Take a deep breath. Breathe in. Breathe out. The fact that you are here reading this means that you want to or want to convince yourself to skydive. I know that you can do this! Some of the most worthwhile experiences in life are the scariest. Even thinking of skydiving is a big step, but you are well on your way to experience the most exciting thing you can do. My opinion will always be to go for it unless your doctor says otherwise.
Skydiving is an exhilarating activity where you jump from an airplane, free fall, and then use a parachute to land safely. Experienced skydivers also perform aerial maneuvers amid the free fall. Your first skydive will be tandem, meaning you will jump while attached to an instructor.
Many contributing factors cause people to fear skydiving. However, the thought of death is probably the most popular. (I also believe that the fear of heights is perhaps big.) I was 18 when I first went skydiving, which is the earliest age you can. I dealt with a lot of heat from my parents because of this. I heard a lot of statements like, “You could die” and “Are you crazy”? I also listened to a lot of sighs and saw a lot of eye rolls. What was my most effective comeback? “Mom, did you know that it is likelier that I will die in a car crash than skydiving”? It is true! Let’s look at the stats. According to the USPA (United States Parachute Association) (Who knew, right?) and Bankrate.com, the number of students that died in tandem was 1 in 500,000 jumps. The lowest number of deaths from car crashes in a U.S. state was in Rhode Island, which was 6 in 100,000 people, or 30 in 500,000. You are at least 30 times more likely to die in a car accident than in a skydiving accident. Those are pretty great odds in your favor!
My Experience
As stated previously, I was 18 when I went skydiving for the first time. Yes, I did go again. I was in my first year of college and didn’t have much going for me. I was a high school dropout and didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. I was at odds with most of my family; I was single and felt lost most of the time.
You might be wondering what this has to do with skydiving. When you have nothing to lose, things that should scare you don’t. At 18, when I went skydiving, I never had a moment of fear. I don’t say this to mean that I was brave or something. I wasn’t really, but I had nothing to lose. All this to say, it’s okay to be nervous. If you are nervous, know that you are blessed.
I always wanted to go skydiving. It is one of those things that I always knew that I would love. And I did. It was one of the best experiences of my life. I am the type of person who loves to get my adrenaline pumping. My best of friends have called me an adrenaline junkie. Even people who don’t relate to this would still enjoy skydiving, though.
I didn’t do much to prepare myself for skydiving. I read through the company’s website I planned to use—all you need to know is what to wear, how much to save, and the time commitment. I scheduled a jump ahead of time and prepaid for my first jump. I saved enough to pay for my first jump, video, and second jump. There was a special where I went where you get your second jump at a discounted rate, so I prepared to pay for that.
Jump Day
When I arrived early, there were housekeeping duties that we had to do before the jump. I watched a video of the skydiving process. The video covered how high your plane will go before you jump, how long you freefall, and at what altitude you will pull the parachute cord: 14,000 feet, 1 minute, and 5,000 feet. It will also cover your equipment (parachute, altimeter, safety goggles, and harness) and essential reminders.
I learned that you might not be able to breathe when you first jump. Scary, huh? The cool thing is that if you scream, it will open your airways to breathe again. Who knew? They also teach you to keep your arms and legs a certain way.
From this point, I had to “sign my life away.” Signing these papers will be the first scary thing you do all day. Why? Simply because it will warn you over and over that you COULD die and that the company and instructor are not responsible for your possible death or injury. Please don’t run away! This is simply a liability protection for them. Don’t forget the stats!
Once you complete your paperwork, you will get your jumpsuit, harness, and goggles. Considering what you are doing, the process isn’t long, but your jump depends on the weather. If all the conditions are good, it won’t take too long to get into the sky.
It was plane time! We were suited up and ready to go. The plane was narrow, with a built-in bench on each side where you would sit by your instructor; no seat belts. It doesn’t take long for the plane to get up in the sky where it needs to be. While up in the sky, my instructor hooked our harnesses together. When it was time, we shuffled to the plane’s open door. Looking out the door completely took my breath away! It was amazing to see everything from that height.
For those of you who think that they could never jump from the door at this point, let me tell you that you don’t have time to worry too much. You also don’t have to decide when you are going to jump. Remember that you are attached to someone else who is not afraid. Before you have time to react, you will already be out the door in freefall.
You only fall for one minute or 60 seconds. That is not long, but everything slows down due to your adrenaline or something. Who knows, I am not an expert. All I know is I had about a million thoughts in the brief moment of freefall. Ha! Here are a few of those thoughts listed:
- “Woah! This view is amazing!”
- “I can’t breathe! Ahhhh! What do I do? Oh yeah, they said to scream.” Then, I proceeded to scream and was able to breathe again. Phew!
- “Owwwwwwww!” I had an excruciating pain in my ear, which made me want to cover my ears. A few years later, I found out that I had blown my eardrum. It’s a long story, but I had problems with my ears most of my life.
- “Forget the pain. I’ve paid too much to let this spoil the rest of my skydive.”
- “Hmmm…I always thought I would get that drop in my stomach like roller coasters. This feels like a giant leaf blower is below me.”
- “Oops, where do my legs go again? I hope my instructor isn’t irritated at me for kicking him.”
Even after all these separate and distinct thoughts, I still had time to look around at the scenery, give the cameraman two thumbs up, and blow a kiss.
When we reached the altitude where the parachute needed to be pulled, the instructor waved my arms to remind me to look at the altitude. I pulled the chute cord, and when the parachute came out, it jolted my legs in the air. The instructor will also let you hold the parachute cords, and you can control where you go and how fast. Side note: You don’t have to. You don’t have to pull the parachute cord or control the ride down. I pulled the cord, and I didn’t control the parachute. I decided that I wanted to take in the scenery instead. It was about a five-minute ride down.
I regretted only one thing that day: How I did my hair. I braided my hair, but I wish I had French braided it or at least wore a headband. All the hair that could come loose did. After I landed, I felt my hair and was horrified! I had so many knots. It was horrible and quite embarrassing when I saw it on video.
I was hooked and planned to go yearly for the rest of my life. It was the best experience of my young life, and I went again when I was 19 to take my husband (boyfriend at the time) for his 21st birthday. Unfortunately, I haven’t been again since then (due to the long story). I had surgery on my eardrums when I was 20, and my doctor recommended that I stay away from activities that cause my ears to experience extreme pressure, such as skydiving or scuba diving.
The Report
The report is in! I will cover five categories in my evaluation of skydiving as a beginner: Cost, Ease of Learning, Enjoyability, Energy Level, and Time Commitment. Disclaimer: All of the following is my personal opinion. It is not a how-to.
You can expect to spend $200 to $280 for the skydive. I recommend budgeting for video footage if this is your first skydive. You are going to want it. I don’t mean to date myself, but I went skydiving ten years ago, and when I watch the video now, I can relive every feeling and thought I had through the process. It gives you all those good feelings like the day you went. Oh, and also for bragging rights. How will anyone believe you if you don’t have proof? I’m just teasing, but it is worth it to have as a keepsake.
The video footage ranged from $129 to $229 when I jumped. I also recommend looking into the specials they offer. Skydive Spaceland offers to discount your 2nd jump to $99, which I had to take advantage of the day I jumped. So, I added this to my budget in planning in case I wanted to go again. I spent about $550 on this experience, including two skydives.
There is nothing you need to learn before skydiving. You don’t have to inspect any equipment, and the instructor tells you what to do all along the way. You will do fine if you can stay pretty calm amid the nerves.
I have never met anyone who regretted going skydiving. As stated previously, it is one of the most incredible experiences! You get a combination of experiences, including the thrill of freefall and the relaxing parachute ride.
Honestly, words escape me in this section, not because there are none. There are many words, but none seem good enough. Only 1-2% of the world’s population have been courageous enough to skydive at least once. Skydiving is a life-changing experience. I don’t say that because you will gain some extraordinary skill or anything, but the confidence you gain in yourself is unbeatable. You will be forever changed when you realize you can overcome fear and accomplish what you want.
It doesn’t take an absorbent amount of energy to skydive. I would set aside a whole day for skydiving and then rest the rest of the day. I remember the hour-long ride home was tiring. I even took a nap when I got home.
As far as age, I have heard people of all ages that skydive. Age doesn’t matter if you are in decent shape. You do have to be at least 18 to jump. If you are older and know you have medical issues that could arise from jumping, then make sure your doctor clears you. A friend of our family, a man in his 80s, asked me about skydiving recently. He has lung issues, and his doctor did not clear him to jump. He was disappointed, but it is better to be safe than sorry.
I would set aside a whole day to skydive. The process of skydiving is not long, and it might only take a few hours. However, in my case, I had to drive an hour one way, which turned a few hours into at least 5. Then, as mentioned, I was tired following the skydive and was not up for more than a night at home.
Indoor Skydiving
Different people have asked me what indoor skydiving is like compared to actual skydiving. I have personally never been to an indoor skydiving place. I was gifted one at one point, but I didn’t want to chance to mess with my ears, so I didn’t go. My husband and his friend went instead. So, I asked him for his opinion: “It felt like skydiving to me. It helps you practice maneuvers and understand how to use your body. I think it would help doing that before going skydiving.”
Regarding cost, it is cheaper to do the indoor skydive. For two flights, it is $105. For four flights, $160. It is cheaper to get you the experience without worrying about a fear of heights.
Nothing will beat the real thing, though. The experience of the plane ride, looking out the door, and viewing the scenery is worth the extra money.
So…
If I haven’t convinced you yet to skydive, I encourage you to find someone you know and ask about their experience. Hearing others’ experiences on such things is infectious. Trust me, you won’t regret jumping.
Great read Sarah. It was taking my breath away just reading about it!
You and Kpop should go sometime 😉