They are seen most of the time from the ground. These little spots of moving colors above our heads, these paragliders dancing with the wind. Well imagine that paragliding is not only practiced in the mountains. Example in Octeville-sur-Mer, near Le Havre. Meet at the top of the cliffs at the take-off base of the Optivol paragliding club. Its members offer two-seater paragliding discovery baptisms. And we tested it for you.
The first step is to equip yourself. “You have to put on a harness, it’s a bit like a harness that turns into a kind of chair once in flight. Then you have to put on the helmet“, explains Guillaume, paraglider for more than twelve years and our instructor for the day. Once equipped, it’s off for the big jump. For take-off, we let ourselves be guided by the instructions.
– Manon Lombart-Brunel
A breathtaking view of the sea and the cliffs
Quickly, we find ourselves more than 130 meters high with a breathtaking view of the sea, the fields, and the city of Le Havre just behind. “Because of our height we manage to see through the water, which we could not see at the level of the beach. We manage to see little heads sticking out, it’s often seals or downright dolphins.”
Sensations
Well installed in the harness, the paraglider allows, of course, to admire the landscape but not only. Depending on the wind, it is also possible to treat yourself to a few small sensations with turns and even 360°.
And no excuse, vertigo is not at all an obstacle to the practice of this activity. “I have vertigosays William. We only have vertigo if we are hanging on the ground, when we are on a ladder for example. In paragliding, you’re hanging on to nothing at all so you don’t get dizzy.”
– Manon Lombart-Brunel
The fact remains that for a discovery, the sensations are there and it requires a lot of energy.
“Paragliding, especially the first time, is something that consumes a lot of adrenaline so we estimate that 15-20 minutes is really the maximum”, explains Guillaume.
For the rest, there is no real contraindication to the practice of paragliding. “You still need people who are a little bit dynamic, but we manage to make people between the ages of 5 and 77 fly,” explains Guillaume.
To make your paragliding discovery baptism, you can send an email to [email protected]