you spend 22 years in the watersports business, you’re bound to see or experience some interesting things. Some things make you laugh, some things leave you in awe, and some things just make you want to quit.
Our jet ski tour is definitely a popular activity. I think, however, the primary myth is that customers assume that the tour is a slow, boring trip around the sound. Nothing could be further from the truth; we will go as fast or as slow as you like. The tour covers at least 15 miles across the water. On occasion, the guide will stop and talk briefly, but he/she will keep you moving. If we see a dolphin along the way, we are happy to stop and check them out. In addition, if customers want to stop and do some free-styling, we are happy to oblige.
If you’re a hiker or just love walking around and exploring, I’ve got a cool little adventure you can take on the Outer Banks when the winds or waves push you away from the water.