Things to Do in Navarre

A 5,000-square-foot splash park, 50-meter Olympic pool with diving well, covered picnic shelter, and full concession stand await visitors to PCB Aquatic Center, which invites bathing-suit clad citizens to revel in its refreshing, state-of-the-art facilities. After emerging from locker rooms with heated showers, patrons can plunge into classes on lifeguarding, water-aerobics instructing, or basic and advanced pool figure-drawing or just relax and lap alongside other swimmers in the temperature-controlled waters. As scuba-geared divers explore underwater views in certification courses, children can splash their way into swim lessons led by certified water-safety instructors, before winding down from their amphibious education by winding down one of several water slides.

Chief aviator Evan Jordan of Jordan Aviation take cloud-gazers into the skies in services that range from scenic rides to full pilot-certification programs. The outfit's educational fleet of well-maintained Cessna 172N aircraft, act as aerial classrooms for students logging hours en route to a pilot's license and novices getting a first taste of flight. Instructors begin Discovery Flights with a brief overview of plane operation, from instruments in the cockpit to the propellers that chop clouds into Mentos. Once aloft, they allow the student to take the controls if they so choose. Jordan Aviation calls Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport its home base and schedules flights Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Steve Hill was frustrated. An avid paddleboarder, he was unable to find a shop in Florida's panhandle that demoed and sold equipment. Undeterred, he took matters into his own hands and opened GUSU Paddlesports, filling the shop with colorful racks of boards ready to lend their buoyancy to everyone from beginners to surf paddlers to racers.

GUSU Paddlesports' staff builds their business around the motto "try before you buy." They offer a full lineup of demo equipment that customers can test before sliding a giant wedding ring onto boards from brands such as Jimmy Lewis, Ohana, Tahoe SUP, and paddles by Quickblade and Kialoa. In addition to sales and rentals, the crew also teaches paddleboarding classes and leads scenic tours into nearby Destin Harbor.

Parachuting and boating fuse into a single sport at Goin’ Coastal Parasailing. The company's CWS motorboats pull visitors harnessed to rainbow-hued parachutes on airborne adventures above the waves as a United States Coast Guard-certified captain helms each boat. Staff ensures safety with new equipment that's checked daily for wear and tear or hostile seagull graffiti. Posttrip, they help adventurers commemorate their one-, two- or three-passenger rides with video footage and T-shirts. To mark special occasions, the captains also embark on chartered parasailing journeys.

Just off the beach, a man floats over the water, suspended in the air by streams of water jetting from his hands and feet as though he were testing an Iron Man–inspired apparatus. This back-mounted pack—called a Flyboard—works through a propulsive system that continually intakes and rapidly expels water, pushing the rider into the air or wherever he or she directs it to fly. The Flyboard, along with aqua trikes and motorized surfboards, comprise the unique rental fleet of Power Up Watersports. With these advanced watercrafts, Power Up’s team hopes to evolve Destin’s watersports scene, which includes plans to train the area’s dolphins to serve drinks.

S.E.A. Chase Watersports outfits oceanic explorers with kayaks and pontoon boats for leisurely exploration of Destin's waterfront. Nestled under a pontoon’s shade, instructors teach guests go over Emerald Coast boating rules. They then allow customers to set sail or kayak, cruising through the Choctawhatchee Bay to Crab Island, Noriega Point, or past Poseidon’s luxury yacht. Guests with fishing licenses and their own gear can rent the 18-foot pontoon boat, which is replete with fishing holders and a live well.