There are plenty of opportunities in Clatsop County for fun and recreation on land and in the water … but how about those who are looking for a little “air time?”

And not just flying a kite, but for the adventure seekers looking for ways to ride the winds and explore higher altitudes over the North Coast?

There’s always ziplining (Highlife Adventures, 92111 High Life Road, Warrenton). But there are other ways to find above-ground entertainment.

The first is kitesurfing and/or kiteboarding — attaching your feet to a short surfboard, then putting on a harness with a bar, attached to a big kite. Thus, “kitesurfing.”

The coastal winds of northwest Oregon provide some of the finest areas available for kitesurfers and kiteboarders. Both groups can be seen sometimes from northern beaches between Sunset Beach and the Peter Iredale, and in or around Trestle Bay, near the South Jetty.

“Kiteboarding, kitesurfing, or whatever you want to call it, is one of the best sports on the planet,” according to kite-line.com. “Kiteboarding allows you to feel connected to the elements (water, snow, land) as the wind powers you and your kite along. Kitesurfing has grown tremendously and the sport has taken off in many directions (wakestyle, freestyle, surfing, foiling, snow, land). Kiteboarding equipment has also changed along with each discipline.”

All kitesurfing and boarding gear can be purchased online, but if you’re looking to try it on first, Cleanline Surf in Seaside (60 N. Roosevelt Drive, 503-738-7888) and Cannon Beach (171 Sunset Boulevard, 503-436-9726) carries most equipment for your kitesurfing and kiteboarding needs.

For those who wish to fly much higher, consider paragliding.

Paragliding offers powered and unpowered gliding over a nearly 5-mile stretch of beach, from Del Rey to Sunset Beach.

And what is paragliding?

“Paragliders (use) a ground-based towing system, where a vehicle with a specially designed winch system pulls the paraglider aloft,” according to discoverparagliding.com. “The vehicle and paraglider start in close proximity, with the paraglider climbing higher as the vehicle drives along the beach between Sunset and Del Rey Beach approaches. Elevations of over 3,000 (feet) can be reached with this method. Once the paraglider reaches maximum altitude, the tow line is released and quickly rewound into the tow vehicle.”

And the paraglider is off and gliding, riding the wind currents up and down the beach.

Discover Paragliding (503-440-0733, info@discoverparagliding.com) “offers scenic tandem flights and solo paragliding training over spectacular Sunset Beach.”

Individuals can fly with a certified “Master Tandem Instructor” up to 3,000 feet above the beach.

For those who prefer to fly solo, the company offers “complete training packages from that ‘first day’ to your advanced ratings and beyond. With its consistent winds and miles of flyable beaches, Sunset Beach is arguably one of the top five training locations in the U.S. It’s a perfect destination for your paragliding training vacation.”

Discover Paragliding recently announced that customers will be required to provide proof that they’ve been vaccinated against the coronavirus.

“With our extended group exposure, both indoors and outdoors, we feel that this decision definitely falls into the ‘best practices’ category for the safety of our students and instructors,” the company said.

Operations “will frequently be conducted during daylight hours for the duration of our flying season,” approximately March 15 to Oct. 15.

Discover Paragliding is now offering tandem instructional flights, under the above conditions, with limited availability.