New devices let you fly like Iron Man but spark Hawaii concerns about environment, safety

HONOLULU, Hawaii – The latest watersport lets you fly like George Jetson or Iron Man.

But the devices are meeting calls for regulation in Hawaii, where fishermen, scientists and state officials are questioning their safety and how they may affect fish and coral in the state’s heavily trafficked tropical waters.

A device called the Jetlev can lift a person 30 feet high by pumping water from a backpack through a hose connected to a small, unmanned boat.

Another contraption called the Flyboard, which looks like a small snowboard attached to a hose, can propel riders 45 feet in the air. Promotional videos racking up millions of YouTube views show riders shooting out of the ocean into the sky, then diving back in the water like dolphins.