The climate on Thursday, with sunny and clear skies seen from Mussel Rock Park, was excellent to beat the warmth wave in a lot of the Bay Space. However for paraglider pilots, the climate wasn’t excellent. They wanted extra wind: “It was a bit bumpy,” one paraglider stated after touchdown again on the 200-foot launch cliff.
However for Bonita Hudson, it was her second flight of the day. The primary was about midday from a roughly 400-foot altitude; the second got here along with her boyfriend, Jarred Bonaparte, at sundown from the “Cheetah” launch website, at 180-foot elevation. The Pacifica paragliding pilots have been flying for 16 and 12 years, respectively, they are saying.
“I got into paragliding 16 years ago. I always knew I wanted to fly something, but planes and skydiving weren’t practical and very expensive,” Hudson says. “I ended up buying a one-way ticket to Hawaii and saw them paragliding in the mountains there, and I knew that’s what I wanted to do.”
One of many advantages of paragliding, she says, is that it’s “very calming and sort of meditative, and you don’t really think of other problems or stress while you’re up there. You’re very focused on being up there. … I started doing tandems 8 years ago and love spreading the feeling of flight with others!”
Paragliding pilots Jarred Bonaparte, prime, and his girlfriend Bonita Hudson, each of Pacifica, benefit from the climate because the solar units within the horizon at Mussel Rock Seaside in Daly Metropolis, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025. Hudson and Bonaparte have been flying for 16 and 12 years, respectively, they are saying. Earlier within the day, Hudson flew from a better elevation. (Ray Chavez/Bay Space Information Group)
Mussel Rock Park is without doubt one of the hottest paragliding websites in Northern California; it affords breathtaking views of the ocean, particularly at sundown, the cliffs, and the town of San Francisco if the day is evident.
Hikers and guests to Mussel Rock Park, which was constructed on an outdated landfill that operated from 1957 to 1978, benefit from the park, the character — and the colourful flying paragliders.
Faz Saidy, of Pacifica, prepares to launch from a cliff at Mussel Rock Seaside in Daly Metropolis, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025. The windy circumstances weren’t excellent for paragliding, stated Saidy, who had been flying for 27 years. (Ray Chavez/Bay Space Information Group)
A paragliding pilot enjoys the climate as he flies with a paraglider at Mussel Rock Seaside in Daly Metropolis, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Space Information Group)
Paragliding pilots watch a fellow paraglider flying over Mussel Rock Seaside in Daly Metropolis, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025. The windy circumstances weren’t excellent for paragliding, some pilots stated, as they often fly 3 to five days every week. (Ray Chavez/Bay Space Information Group)
Faz Saidy, of Pacifica, prepares to launch from a cliff at Mussel Rock Seaside in Daly Metropolis, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025. The windy circumstances weren’t excellent for paragliding, stated Saidy, who had been flying for 27 years. (Ray Chavez/Bay Space Information Group)
Paragliding pilots benefit from the climate as they fly with paragliders at Mussel Rock Seaside in Daly Metropolis, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025. The windy circumstances weren’t excellent for paragliding, some pilots stated, as they often fly 3 to five days every week. (Ray Chavez/Bay Space Information Group)
Paragliding pilot Bonita Hudson, of Pacifica, enjoys the climate at Mussel Rock Seaside in Daly Metropolis, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025. Hudson, who flew from a better elevation earlier, has been flying for 16 years. (Ray Chavez/Bay Space Information Group)
A paraglider lands on the previous landfill that operated from 1957 to 1978 at Mussel Rock Seaside in Daly Metropolis, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025. The outdated coastal trash dump has been leaking trash into the ocean and onto the seaside. (Ray Chavez/Bay Space Information Group)
Paragliding pilots Jarred Bonaparte, prime, and his girlfriend Bonita Hudson, each of Pacifica, benefit from the climate because the solar units within the horizon at Mussel Rock Seaside in Daly Metropolis, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Space Information Group)
Examine one other Bay Space paragliding website in Milpitas.
Hold gliding pilot Takeo Eda, of San Jose, flies with the cling glider after launching from the 600ft launch website at Ed R. Levin County Park in Milpitas, Calif., on Aug. 8, 2020. Eda is an cling gliding observer and is within the course of to grow to be an teacher as he’s being flying for 8 years, he stated. (Ray Chavez/Bay Space Information Group)