Jumping - from a Perfectly Good Plane!!! (Skydiving in General)

Member Name: Jersey-Soph

Product:	Skydiving in General
Date:	06/10/03 (147 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Activity of a lifetime, Huge adrenaline rush, Something of which to be mightily proud

Disadvantages: Extraordinarily Scary, Weather Dependent, Expensive

Skydiving is frankly a bit of a mental thing to do. Why would anyone voluntarily throw themselves out of a perfectly good plane 12,000 feet above land?!? Wellllll....there is that something that you quite can't put your finger on that makes thousands of perfectly sane people do it every year with only a flimsy piece of cloth tucked away in a bag, and 4 metal clips to get them back to earth safely. A few months ago, whilst in the stunning New Zealand on a Round the World trip of a lifetime, I became one of those?.who has been there, done that....and most importantly lived to tell the tale!

I have often vowed that I would never engage in such silly activities as sky diving as I would be just TOO scared. I have a huge fear of heights. In the gorgeous Taupo, New Zealand however, a very very spur of the moment decision (and large amounts of peer pressure from a bus load of fellow jumpees!) convinced me otherwise. New Zealand is the adventure capital of the world where amongst the ever present backpacker brigade of visitors, skydiving and bungee jumping is about as normal as popping to your local Safeway for a pint of milk. I figured that if thousands of other people can jump...why on earth can't I!!! People jump for many different reasons, the main one being for a huge adrenaline rush and to do something they have wanted to do all their lives. For me however it was simply to prove to myself that I could do it. I am so incredibly proud of myself!

I opted to do a tandem skydive (meaning I jumped attached to a trained tandem master who did everything for me) and therefore there is no safety briefing or any form of instruction before the jump. There is NO WAY you would have caught me jumping by myself but if you are that way inclined and want to go it alone, you can have a 6 hour course, but your skydive 'freefall' is for a very small amount of time as your parachute cord is pulled for you before leaving the plane. Opinions ar
e varied as to which
is better, but I would definitely recommend tandem because if you are as scared as me, having someone jump with you is vital!, but on the other hand if you are a huge thrill seeker, you can jump from a lot higher and have more freefall with a tandem jump.

On the morning of the jump I was absolutely terrified. I was in tears before even getting in the plane I was so so so so so so so so scared....but when you have a strapping big surfer dude attached to your back with a parachute that he claims has never failed to open, you just have to go with the flow and fall! Once you get in the plane there is absolutely no going back as your tandem master shuffles you to the plane of the door and then pushes you both out no matter what obscenities you are screaming!

I freefell for 45 whole seconds at 200km an hour which was sheer craziness but such fun. The sensation could probably most closely be compared to being pushed up into the air by a super strong air vent machine whilst also thundering from a great height. Your face is stretched and so you force a smile whether you feel like it or not. I definitely did though, despite my terror, I loved every second once we had left the plane. At 3000 feet the parachute opened (thankfully no dramas to report on that front!) and it was then so slow and graceful and I sort of managed to take in the breathtaking mountains, lake, and gorgeous scenery that was around me!

I would highly recommend getting a video despite its fairly extortionate cost. I paid NZ$215 for the sky dive, and an extra NZ$145 for the video (because you are basically paying a whole other person to jump) but it is worth every penny and more. They capture you before getting on the plane, the journey up (mine shows me hyperventilating, crying, shaking and shaking my head saying I could not do it!) but then the cameraman jumps at the same time as you and follows you down until your parachutes open. I could no
t believe the sensation of freefalling, and my emotions are captured forever on video. Definitely one to keep and show the grandchildren in 50 years time!!

I would whole heartedly recommend doing a skydive, despite the fact that I hated the build up because I was overcome with such fear. I wouldn?t do one again for this reason, it is just not natural to put oneself through such traumas (and pay for them!), but as a once in a lifetime activity, it was sensational and definitely a highlight of my year's travelling.

I skydived at the 'Freefall' Centre based in Taupo, New Zealand. This is the cheapest place in the world to do it (but don't worry, all very very safe, no cowboy outfitters!). I would recommend doing it somewhere scenic as once you have got over the amazing freefall, and opened your eyes, parachuting to earth over a lake which is bigger than Singapore, surrounded by spectacular snow capped volcanic mountains (one of which was Mount Doom to you LOTR fans!) is kinda special!

Go on, if I can do it!..you certainly can!

Summary: