Andalucia Life days out and things to do on the Costa del Sol- Cable Ski at San Pedro
In our ceaseless quest to find new and exciting activities to occupy children of all ages during the summer we came across something called Marbella Cable Ski that is in fact nowhere near Marbella, it is in the hills behind San Pedro de Alcantara, but what a find.
First of all it has to be made clear that the staff are all trained lifesavers and they do have a safety boat. Also there are any number of posters with warning messages so you have no excuse for committing suicide. You are advised for instance to wear a lifejacket. One poster tells you to swim to the nearest bit of dry land if you lose your towline. Another advises skiers how to avoid swimmers. You get the general idea? Having said that it is probably a good idea to be able to water-ski to begin with. The following is written by a total novice.
What you have at Cable Ski is a large lake. Around its perimeter is a continuous cable supported on pylons from which dangle ropes attached to pieces of wood just like the towing lines behind a ski boat. The cable takes the towing lines around the lake at quite a clip.
The technique is to first of all strap one or two slabs of wood to your feet. Observing other participants will help you make a decision which to have. One plank involves a bit of balancing whilst two seems to be for people that are double jointed and can do the splits with no lasting damage to their wedding tackle. You then stand in the way of the towing lines so that you can grab one as it passes. If you are having trouble a member of staff will grab a line and hand it to you so you have no excuse for whimping out at this stage.
A poster nearby tells you to adopt a crouching position and bend your arms to put a bit of slack into the system because when the towline tightens, POW, you are off. Swim ashore and try again. One of the great features here is that you pay per lap and you can try as often as you like to complete a lap. Another bonus is that you are providing great entertainment to the bystanders, those in the restaurant nearby and those waiting their turn.
Having mastered the actual start, once your arms contract to their normal length, the scenery passes in a blur. A poster does inform you which side to leave the red buoys on but that was back on land and by the time you see a buoy you are on top of it anyhow. Two planks is obviously better in this situation. Swim ashore, read that poster, and try again.
Really getting into it now, past the first buoy and, what’s this? A chicane? Obvious really, it’s where your arms and head go one way and your feet and plank go the other, or maybe not. Swim ashore and try again. Whilst enjoying the cool waters admire the style of that lad in the smarty pants who has just completed his twenty fifth lap, that’s the one, him on one leg going backwards with no life jacket.
On the back straight now and confident enough to actually get vertically inclined. Oops that was a mistake and it is one hell of a long way to swim, especially with that plank tied to both feet.
At last, one lap completed and a chance to try out the advice on the final poster that said something like, ‘When landing after completing your laps, pass between the two white buoys and release the tow line.’ Fine advice for somebody who has directional control. It is not considered de rigueur to arrive back on the landing stage at twenty five knots, flashy though.
On a serious note. It is great fun and you do get a lot of exercise. A Day Ticket allows you to have as many laps as you want that day whilst a fifty lap or more ticket is transferable between skiers and can be redeemed over as many separate days as you want so it is excellent value. A day ticket costs 35 Euros, a ten lap ticket costs 20 Euros and to get you started a four lap ticket costs 10 Euros. Skis or kneeboards are included in the price. Cable Ski is open from 11am to 3pm and 4pm to 9pm throughout August.
To get there make your way on the N340 to the McDonalds on the west side of San Pedro and turn inland there towards Ronda. At the first set of traffic lights turn left. Follow this road a couple of kilometres looking for a yellow concrete arch on your right. Turn under the arch and follow the rough track for one kilometre. www.cableskimarbella.com
