Minister of Planning Bhoe Tewarie is assuring the public that ziplining in Chaguaramas is “safe, good fun.” But Tewarie refused to try out the zipline himself, saying he didn’t like heights. Minister of Community Development Winston Peters took a turn, zipping through the air with a broad smile, followed by CDA chairman Daniel Solomon. Members of the media were also allowed to ride the zipline.
Speaking at the launch of the ziplining and canopy walk tours at Macqueripe Bay yesterday, Tewarie said the board had been cautious when it came to safety measures. “The board stressed two things to make sure that people are not at risk with the zipline. Out of an abundance of caution, what we’ve done is take measures for additional safety with the zipline with the provider.”
Tewarie said the operator which was managing the facility, Zip It, had been asked to get insurance to protect people using it and also provide extra insurance coverage though the CDA. The Chaguaramas Development Authority, as the institution in charge, also has its own insurance arrangements, he said. Nearly 2,000 feet of cables have been strung through the Chaguaramas forests, near Macqueripe Bay, for the peninsula’s first ziplining and canopy walk site.
The highest point of the zipline is 120 feet up and each of the six lines connects to a wooden structure built around trees in the forest. A zipline uses pulleys suspended on two cables. A director of the zipline operator Zip It, Matthew De Vaux, said all the lines were Association for Challenge Course Technology (ACCT)-certified and the cables could hold up to 14,000 pounds. The ziplining ride, which begins next weekend, will cost $120 per person.