Flyboard – “Taking Watersports to New Heights”
There are many different ways that people find themselves living in Nha Trang, and this is the story of two intrepid entrepreneurs who have been making literal waves since their arrival four years ago. Like many business ventures, it began by pure chance!
Eugen Taranowski, having tired of the monotony of life in Germany, booked a trip to Asia seeking some fun and adventure. While in The Philippines, a fortunate Skype encounter with a dive company owner in Nha Trang brought him to the city, where he completed his dive instructor training and spent his days underwater off Hon Mun Island. Here, he met his future business partner, and fellow diver, Artur Sakhabutinov. While Eugen came to Nha Trang by conventional modes of transport, Artur had long eschewed the easy route from A to B. He and his wife undertook an epic adventure to Nha Trang, cycling from their home in Russia, via Kazakhstan, China Thailand and Cambodia, on a 3-month journey of over 6000 km.
They had been diving now for 2 years, and the routine had become increasingly tiresome and unexciting. Eugen was considering a return to Germany, when, during a lazy afternoon surfing the web, they came across some Flyboard videos on YouTube when it was still in its infancy as a watersport. He was immediately entranced by its potential, and a plan was hatched to research it further.
“We wanted to work for ourselves and were bored doing the same thing each day. After seeing the videos of Flyboard, Artur and I just knew it was something exciting and different that we could do together. So, we booked a trip to Thailand to meet a Flyboard dealer who gave us great advice and trained us on how to use it. We then reached out to Flyboard Russia, who were extremely helpful in providing the contacts from whom we could purchase the equipment”, explained Eugen. Upon returning to Nha Trang, they purchased their first Jet-Ski and Flyboard and began offering their services to tourists in the city, and thus began Flyboard Nha Trang.
An exhilarating hybrid between jetski and hovercraft, Flyboard is an exciting watersport that has become hugely popular worldwide. Balancing up to 3 meters above the waves on your own personal hovercraft is certainly an interesting way to spend one’s afternoon, and Flyboard has laid claim to the most exciting and unique water activity in Nha Trang. The device is a relatively simple contraption that attaches a hose to a jet-ski which pushes controlled jets of water through the base of the Flyboard, thus allowing users to balance and ‘fly’ across the water.
To say that it was a success would be an understatement, and it garnered instant exposure and media attention. Online publications, TV companies and creative agencies were queuing up for interviews, and the guys began taking bookings for commercial and advertising events as big brands saw the opportunity to align themselves with the uniqueness of the Flyboard experience.
The operation quickly expanded, and they continued to reinvest profits to purchase more Flyboard equipment and jet-skis. Nowadays, they complete daily Flyboard Tours on the Cai River, and are busy with another hugely popular adventure tour. Flyboard is now the first company in Vietnam to offer guided jet-ski tours on Nha Trang Bay and to the islands offshore. Guests can jump on a high powered jet-ski and skip across the waves to either Hon Mun or Monkey Islands, for an unparalleled guided experience.
This is the only tour available on the waters of Nha Trang where tourists are in control of their own trip on the waves, making it ideal for the adrenaline junkie or adventure tourist seeking a boat trip with a difference. Thanks to the maneuverability of a jet-ski, you can visit secret beaches, hidden coves and untouched snorkeling grounds otherwise inaccessible on a regular boat trip. On windy days, the waves can really pick up, and the experience is exhilarating, to say the least.
Eugen’s future plans are to develop the watersport industry in Vietnam. “I feel that watersport culture here is very underdeveloped, with too many restrictions placed on the ability of companies to create services that cater to adventure tourists. With the right support from the government, Vietnam has the potential to become a hugely popular adventure destination. We are now working with other stakeholders to create the country’s first Extreme Sports and Watersports Association”, he added. The association would encompass all types of watersports including surfing, sailing, kitesurfing and swimming, and aims to set up a nationwide organization that can promote watersports and provide training and accreditation for those who wish to work in this budding industry.
If you feel the need for some adventure and excitement then give the guys at Flyboard Nha Trang a call and get the adrenaline pumping. You will love it!
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