Hydrobiking on the bay: What a glorious way to get around

SAN DIEGO, Calif. (KTVU) - A new form of exercise taking California by storm is letting people ride bicycles out on the open ocean. 

Hydrobikes are exactly like a land bike, except they float on water and some say, they are are a lot more fun. 
"When I want to go for a bike ride, I'd much rather go for a ride on the bay than on land and so that's one thing that makes it really unique,” said Rich Flammer, owner of Hydrobikes SD in San Diego. “It's like you're riding a cruiser, but you're on the water." 
 

Flammer opened Hydrobikes SD just over a year ago after discovering no such business existed in San Diego.  In the Bay Area, Schiller Bikes is renting hydrobikes from Oakland to Alameda. 

“They were as fun as they looked online,” he said. “Since I started this business, I've been doing a lot more riding and I've lost 15 pounds." 
 

Hydrobike fitness instructor Java Velesova said she loves teaching out on the water. She used to be a professional mountain biker in the Czech Republic, and she now leads 90-minute hydrobike fitness sessions that cover roughly a mile of open water.

“We paddle out and then we do a couple exercises right on the bicycle in the middle of the bay,” she said.

Many participants like that they don’t need any prior experience. And the experts say the bikes are nearly impossible to tip. 

“One of the nice things is for people who are afraid of the water or they're afraid of falling in, then the bikes are very stable,” Flammer said. “And so, I've had some people who are very uncomfortable on the water, but the water bikes allow them to get out there and enjoy the sea lions.”
The low-impact exercise tops out at around eight mph, giving riders plenty of time to take in all the sights and sounds. 

Fox News’ Kalyn McMackin contributed to this report.