According to the 2015 Sports, Fitness And Leisure Activities Topline Participation Report, 2.5 million U.S. adults surf; 1.1 million do so eight or more times each year.
The World Surf League (www.worldsurfleague.com) is the governing body for professional surfers.
Surfer ranks the best surf towns in the United States as follows:
1. Santa Cruz, CA
2. Haleiwa, HI
3. Encinitas, CA
4. Paia, HI
5. San Clemente, CA
6. Kill Devil Hills, NC
7. Malibu, CA
8. Montauk, NY
9. New Smyrna, FL
10. Ocean City, NJ
20.6 Skydiving
Surfing on US Photo Gallery
Skydivers make an estimated 3.2 million jumps each year in the United States. Most people make their first jump with an experienced instructor with a tandem skydive. The adventure is popular with travelers in areas with spectacular scenery. For example, skydiving over the Grand Canyon is popular among visitors to the Las Vegas area.
The United States Parachute Association (USPA; www.uspa.org), the primary organization for skydivers in the United States, has 35,000 members.
The demographics of USPA members are as follows:
Gender
• Female: 13%
• Male: 87%
The following links to a list of the larger skydiving operators in the U.S. (sources: Travel Channel and various online media sources): www.rkma.com/travel.skydiving.pdf. The following are online directories of skydiving centers:
• http://proskydiving.com/locations
• http://skydiving.jumpcenters.com
• www.dropzone.com/dropzone/North America/United States/index.html
Zipline Canopy Tours
There are about 300 zipline courses in the United States, an increase from roughly 10 in 2001. About 36 million zips were taken in 2015. Prices to ride vary widely: It costs $10 to ride an 800-foot zip line at a KOA camp in Santa Paula, for instance, but $112 to ride two zip lines at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
The following links to a list of the best zipline canopy tours in the U.S. (sources: CNN Travel, Travel + Leisure, USA Today, and various online media sources): www.rkma.com/travel.ziplines.pdf.
Market Resources
Adventure Travel Trade Association, 601 Union Street, 42nd Floor, Seattle, WA 98101. (360) 805-3131. (www.adventuretravel.biz)
Association for Challenge Course Technology, P.O. Box 47, Deerfield, IL 60015. (800) 991-0286. (www.acctinfo.org)
International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation (UIAA), Monbijoustrasse 61, Postfach CH-3000, Bern 23, Switzerland. Tel: +41 (0)31 370 1828. (www.theuiaa.org)
Sports & Fitness Industry Association, 8505 Fenton Street, Suite 211, Silver Spring, MD 20910. (301) 495-6321. (www.sfia.org)
United States Parachute Association, 5401 Southpoint Centre Boulevard, Fredericksburg, VA, 22407. (540) 604-9740. (www.uspa.org)
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