I am an adventure loving person, always fascinated by various adventure sports. Skydiving was on my to-do list for quite a long time. A hindi flix ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’ was one of my inspirations. After coming to US, I decided to give it a shot. Luckily I got a Groupon deal for 'Tandem Skydiving', which was a complete steal!! Still it took me 4 months to actually schedule an appointment :P
Finally the D-Day arrived, July 24th 2016. I was hoping for a clear sky considering Florida's unpredictable weather. We started early and reached the facility of 'Jump Florida' in Plant City,FL. My original deal was for 11000 ft which had 30 sec free fall. While registering, the guy asked me,“Why don’t you upgrade it to 14000 ft? You will get a good 60 sec free fall”. We thought for a while. Not sure as to when will I get to do it again, I decided to enjoy it thoroughly this time itself. My husband also insisted to go for it. So I went for the upgrade.
After waiting for a while, now was the time to get ready for the adventure. I was given a skydiving jacket and was asked to sit for a while. I was informed that my instructor was running late and hence I was being shifted to some other batch with another instructor. My jacket was replaced and some instructions were given as a preparatory step.
There was still time for my turn. Meanwhile we watched some skydivers, from the viewing area. I was getting nervous, so we started clicking some pictures.
Our plane had arrived. My instructor started video shooting as we walked towards the plane. He asked me if I was ready and how I felt about it. I was petrified but reassuring myself I replied, “Yes, I am ready and very excited about it”. I waived back to my hubby and boarded the plane (muttering All is Well..All is Well).
There were 6 candidates along with their instructors and 1 person flying solo (OMG! can't even think about it). We were sitting back to back, tied with our instructor and sharing our thoughts at that moment. It was scenic outside. Everything seemed normal until the door was opened. We had reached at the height of 11000 ft and 3 of my fellow mates jumped with their instructors. It was chilling but enthralling. This gave me an adrenaline rush.
Now we reached 14000 ft and it was my turn to jump. My instructor gave me a transparent plastic eye wear. We moved to the door to prepare for jump. He told me to cross my hands and keep my feet on the step. The wind was gushing in. It was cold and I unknowingly closed my eyes. Within no time we were out of the plane.
The most terrifying part was over. It was time to open arms and fly like a bird. Yes!! I was flying, living the most beautiful moment of my life. The air resistance was tremendous, I could literally feel my skin move. There was a free fall of nearly 60 sec at 120MPH. I actually experienced the term I learned in my science class. It was exceptional.
After a minute of free fall, my instructor opened the parachute and asked me to remove the eye wear. 360 degree view of the land was treat to the eyes. I enjoyed the ride for a while. Then we started accelerating towards the ground.
I had to lift my legs and hold them forward for landing. I struggled a bit but eventually managed to do that and landed in a safe position. That’s it!! My adventure for the lifetime was over within minutes.
I ran towards my hubby and gave him a big hug. Yes!! I did it!! I finally did it!! This was the happiest moment. I couldn’t describe my feeling in words.
They played my video on the screen. I was overjoyed to see how wonderful it was. We collected photos, video and left with the memories for lifetime :)
Tips:
One must do Skydiving once in their lifetime. The experience is out of the world.
Tandem Skydiving is safe and economical. Instructors are friendly.
Round neck t-shirt and jeans is a recommended outfit. Try not to wear very tight clothes.
Please wear closed-toe shoes.
Try to schedule appointment early in the day for a pleasant weather.
Visit my blog @ https://ahappytreat.com for more adventure and vacation stories! Check the original blog post here.
