Chute ‘Em Up has been putting people in the air over the Gulf since 2004, working from Happy Harbor Marina on Marina Road in the Perdido Pass marina district, with six launch locations spread across Orange Beach, Gulf Shores, Perdido Key, and Fort Morgan. Translation: wherever you’re staying along this stretch of coast, one of their boats is probably closer than you think.
The flight
Flights go up to 800 feet over the water, and the age minimum is three years old — one of the more family-friendly policies out here, though whether your three-year-old should go is between you and your three-year-old. The fleet is fifteen U.S. Coast Guard approved boats (they call it the largest parasail fleet in the world; whatever the ranking, fifteen is a lot), each carrying up to fifteen passengers, so riders who’d rather watch from the deck can come along for the boat trip. From altitude you can see the whole shape of the coast — the pass, the back bays, the state line — which is the actual reason to do this. Takeoff and landing happen from the boat deck, the way modern winch boats work, so you stay dry unless you ask for a dip.
Good to know
A photo package of 40 to 60 shots comes with the flight, which spares you handing your phone to a stranger at altitude. The same operation also runs dolphin cruises on the Southern Rose, pontoon and tritoon rentals through OB Watersports, jet ski dolphin tours on a twenty-mile coastal route, waverunner rentals, and banana boats from the beach locations, so they can fill out a whole water day if parasailing was just the opener. Wind is the variable — flights get scrubbed when it kicks up, so check the beach conditions and give yourself a backup day. Book ahead in peak summer, and check their site for current rates.
