I am thinking about trying this....it's been a longtime "fantasy" of mine, but has always remained somewhat low on the priority list. However now I am trying to get psyched up to go do it. I have a mild fear of heights, but still think once I get up there in the plane and in the doorway, I could jump, and would probably love it. Anyone tried it before? If so, tell me your story.
i have not...i've bungee jumped..but never went skydiving... had a friend who did...his parachute didn't work, but his instructor's did. yikes.
I started the advanced free fall course and jumped twice (free fall with 2 instuctors NOT tandem). I quit because I have a pinched nerve in my back that after 2 jumps I could tell it would bother me if I kept it up. I would still be jumping today if that weren't the case. Most fun I've ever had with my clothes on.
I've done a tandem jump. Lots of fun and not as expensive as I expected. Amazing experience that you will not forget (especially if the chute doesn't open) Holy cow, I just noticed I'm a senior member! Wow!
We went a few years ago, and I would highly recomend it. If you do the tandem jump, you go attached to the instructor, it's a little more involved, and probably costs more. The benefit is you get the freefall. You can also do a jump with a static line (which we did) where you jump out of the plane on your own, and a cord attached to the plane pulls the chute for you. Not much of a freefall, but you're up there all on your own! The guys on the ground guide you down by telling you which way to turn so you don't end up in a field far away. Really really awesome. Scariest part is letting go of the plane!! I'd told my wife we were going hiking, but had prearranged the jump. As we passed the place, I pulled in to 'ask directions' (that should have been her first clue!) and then surprised her. And even though she hates heights, she loved it too. Any wonder she's a keeper.
I've done it once... I did the tandem jump, it was definitely a life changing experience.. well it was at that time. The height thing didnt really bother me, once your about 15k feet above the ground everything just looks the same. What i found weird though is like you have to be around 230lbs or less to be able to jump, one of my friends that went with us couldnt jump becuz he was like 5 lbs over the limit. He was really bummed. The first 10-15 seconds is the most nerve racking cuz your perspective is all skewed, but after that its fun. I've never done anything that compares to the thrill of skydiving and I'm a pretty adventurous guy.
I also wanna hear about the feces in your pants after you jumped...come on, someone has to have pissed themselves or worse!!!! OK, maybe not.
One of the guys we went with had been drinking heavily the night before....not a good idea to jump with a hangover and upset stomach. He puked before he even got out of the plane.
Hm...my experience with a tandem jump was OK. I mean...the pure anticipation and the ascent to 10k feet was insane. But the actual skydive...naaaaah. Honestly, it's not that scary or anything...the initial tumble out of the plane is great...the rest is kinda boring. I would say Texas Cyclone is a lot more exhilirating than skydiving.
I've never done it and not sure I want to. Most people that die during skydiving trips actually die from just trying to get up in the sky to jump. The plane crashes shortly after take-off due to weight imbalance or whatever. I have a certain paranoia about heights but it is not to the point of not being able to be up high(like in planes or buildings or whatever). I guess that is normal but it kind of freaks me out anyway. Ever since 9/11 and the WTC jumpers, I've kind of never looked at heights the same way. I probably wouldn't be comfortable working on the 60th floor of a building nowadays. That hellish day left a mark on me that burns my soul to the core.
This I believe. Our plane was a rusty old rubber band powered who knows what. And the pilot was a good ol' boy who'd most definitely been partying the night before. The kind of guy who thinks wrestling is real. It added to the whole "am i nuts?" ambiance of the day.
Yeah, I went tandem skydiving about a year ago. Believe me, it's a lot more fun than scary. Sure, there are a lotta risks. But I think that as long as you're still alive by the end of the jump, then it's definitely worth every penny you spend. I did it through these guys, and I had a blast. I plan on doing it again in the near future. Since it's your first time, I suggest adding a video.
