A leap of faith

I recently blogged about my wish to set out on adventure trips with fellow Fembas. Today, thanks to an enterprising classmate, I got the ball rolling on fulfilling that wish. A handful of us went tandem skydiving and it was simply fantastic!
I guess the universe really does conspire to help you get something that you really desire. :) (The Alchemist) .


Recap of my experience and tips for potential first-time skydivers:

- You are harnessed to an experienced instructor so it's very safe . I kept worrying that I would hang on to the plane and refuse to jump, but really I had no choice. I was literally thrown out of the plane.

- It helps that you're not given time to think about it. You get inside the tiny plane, don't get to look out much, and you're kicked out within seconds of taking position at the door. I'm pretty sure if I was given time to take a deep breath before jumping, I'd have just stayed there taking deep breaths.

- Even when it's 75 degrees on the ground, it's collld at 12500 ft. so dress accordingly.

- Falling freely from that height clears your head like nothing else. Believe me.

- After around 45 seconds of free-fall, the instructor (or you) pulls open the parachute. This is the slightly painful part - you get uncomfortably pinched in the privates, but just for a bit. You then float around for 5 minutes or so admiring the views, contemplating life, mentally congratulating yourself, or simply wondering where to get lunch.

- Speaking of food...we were afraid to eat anything before going up in case we, uh, projectile vomit on the way down. It was a good call, because some people got nauseous after a few twists. The rest of us were simply ravenous by the time we were done.

- Skydiving is an excellent team event. I just wish we had all fit in one aircraft, although we did get to spend a ton of time together before and after the dive itself.

- Do get the pictures and video of your first jump. Worth the extra money. :) It is especially cool when you have a dedicated photographer filming you as all three of you (you, instructor, photographer) are plunging down at 120mph.

My instructor and I, as we exited the aircraft from 12,500 ft above ground.
That exact instant was the scariest part of the entire fall.

It's funny how until a few days back, skydiving wasn't even on my bucket list. Since I've always been slightly afraid of heights, I was pretty sure nothing would induce me to jump from an airplane. But something changed last week when after a very hectic work+school week, I suddenly felt an overwhelming need for an adrenaline fix. The rest, as they say, is history. ;)

Go jump out of a plane soon! It is thrilling, frightening, calming, humbling, and ridiculously fun - all at once. :)