Woman goes parasailing. Then the woman she’s flying with lies about her weight: ‘She’s playing with my life’

A woman went parasailing while on a girls’ trip, only to end up in an awkward and tentative situation. Her fellow group member, who was there with her, lied about her weight.

TikToker Paje Sinopa (@pajesinopa) told her audience about her acquaintance’s lie, which led her to make her own. The content creator said in a video that received more than 1.2 million views that she exaggerated and added onto her weight to avoid creating a safety issue for herself and others onboard.

Sinopa goes parasailing 

Sinopa went on a girls’ trip, which included a number of activities: Mudding, RV riding, parasailing, and horseback riding were all available, to name a few. While on the beach enjoying the sun, the content creator decided she wanted to go parasailing, so she tried to rope her fellow group members to come with her. Unfortunately, though, her friends weren’t interested in her selected activity. So Sinopa decided to go alone.

She walked away from her friend group, ready to head on an adventure, when another girl in her group she didn’t know very well offered to join. The girl prefaced the adventure by saying that she was scared and wasn’t a strong swimmer, but Sinopa herself didn’t mind.

They went ahead and walked to a small shack where they could sign up. Sinopa went ahead and closely examined the instructions for the trip, only to realize there was a weight limit.

“ Now I’m the smallest person in the friend group, and I’m using small as a relative term here because I’m six feet tall and thicker than a swamp,” Sinopa said. “So we had a lot of big, beautiful women around, and everybody looked and felt great and amazing, but I got to that weight limit and I’m, I’m doing some mental math.  I don’t know how much this girl next to me is, but she’s more than me.”

Sinopa realized that the other girl might not make the weight limit. She started to feel a little nervous.

Then an instructor came over and asked how much Sinopa’s acquaintance weighed. That’s when she said something shocking. 

“ She lied. … She threw out like, an Ariana Grande weight. Don’t lie to them. I- this is not a carnival ride. This, this is my life you’re playing with,” Sinopa said. 

Why a weight limit?

The weight limit for parasailing depends on what the operator sets, but many businesses restrict individuals from parasailing if they weigh more than 250 pounds. Weight expectations are different for tandem riders. For instance, parasailing company Dana Point Parasail set its maximum combined weight for up to three passengers who sail tandem at 500 pounds. Generally, the weight limit is set to prevent equipment strain and ensure guest safety. 

Sinopa manages the lie

Sinopa realized that her acquaintance’s omission could have put them in a precarious position. So she, too, lied about her weight. She told an instructor that she was 75 pounds heavier than she actually was.

“He goes, ‘Are you sure?’ And I said, ‘Mm-hmm. See, I’m tall, and tall people are extra dense. So yeah, that’s how much I weigh,’” Sinopa recalled. Sinopa said that she and her fellow group member threw the man for a loop, but they continued on. Sinopa was placed in another group separate from her acquaintance.

They proceeded with the day’s adventure, and Sinopa had an amazing time. The person she came with, on the other hand, was too frightened to enjoy the experience at first. Then she relaxed.

“She goes up. She’s screaming, freaking out, crying … [Then] she finally settles down, and she gets a chance to look around and, like, she realizes how amazing this experience is,” Sinopa said.

Afterward, Sinopa’s acquaintance asked what they would do next. Sinopa threw out a few ideas, but the woman had a different suggestion.

“She goes, ‘I wanna ride a horse,’” Sinopa said.

Horseback riding with a hitch

Sinopa was pretty sure that horseback riding had a weight limit. For that reason, she wasn’t sure if her group members could do it. The pair decided to check it out anyway.

Sure enough, though, Sinopa realized there was a weight limit. She realized that she would be able to ride a horse if she provided her real weight, but her friend likely couldn’t. Sinopa tried to circumvent it.

“ I use my fake weight from parasailing again, my weight plus 75 pounds, and I said, ‘See, girl, I’m too big. I can’t go on this. So why don’t we go do something else?’ I’m trying to give her an out and make it look like it’s me,” Sinopa said.

But her fellow group member wanted to go anyway. Sinopa said that if she lied about her weight, it would be unfair to the horse, but again, her group member insisted.

They tried to sign up for horseback riding.

“ She goes up there and the lady says, ‘How much do you weigh?’” Sinopa said. “She throws out that Ariana Grande number again. I’m back there like, ‘At least make it believable. If you’re gonna lie, at least make it believable.’”

That’s when the staff surprised the woman with Sinopa. They asked her to step on a scale to confirm her weight. The woman looked around and asked what scale they wanted her to step on, only to realize that staff at the facility wanted to weigh her on the horse scale.

“I would’ve died. I would’ve keeled over and died,” Sinopa said. “She goes, ‘That’s really offensive, because I’m very small and I can go on this horse, and it’s really rude that you’re gonna have me get on a scale in front of people. Like, that’s not professional.’” 

Sinopa said that her fellow girls’ trip member walked away “p*ssed.”

@pajesinopa

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♬ original sound – Paje Sinopa

Honesty is the best policy, according to commenters

In the comments section, multiple viewers said that Sinopa’s fellow girls’ trip member could have saved herself embarrassment if she had been honest.

Viewers who were above an average horse’s maximum weight limit, for instance, said that instructors are oftentimes accommodating and willing to find alternative solutions, or larger horses, for guests.

“Last year, I was finally down to 255 and losing, so I emailed the horse people and asked about booking, and was open about my weight,” one commenter shared. “[They] said ‘oh thats no problem, we have a horse for larger riders now.’ I was like ok cool great- so we get there, and they put [me] on Big Johnny- a draft horse who typically pulls wagons. He was VERY excited to go on a trail ride, he just wanted to run the whole time.”

When it comes to parasailing, solutions are even simpler. Guests can ride tandem with other individuals who weigh less to balance out the overall weight and ensure flight stability. Overall, viewers said that Sinopa’s fellow parasailer should have been more candid. But they added that Sinopa was a good friend for protecting her while protecting herself.

“You’re honestly a real friend for being so respectful about the whole situation,” one person said.

Another commenter added, “You were smart for your lie because both of y’all up there would be a mess, but also sketchy for them to not have scales to confirm for people that lie for safety.”

The Mary Sue reached out to Sinopa via TikTok direct message for comment.