Wait, I thought you were required to be strapped to an instructor your first time. You can go alone the first jump, as long as you take a class? Holy crap, I'm signing up.
The best part for me was the ride home afterward. The endorphin buzz must be what heroin is like. I was a mellow dude.
It was awesome. It's funny, when I was at the place putting on the suit, the harness, all that crap, I was pretty nervous. And then when the plane took off I was even more so. By the time I was kneeling in front of the door to jump out it didn't seem real anymore, it was just kind of happening. During freefall I couldn't barely breathe, and the wind came into my goggles and was making my eyes water so bad I couldn't see. I actually started to freak out a bit cause of the lack of air, but then I figured that freefall is only a minute long. Worst case scenario if I can't get some air, I could hold my breath that long. It was really cloudy during most of the fall, and then as soon as the chute opened and I took off my goggles, we passed through the clouds and I could see everything around, clear as day. The canopy ride was by far my favorite part. It wasn't like I was getting closer to the ground, everything was just getting bigger and more detailed. It was wild and serene at the same time. And it wasn't about the freefall or the canopy ride really, it was standing infront of that door at 10 thousand feet, looking down at the clouds and the earth, and jumping out. That's my favorite memory, I think...the instant I removed myself from that plane. I highly recommend it to anyone.
I might be doing it for my first time too on Saturday. Definitely sounds like a rush but i'm absolutely terrified of heights. It's weird. My parents both work for an airline so i've flown a lot and don't mind that. I love roller coasters too. I just hate the idea of standing close to ledges, balconies and stuff like that. For example, on my vacation last week we went to this waterpark in Tampa. I loved everything but to me the worst part was waiting in line on the stairs, looking down and seeing the only thing separating you from the ground is a small 1-inch plank. That kind stuff kind of freaks me out. But all the same I love a rush and there aren't many crazier things you can do than skydive. Looking forward to it.
$179 I highly recommend that place. It was right off of 290 and took me about 45 minutes to get there from my house. It was packed though and it took us about 2 1/2 hours before we got dressed and briefed. So if you don't want to waste your entire Saturday, then I say wait till summer is over or go during the week.
