Parasailing

Parasailing is a recreational activity in which a person wearing a parachute-like canopy is towed behind a vehicle, usually a boat, and lifted into the air.

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Parascending: A recreational activity in which a person descends from a height beneath a parachute, usually without being towed. Unlike parasailing, it relies on descent from an elevated launch rather than a vehicle pulling the canopy aloft.
Parasailing boat: A vessel equipped to tow parasailers, typically with a launch platform and line-handling equipment. Commercial parasailing commonly uses a boat as both tow vehicle and launch base.
Pierre-Marcel Lemoigne: A French parachute designer associated with developing the Para-Commander canopy in the 1960s. His steerable canopy design helped establish equipment that could be adapted for towed recreation.
Paragliding: A foot-launched form of aviation in which a pilot flies a fabric wing using rising air and gravity. Paragliders are launched by pilots and flown independently, rather than being towed by a boat for recreation.
Parasail: A canopy designed to lift a person when towed through the air by a vehicle. Its shape and suspension lines convert towing force into lift.
Parasailing platform: A raised deck on a towing vessel used to launch and recover parasailers. The platform lets passengers take off and land from the boat rather than the water.
Para-Commander: A steerable parachute canopy developed by Pierre-Marcel Lemoigne and introduced in the 1960s. Its canopy design became an important precursor to recreational parasailing equipment.
Parachuting: The activity of jumping from an aircraft and descending with a parachute. Parachuting begins with an aircraft jump; parasailing typically begins from a boat or other tow vehicle.
Towline: A line used to transmit pulling force from a towing vehicle to a load. It connects the boat or other vehicle to the parasail harness.
Tandem parasailing: Parasailing in which two people fly together beneath one canopy. Operators can offer shared flights by attaching two passengers to a suitable parasail system.