Have you every wanted to sky dive but never gathered the courage to do so? Ok! Take a look at this picture and look at the joy on my face before I tell you my story..
Yes, I was ecstatic. It all started for me with the movie 'Zindagi Naa Milegi Dobara'. When I saw the skydiving scene in the movie -- My question was -- 'Why would someone do this, isn't it risky? I remember telling one of my friends, 'Hey, you know what, when I know I am about to die, or I am really old, I'll do this. ' How did I know that 4 years after, I would be up there at 16000ft looking down from a helicopter, ready (not so ready!) to jump (or be taken along); and that too from the same spot where the movie was shot!
So all you need to know about SkyDiving in Spain (EmpuriaBrava) --
1) Decide on a date when you want to do it and make a booking - Bookings are to be made online atleast 2 days in advance with a deposit of about 50 Euros. If you do not turn up, or the weather is such that SkyDiving doesn't happen, your money will not be refunded! However, you get an option to reschedule in the second case. I booked using the website skyrats.com
2) Choose the type of jump and package - If you are still reading this blog, I assume you have never done Sky Diving before, so choose Tandem jump (where you are tied to an expert). You'll anyway not be allowed to jump alone until you have a license. The other thing I strongly recommend is, take a package which includes photography and videography. Would you not want to capture your expressions just for the sake of additional 100 Euros?
3) How to reach? If you are staying in Barcelona (like I was), there are various means of transport to Empuriabrava. You can take a train or a bus - both will take about 3.5 hours (buses are cheaper though) and then take a cab from there till the SkyDiving Spot. Ensure that you reach atleast half an hour before your allocated slot else you may not be allowed (It's Spain; and yes they are quite punctual) :)
Another important point -- please call the point of contact mentioned in your booking ticket on the day of your jump before you leave from Barcelona. They will check/predict the weather and inform you whether the jump could happen or not. They never take risk -- Bad weather (windy/rainy/too cloudy) is a strict no!
What to do once you reach there? So now that you are at that place, head straight to the reception, you'll be given a SkyDiving suit, a short training (for about 15 mins; please pay attention here) and will be asked to sign a waiver -- In short -- "If I die, I am responsible for it" :D But that should not demotivate you. Tandem jump is one of the safest jumps. The experts jump about 20 times in a day on an average (I checked with my instructor). Look at this man in the picture below. He had been jumping for 15 years now and said ' Nothing will happen, just follow my instructions'. And yes, that's all you need to do and your instructor will take care of you.
Time Duration for the entire activity: So, for how long is the free fall? At 16000 Ft, it was for about 1 minute -- I have never lived any moment like that 1 minute -- you forget everything else and are fully present in the moment.
After that 1 minute of pure happiness, the parachute would open and now you're all relaxed. Watch the view, sing a song, wave your hand, scream your heart out or do whatever you want!
BTW, when you are just about to jump, remember you are safe and are about to experience the most memorable ride of your life. So just let it go...
Here's my video, do take a look and let me know if you have any questions for me. Have a safe SkyDiving Experience!