The day I went skydiving

BY ONEIKA RAYMOND

Last Saturday, I jumped out of a plane at 12,000 feet.  Have I ever mentioned I am intensely afraid of heights?

Whichever way you slice it, jumping out of a plane- voluntarily- is pure madness. Some people, like my mom, will even say that it’s stupid, and to be honest, I am slightly inclined to agree.

However, despite this, I have wanted to try skydiving for a very long time. The desire was heightened when I saw that Jeannie from Nomadic Chick had done a skydive in Prague last summer.

After years of  inaction (sheer laziness prevented me from investigating the hows and wheres of jumping), I finally had the opportunity to satisfy my longing.  For my 30th birthday, you may recall, my dear Liebling got me a tandem skydive.  Because what better way to celebrate three decades on the earth than to jump out of a speeding plane with the one you love?

tandem skydiving

Getting there

Last Saturday we left our warm bed in the wee hours of the morning (5:30 am!) and undertook the 1.5 hour journey via tube, train, and hired car to the skydiving centre just outside of London where we would be doing the jump. Why so early?  Any good skydiving school will tell you that it is imperative to jump as early in the day as possible. Strong winds, usually common in the afternoon, can put the kibosh on any plans to skydive.  Low clouds, which can occur at any time of the day, can also be an issue (cloud cover greatly decreases visibility when landing).

Upon arrival we also discovered another reason we were encouraged to get there as early as possible: to get to the front of the line.

It turns out skydiving is very popular in these  parts.  We arrived at 7:30 am  and were promptly told that we would be skydivers #27 and #28.  There were 26 other people ahead of us waiting to jump.  The centre estimated that it would be a three hour wait until we would get our turn.

Eh.

Skydive prep

In the meantime, we completed a short safety course where we learned what to do with our arms and legs as we hurtled 12,000 feet toward the earth and watched short clips of skydives in an attempt to mimic their body position.  And then, because doing is better than seeing, we got down on the ground. In a bizarre game of Simon Says, we got down on our knees, crossed our arms over our chests, and arched our backs in a simulation of our upcoming  jump.


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After that there was nothing to do but wait patiently for our turn.  The estimated three hour wait turned into four, and then five hours as cloud cover and then high winds made the centre  hold off on all jumps until further notice.  By hour six, cold and frustrated, I was certain that bad weather would keep us from skydiving that day.

And then they called our names.   

Liebling and I were suited, booted and on the plane so quickly I didn’t have time to get scared.  First timers are only allowed to skydive whilst strapped to a qualified instructor and for that I was glad, because in all the rush I wasn’t sure that I would remember what to do when it was time to jump.

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 The big jump

I was the first person slated to dive and before I could contemplate the heavens around me I was out of the plane.

The sensation of falling is intense but I was more freaked out by feeling like I couldn’t breathe.  We tumbled so fast I couldn’t catch my breath!

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I paid an arm and a leg ($240 USD! argh!) to have photo and video documentation of my jump. Somehow I managed to pose for pictures but the smile masks pure fear.
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The jump probably only took a minute or two but it felt like an eternity.  I was dizzy, I was gasping for air, and I felt nauseous.

To summarize: I couldn’t wait to feel the earth under my feet.

 

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Finally, finally my instructor and I touched solid ground and skid to a halt.  But instead of being relieved or jubilant, I was exhausted. Just take a look at my face:
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Minutes later I was joined by Liebling, who emerged from his jump as cool as a cucumber. Figures.
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The verdict

This was my first and last skydive.  While I’m glad to have had the experience, I know now that I will never do it again: the sensation of not being able to breathe is something I NEVER want to repeat.  While skydiving is safe (I was in very professional and capable hands) and a thrill for some, it was not my cup of tea. That being said, however, I would encourage anyone to try it.  It’s very expensive ($250- 325 USD depending on when and where you jump)  but an experience like no other.

Have you ever gone skydiving?  Would you?

 

SHARING IS CARING

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63 Comments

  • Crikey Oneika, you’re so brave!!! That is one of two things I will never ever do – the other is bungy jumping… Looks like you guys had a great time. 🙂

  • Your description of the jump is just hilarious. I’m sitting in the comfort of my chair enjoying and laughing all the details of what I’m sure was a terrifying endeavor! I want to skydive, bungee jump and all the other crazy things that we do for a rush! The pictures look amazing and I would opt to pay the price to have those memories.

    • It was horrifically expensive but so worth it to get the photos, especially since I will never do this again. Seeing the look on my face is priceless!

  • You are so brave!!!! I’ve done a bungy jump and I remember my whole body saying ‘this is wrong.’

    Well done 🙂

  • Crazy yet brave!!! What an experience.

    I’ve always maintained that I’ll never skydive or bungee-jump unless there’s a reason (i.e. my child is on the other end and that’s the only way I can get to her).

    I figured if things went horribly wrong, how would I explain myself to God once I got in front of Him??

    Besides those two, I’ve ziplined in a cave, gone abseiling/rappelling, both blackwater and whitewater rafting and other much tamer adventure sports 🙂

    • Probably more stupid and crazy than brave… lol. Ooh, what’s blackwater rafting? Never heard of it.

  • Nope, definitely not for me. I guess I’m a little bit of a coward when it comes to that kind of thing but I also have an annoying physical reaction to heights where I start getting dizzy and seeing black spots.

  • omg. to bring it back to the 90s “you go girl!”

    brave doesn’t even begin to describe you! i’d love to think that i’d be able to but, being honest with myself, i know i would totally chicken out.

    (and can i just say i find it absolutely apalling how much they charge to photograph/videotape! wowza! most people will want to have their first jump documented and that price is just absolutely incredulous.)

    • I know! It’s really disgusting! They realize that people will pay since it’s such a monumental occasion. I’m glad I paid because I love the pics and having a record of the jump but DAMN it’s expensive!

  • I’m not that into jumping off things in any sense – bungy, sky, off a rock into water… – I’m not a jumper.

  • I love it!. Something I’ve always wanted to do. Will give it a go

  • Whoah. That was a very awesome experience. I cannot imagine myself in that situation. I think I could not do a jump from the plane. lol.
    I love the aerial view of the place.

    • The view was the best part! I’m so glad I decided to get pics!

  • Thank-you for doing this Oneika. Now I can truthfully say I’m not going to try because I don’t think I would enjoy it, not because I’m a total wuss (also true)!

    • I’m a wuss too!! But I guess you’ll never know whether or not you enjoy it unless you try… 😉

  • I am thinking of sky diving. I am not afraid of heights and I bungee jumped two years ago off of teh Zambezi river. Keep in mind that I can barely swim and the river below is infested with all the wild animals you could think of lol!
    How you described your sky diving experience is exactly how I felt. I almost changed my mind as I stood on the ledge but they won’t hear it, they pushed me and I thought I was going to die mid-air from not being able to breathe, lol! Couldn’t scream either, I just closed my eyes and waited for it to be over. When the rope finally reached to the bottom, just a few inches from the water, i finally opened my eyes only to be jolted back up and about. I cannot describe the feeling. I was both scared and exhilarated! I decided to enjoy the moment and started yelling, “I’m on top of the world!! I love you x (boyfriend’s name).” He was filiming me from the deck above, scared for my life and wondering how he’d explain to my family how I died on a trip to Africa. lol.
    I don’t think I will do it again because a year later, I read in the news that the rope broke when a tourist was in the middle of a bungee jump, luckily she was a good swimmer, and she swam with her legs bound up to the river bank. Now that would be the end of my existence if it happened to me….

    • Wow! What an experience! That’s crazy though about the rope snapping, that’s my greatest fear..

  • Oh christ, just your pictures give me vertigo. Do they make you pass a sobriety test before you go up? There’s no way I could even get on the plane without taking normal chemical precautions.

  • This is such an inspiration post, Oneika! I’m terrified of heights and don’t even ride roller coasters. My sister and I have been talking about skydiving for years to help me overcome my fear, but I think I would need a drink (or two lol) before doing it.
    Did it help you overcome your fear of heights?

  • Wow! That must be a total adrenaline rush!!! I should be trying it sometime in the future. Though I am in UK right now I would not be able to make it before I go back to India next month. Got a lot of expenses, and so short on budget. And when I do, I will remember this post. Great writing! and love the pics.

  • Sky diving is my long dream….I have enjoyed mere reading your views and I can imagine how much you both would have enjoyed..

  • Congrats on your tandem!!! I loooove sky diving and been around the sport for a couple years now-my husband is on his 165th jump! I’ve done 2 tandems and started on my course to get my A license, done a few jumps by myself—PURE adrenaline rush!! Totally awesome you overcame fear and went for it girl!!!

  • I went skydiving today and payed 260 euro’s for the tandem + movie

    It was fun, until the last minute or so… When I started feeling dizzy and became very fearful of fainting in the air… But I managed to stay awake… The dizziness only went away after two hours on land. Reasons that I can come up with: it was too hot (30 degrees Celsius), they made us wait for too long and i didn’t have lunch (i was supposed to jump around 2 in the afternoon, but jumped at a quarter passed 4…)

    I hate that it happened because if it didn’t I would have landed saying I wanted to do it again and now I just had to lay down instead…

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  • Yup, I have the same sentiments as you! If I were to go (which I plan on doing), it will be a one and DONE.

    I’ve tried my hand at indoor skydiving, and it wasn’t too bad. It’s a matter of taking the leap of faith to do the real thing!

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