Choose parasailing if you want the view and nothing to steer: ten minutes in the air costs €54 with Tenerife Sailing Charters or €60 with AJ Fly in Tenerife, a flight in Gran Canaria is €60, and in Pattaya a 30-minute slot is ฿800 (about $22) per person — the crew does the flying. Choose a jet ski if you want to drive and stay out longer: it is priced per machine for one or two riders, €60 for a 25-minute circuit in Gran Canaria, €70 for 40 minutes in Tenerife and ฿5,900 (about $163) for a guided island tour in Pattaya. For two people the cheaper choice depends on the place: in Pattaya two flights cost ฿1,600 against ฿5,900 for a jet ski, while in the Canaries a shared jet ski costs less than two flights.
| Parasailing | Jet ski | |
|---|---|---|
| Who is in control | The crew: you sit in a harness under the canopy | You drive; no licence needed on these guided rides |
| How the price is set | Per person flying | Per machine, one or two riders |
| Time | 10 minutes in the air in Tenerife; a 30-minute slot in Pattaya | 25 minutes to 1 hour |
| Lowest price | ฿800 (about $22) in Pattaya; €54 in Tenerife; €60 in Gran Canaria | ฿5,900 (about $163) in Pattaya; €65 in Tenerife; €60 in Gran Canaria |
| Children | From 4 in Pattaya; from 6 with a parent in Sharm El Sheikh | Passengers from 5 in Pattaya; solo drivers from 16 at JetSkiPuertoColon.com in Tenerife |
| Friends who do not take part | Ride the boat: €30 with AJ Fly; €20 per adult and €15 per child with Parasailing Maspalomas | Ride as the second person on the machine: +€10 for 30 minutes with Atlantic Wake |
- Parasailing suits anyone who wants the coast from above without effort, families with children from four in Pattaya, and groups where not everyone wants to go up.
- A jet ski suits people who want speed at the controls, couples happy to share one machine, and anyone who wants more than ten minutes — the rides here run from 25 minutes to an hour.
- Before you book parasailing in Pattaya: Manta Marina asks pregnant travellers and people with heart conditions not to fly.
What does each cost where both are sold?
Pattaya, Tenerife and Gran Canaria sell both, and in two of the three the parasailing boat and the jet skis work from the same marina.
| Destination | Parasailing | Jet ski | Same marina? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pattaya | Manta Marina: ฿800 (about $22) per person, 30-minute slot, at least two per booking | TSA Jet Ski Pattaya: ฿5,900 (about $163) per jet ski for up to two, guided mini tour to Koh Larn, Koh Klok and Koh Sak | No: parasailing starts at 31 Beach Road; TSA gives its meeting point after booking |
| Tenerife | Tenerife Sailing Charters: €54, 10 minutes, Los Cristianos · AJ Fly: €60, 10 minutes, Puerto Colón | JetScoot: €65 per jet ski online, 40 minutes · WOW Tenerife: €70 single, €80 double, 40 minutes | AJ Fly and JetScoot are both on pontoon 3 of Puerto Colón; WOW is on pier 4 |
| Gran Canaria | Parasailing Maspalomas: €60 for one person, €100 for two, Pasito Blanco | Atlantic Wake: €70 per jet ski, 30 minutes, +€10 for a second rider · Canary WaterSports: €60, 25-minute circuit, Puerto Rico | Parasailing Maspalomas and Atlantic Wake both work from the Pasito Blanco marina |
Longer jet ski rides cost more in the same places: an hour with WOW Tenerife is €80 single and €100 double, an hour with Atlantic Wake is €110 plus €20 for a second rider, and TSA's island tour with a lunch stop is ฿7,900 (about $219) per jet ski. In Tenerife, JetScoot's page says both that a second rider costs nothing and that it costs €10, so ask before paying.
Which is cheaper for two people?
In Pattaya parasailing wins by a wide margin; in the Canaries one jet ski shared by two costs less than two flights, and in Tenerife it also lasts four times as long: 40 minutes on the water against ten in the air.
| Destination | Two parasailing flights | One jet ski for two |
|---|---|---|
| Pattaya | ฿1,600 (about $44), 30-minute slot | ฿5,900 (about $163), guided island tour |
| Tenerife | €108 with Tenerife Sailing Charters or €120 with AJ Fly, 10 minutes in the air | €80 with WOW Tenerife, 40 minutes |
| Gran Canaria | €100 for two flying together | €80 with Atlantic Wake, 30 minutes · €70 with Canary WaterSports, 25 minutes |
The Pattaya figures are not like for like: the ฿5,900 jet ski tour is a guided island run with a snorkel stop and a mask included, while lunch, island fees and hotel transfers are paid separately.
What are the age and weight limits?
Parasailing takes younger children. Manta Marina in Pattaya flies children from four and sells its adult rate for ages 13 to 60. In Sharm El Sheikh, Horizon Water Sports ($26 for a solo flight, $29 double, $35 triple) lets children from six fly with a parent on a double or triple flight and caps the total weight of any flight at 150 kg, whether one, two or three people go up. On a jet ski, children on TSA's Pattaya tours ride as passengers from five with an adult driving, and at JetSkiPuertoColon.com in Tenerife a solo driver must be at least 16. For the other Canary operators, give the children's ages when you book.
How much time do you actually get?
Parasailing in Tenerife is sold by time in the air: ten minutes, with the boat ride out and back on top. Manta Marina's 30 minutes in Pattaya is the whole slot, including the boat from the beach to its platform in the bay. Horizon in Sharm El Sheikh flies up to 50 metres and gives a typical wait of 15–20 minutes. Jet ski times are riding time: 25 minutes on Canary WaterSports' circuit in Puerto Rico, 30 or 60 minutes with Atlantic Wake, 40 minutes or an hour in Tenerife. JetSkiPuertoColon.com's single safari is 60 minutes in total, about 45 of them on the water.
What is not in the price?
- Photos: €25 with AJ Fly; sold separately by JetScoot and WOW Tenerife; on a pen drive at extra cost with Canary WaterSports; included with Atlantic Wake; not included with Manta Marina.
- Friends on the boat: €30 for a non-flyer with AJ Fly; €20 per adult and €15 per child with Parasailing Maspalomas.
- Transfers: Manta Marina does not collect from hotels; Atlantic Wake includes transport, subject to availability and booking in advance; TSA's jet ski tours leave out hotel transfers, lunch and island fees.
- What to wear: Canary WaterSports requires a T-shirt under the life vest.
