Jessica Soon stood on the platform some 80-plus feet above the ground, nestled in towering Norfolk pine trees, and jumped. She waved her left arm as she flew across the field toward a landing tower some 850 feet away —
Jessica Soon stood on the platform some 80-plus feet above the ground, nestled in towering Norfolk pine trees, and jumped.
She waved her left arm as she flew across the field toward a landing tower some 850 feet away — the length of more than two football fields.
Sitting in a harness, secured by carabiners, and lanyards to a steel cable, the Vancouver, Canada girl shoots away, reaching speeds of around 30 mph.
No fears. No worries.
To describe how it felt, she uses one word: “Awesome.”
Jessica and her family spent more than three hours on a recent morning going through Just Live! Zipline Tours treetop tour on Kauai that included seven zip lines, four canopy bridges and countless thrills and memories.
“They’re not even scared,” said Darcy Soon, father to Jessica and her sister, Nicole.
“It’s been really fun,” he added. “The guys are really good with keeping us entertained and having fun.”
The guys were Paul Chambers and Abraham Senussi, the family’s guides during their zip line tour.
Both are affable, funny, charming and friendly. On this day, Senussi was the sender early on, the guide preparing each guest before sending them zipping their way toward the next platform a few hundred feet away. Chambers was the catcher, who made sure each guest glided in safely.
If anyone was nervous about shooting out 80 feet above the ground, it didn’t show. Instead, there were rounds of smiles, shouts of delight and plenty of laughter, too.
“I think they built up a lot of comfort,” mom Christine Soon said of Chambers and Senussi.
Award
Just Live! Zipline Tours has been at this exhilarating entertainment for a decade. Others have taken notice.
Just Live! Zipline Tours & Outdoor Gear Store recently received a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence award.
“The accolade, which honors hospitality excellence, is given only to establishments that consistently achieve outstanding traveler reviews on TripAdvisor, and is extended to qualifying businesses worldwide,” according to a press release.
“Only the top-performing 10 percent of businesses listed on TripAdvisor receive this prestigious award.”
To qualify for a Certificate of Excellence, businesses must maintain an overall rating of four or higher, out of a possible five, as reviewed by travelers on TripAdvisor, and must have been listed on TripAdvisor for at least 12 months. Additional criteria include the volume of reviews received within the last 12 months.
“Just Live! Zipline Tours is pleased to receive a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence again in 2013,” said Julianne Lester, president at Just Live!.
“We strive to offer our customers an exciting, rewarding and memorable experience, and this accolade is evidence that our hard work is translating into happy and satisfied guests and positive reviews on TripAdvisor.”
Among the trees
Just Live! offers the first treetop/canopy zip line tour in Hawaii.
There are different tours including the “Econ-adventure,” which includes three zip lines, two skybridges, a 60-foot rock climbing wall, a 60-foot monster swing and a 100-foot rappelling tower. All told, it takes 4 1/2 hours.
The wikiwiki zip tour includes three zip lines, and two canopy bridges and takes about 2 1/2 hours.
The 11 aerial platforms offer stunning views.
“An amazing tree canopy zipline experience that combines zipping high above the treetops with unique and exciting tree bridges,” is how it is described on the company’s website. “Enjoy 7 zipline runs and 4 canopy sky bridges as you soar through the canopy of Kauai’s awesome giants, a unique grove of 200 foot tall Norfolk pine trees. Gliding 60-85+ feet above the forest floor you will be able to experience life from a bird’s eye view. Come explore and have the ride of a lifetime. Once you are up in the trees you stay in the trees!”
Just Live! is celebrating its 10th year of operations on Kauai. Their Outdoor Gear Store and Zipline Tour check-in is in Anchor Cove Shopping Center on Kalapaki Bay in Lihue. A portion of all zip line revenue helps support their youth and school adventure learning programs.
Let’s go
“Do I have nine eagerly awaiting zip liners out here?”
That’s the question posed by Brennan Dilts shortly after arriving with a van to pick up the morning’s clients.
“Let’s get this party started,” he adds with a shout.
Dilts is a man of many talents and titles for Just Live!: driver, customer service representative, gear guru, zip line guide and a garrulous host.
He asks the nine guests for their names and homes. The answers: Idaho, Texas and Vancouver.
“Texas, congratulations on getting out of there and making it to here,” he says, which draws a laugh.
Dilts recounts some of his own travels that have taken him through the U.S. and into other countries. The man is well-traveled, a snowboarder, skier, adventurer, and a wealth of knowledge on sports, economics, environment and yes, Kauai, an island he has come to love.
“I don’t know how I’ve been trapped out there for the last 2 1/2 years,” he joked.
The 15-minute van ride passes by the Kauai Humane Society, and Dilts deftly puts in a plug for a field trip program that allows island visitors to take dogs out for a day.
Soon, he turns off the highway, rolls onto a road and passes a gate.
“Welcome guys, to Sherwood Forest,” he says.
Gearing up
Guests are greeted by Chambers and Senussi. They outfit each person with helmets and harness, and run through a safety checklist and program before heading to the trees. They demonstrate how to clip in and out with the carabiners, how to safely transfer while on tree platforms, and how to enjoy their zip lines.
There is virtually no chance of falling, Chambers says.
“The weakest point you have on your whole body today are your lanyards and your harness,” which he says have a minimum breaking strength of 5,000 pounds.
“Basically, we could hang that van up with the lanyards and harness and it’s not going to break,” he says.
The steel cables have a minimum breaking strength of 26,000 pounds. The message? That cable isn’t going anywhere.
The idea is clear: Relax, have fun.
“I want you guys to feel real comfortable with the equipment you’re wearing,” he says. “We inspect it daily. Just have faith in it, try not to worry about that stuff.”
He offers instructions on how to stay straight and how to control turns.
“The goal is to try and come in straight. A lot of times, the wind says ‘I don’t think so,’ so the wind might turn you like this,” Chambers adds.
Still, even if you come in sideways or backwards, Chambers assures everyone he will be there.
“Have faith I’m going to catch you on the other end.”
Off and zipping
The Soon family leads the zip line leaps. Guests glide, some letting out a shout, some giving a wave, others staring straight ahead and focusing.
Senussi does his best to encourage one hesitant zipper to relax.
“Just sit down on the harness. See, it holds you fine. Now, I’m just going to give you a push.”
It works.
The man makes it across, sighs with relief, and smiles.
Chambers and Senussi are a good team. Their job is to guide guests through the course, and they do that well. They banter, continually check on guests — and joke, too. At one point chambers says, “And you definitely don’t want to …” just before he pretends to slip and falls backward off a platform, a big smile on his face as he zips away.
Senussi, the last across, deftly lands on his feet each time, bouncing as if he really can fly appearing much like Peter Pan.
Chambers, a professional tandem surfer in his spare time, loves being a zip line tour guide.
“It’s a cool job. I’m up in the trees all the time,” he said.
The final two zip lines are the longest, about 850 feet across a lush field below, green mountains in the background. They saved the best for last.
These are the ones, they explain, you can jump, turn, wave — just go for it, live it up.
One caution from Chambers: “Just remember, don’t flip upside down in your seat harness,” he says.
Fifteen minutes later, they are done, each landing safely on the final platform, celebratory high fives in order.
The group gathers for photos and refreshments. A few try the monster swing that sets them loose from 60 feet up.
“That was absolutely wild,” one says.
There is a sense of camaraderie in the group as they mingle.
The Soon family, each, had a blast.
It was Jessica who researched adventures on Kauai and found Just Live!.
“It was amazing,” said Nicole Soon. “The different zip lines, the bridges, are awesome.”
Darcy Soon agrees.
“The guys treated us well. You couldn’t ask for more,” he says. “It was an excellent morning and adventure for us.”
Just Live! Zipline Tours & Outdoor Gear Store is at 3416 Rice Street in the Anchor Cover Shopping Center in Lihue. Contact: 482-1295 or www.zipkauai.com
