{"id":11759,"date":"2016-07-21T18:24:37","date_gmt":"2016-07-21T22:24:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/?p=11759"},"modified":"2016-07-21T18:24:37","modified_gmt":"2016-07-21T22:24:37","slug":"dive-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/dive-in\/","title":{"rendered":"Dive In!"},"content":{"rendered":"

July\/August 2016 | view this story as a .pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

No vacation is complete without a dip in the water. Luckily, you don\u2019t need <\/span> a super yacht to enjoy Maine\u2019s waterways. Our guide to aquatic adventure <\/span> will help you plunge into the best Maine summer yet.<\/span><\/h3>\n

From Staff & Wire Reports<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Get-Out-on-the-Water\"(Para)sail Away<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

If you spend a day on the busy shore of Old Orchard Beach, cast your eyes beyond the bright patchworks of beach towels and bathers and you may spot a trio of squealing passengers being hauled through the air beneath a giant parasail canopy emblazoned with 855-FLY-2SKY. That\u2019s the trademark of Old Orchard Beach Parasailing, <\/strong>the exclusive provider of sky-high rides in OOB. At $80 for a ten-minute ride, is this sky-high trip really worth the hype? \u201cIt\u2019s only the best view in town!\u201d says a guide. \u201cYou can see 40 miles in every direction. You can actually see the White Mountains on a clear day.\u201d For those with a fear of heights, stay closer to the surface and take a spin on a Banana Boat for a more purse-friendly $20 per person.<\/span><\/p>\n

Old Orchard Beach Parasail and Ski, Saco, oobparasail.com, (855) FLY-2SKY<\/p>\n

Stand by Me<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you\u2019re on a paddle board you feel like you\u2019re standing on the surface of the ocean. It\u2019s a surreal sensation, it\u2019s almost spiritual,\u201d says SOPOSUP owner Rafael Adams, who\u2019s shop in South Portland has an array of stand up paddle boards, or \u201cSUPs,\u201d for you to try. The enormous boards (10-12 feet long) allow you to paddle easily along waterways and present a unique vantage point to gaze at your surroundings. You can even catch a wave or practice SUP yoga from your board. \u201cPaddle boarding is relatively easy, so it makes the water super accessible to everyone. You can get out on rivers, lakes, and the ocean at very little cost,\u201d says Adams, who bought his first SUP in 2010 \u201cwhen I accepted I couldn\u2019t afford a boat.\u201d Rent a board for $55 per day or take part in a group lesson for $25 per person.<\/span><\/p>\n

SOPOSUP, South Portland, soposup.com, 317-0425<\/span><\/p>\n

Kayaking and canoeing are two easy ways to get family members on the water together. Sebago Trails Paddling Co.<\/strong> owner Katelyn Allen attributes the sport\u2019s enduring appeal to its accessibility and inclusiveness. \u201cKayaking and canoeing are really easy to get into. It\u2019s very safe and you don\u2019t need a lot of experience, so it gets people out on the water who maybe aren\u2019t as confident.\u201d It also stuns you with silence and the beauty of your surroundings. Based on the shores of Sebago Lake, the company rents out their fleet of boats at $40 per day for a kayak and $50 for a canoe.\u00a0 <\/span>They also offer kids kayaks, fishing gear, and even a doggie life jacket, so no family member need be left behind. \u201cFor a lot of people it\u2019s a nostalgic trip. It reminds us of when we\u00a0 <\/span>were growing up,\u201d says Allen. Create your own memories.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sebago Trails Paddling Co., 4 Whites Bridge Rd,
\n<\/span>Windham, sebagotrails.com, 894-4696<\/p>\n

Surf\u2019S UP<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

While Maine may not boast the rolling, glassy barrel waves of California or Hawaii, we still have a few spots along the coast that will satisfy your need to rip. \u201cWe\u2019ve had buoys recording swells of over 20-feet in winter! But summer surfing in Maine tends to be very calm\u2013it\u2019s the perfect place to learn,\u201d says Andy McDermott of Black Point Surf Shop<\/strong> in Scarborough. With the beach breaks of Higgins, Scarborough, and Old Orchard in near convergence, beginners and skilled surfers alike can chase the perfect wave. \u201cThe surf shop is like a hub for all kinds of people and their stories,\u201d says Andy. His main advice for beginners? \u201cJust give it a try. You can only be given so much instruction with surfing. A lot of it is just spending time in the ocean.\u201d Rent a variety of different boards for $15 for half a day or get a 90-minute lesson starting at $80, and be sure to check the surf report before you head out.<\/span><\/p>\n

Black Point Surf Shop, Scarborough,
\n<\/span>blackpointsurfshop.com, 939-6016<\/p>\n

Speed machines<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

If you happen to prefer horsepower to manpower on the water, a jet-ski trip will provide the adrenaline fix you crave. Sure, you may be the bane of all other ocean users, but with top speeds of 55 mph you\u2019ll be moving too fast to care. Located in Wells Harbor, Ocean Jet Ski Rental<\/strong> keeps eight jet skis ready and waiting on the water, yours to rent for $90 an hour. \u201cThe oldest client ever to visit us was 93 years old. She came two years ago with her family, and she went out fully dressed. She absolutely loved it!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ocean Jet Ski Rental, Wells, oceanjetskirental.com, 396-0559<\/span><\/p>\n

All aboard<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Whether you\u2019re a certified sea captain or a complete beginner, you too can be skipper for the day without purchasing your own multi-million-dollar yacht. From his spot in Southwest Harbor, Chuck Watson of Mansell Boat Rental <\/strong>has been offering the chance to explore the Mount Desert coastline and the breathtaking beauty of the Somes Sound fjard for over 43 years. Put the wind in your sails and charter a 19-foot Rhodes sailboat for $295 per day. Or, if you prefer, sit back and relax in a rented 21-foot Boston Whaler motorboat for $100 more. Watson also offers lessons for beginners on the ways of the water (Sailing lessons $295\/2-3 hours). \u201cIt\u2019s an odd business,\u201d he says. \u201cYou take people who don\u2019t know what they\u2019re doing and turn them loose on the ocean.\u201d Thankfully, you\u2019ll be in expert company. <\/span><\/p>\n

Mansell Boat Rental, Mt. Desert Island,\u00a0 <\/span>mansellboatrentals.com, 244-5625<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

July\/August 2016
\nNo vacation is complete without a dip in the water. Luckily, you don\u2019t need a super yacht to enjoy Maine\u2019s waterways. Our guide to aquatic adventure will help you plunge into the best Maine summer yet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11761,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[107],"class_list":["post-11759","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","tag-julyaugust-2016"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11759","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11759"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11759\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11763,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11759\/revisions\/11763"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11761"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11759"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11759"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11759"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}