D-Day.
So here it is. Day 92. October 29th. The day I defy all logic and common sense and physically throw myself out a plane door!
I was getting picked up from Jackaroo's hostel at 7:15am, I grabbed a quick breakfast of cereal and toast (I'd soon regret this...) before leaving. All I thought about the bus journey there was 'Jumping out a plane. Jumping out a plane!' However, weirdly it was out of excitement and not nerves anymore! I gone through it so many times in my head, I think I may have talked myself round to it!
I thought there'd be more preparation to jumping out of a plane. Turns out, there isn't! I signed a form, jumped on a scale (which, if I'd known previously, I wouldn't of had that second slice of peanut butter jelly toast!), watched a video which told us 3 positions to pull and then we were all ushered downstairs for harness fittings! I'd tried to purchase the dedicated photographer, which means a separate person would jump with me and take photos, unfortunately they were fully booked so I opted for the GoPro photos and video instead. (So if you are booking a skydive, definitely prebook this!) Once harnessed up we had our quick GoPro interview. I said my final goodbyes, he was zooming a camera in my face. It was very surreal! This. Is. Happening.
We piled into the bus and sat next to a parachute. As the bus made its 20 minute journey towards to air strip the instructors were acting so casual, I find it hard to believe how this could be everyday life for anyone!? THESE MEN ARE INSANE! We got to the air strip with the plane ready and waiting, one instructor cracked a HILARIOUS joke about how it'll never get us up in the air. Oh yeah, great time to crack jokes SIR! My instructor was taking photos and adjusting his harness by the side of the plane, in the mean time everyone had already climbed in and sat down. I was the last one to get in. Everyone knows what last one in means... First one out!!
The plane climbed and climbed, all the while I was sat next to merely a sliding door to the outside. Again, I wasn't nervous? Yes, natural nerves, but I was totally stoked to do this! At the end of the day, there is only one way out of that plane...
I watched the traffic lights intently, red light means glasses on, orange light means door open, green light means... Well you can guess what green light means. We finally reached 14,000ft as the red light flashed. I slipped my glasses on. The orange light soon followed and the instructor flung the shutter door up! With me being the first one out, my instructor had to check everything was ok outside the plane, being attached to the man meant me too!! As he leant out the door into thin air he called 'HAVE A LOOK!'. You know, I'm fine! I'll have plenty to look at on the way down! Not good enough? Whether he didn't hear me or just didn't accept it he grabbed my head and forced me to look down! WOW. So that's what 14,000ft looks like huh!? It feels strangely surreal, from that high up nothing actually looks real. Taking no more than a second to look out, the green light flashed. FUCK. It was time.
My legs went first, straight out and under the plane. Holding onto my strap for dear life I felt the instructor shuffling behind me. 'Shit. Shit. Shit.' is all that was going through my head as I hung out of the plane. As we rocked back for momentum, the instructor shouted one final thing to me... 'CAREFUL! This gets addictive!' and then we went!
As we tumbled out the plane I remember seeing the underbelly of the plane as we fell. The wind then caught us merely half a second later. I was free falling at 200kph! It takes you about 3 seconds to realise what's going on and about 4 seconds to feel the adrenaline! THIS. IS. AWESOME!!! We hurtled towards to ground, gums and cheeks flapping in the blasting wind, passing through a cloud in about a 3rd of a second I then started to make sense of what was beneath me. A tap on the shoulder meant it was time to starfish! As my arms flew out we begin a spin!
All of this happened within no more than 30-40 seconds, you then hear the release of the parachute and the sudden jolt upwards as the air catches it.
As we glided down, I could see the entire length of mission beach and the hills of the rainforest. As we began to spiral down I could see out towards the horizon across the sea and the reefs hidden beneath. If not for the experience alone, the views made the dive worth while. The instructor gave me the reins of the parachute and allowed me to have a play!
It was a smooth landing onto Mission Beach as I tucked my legs up and we touched down on the sand. It was both the best feeling to be back on ground yet also the worst feeling that it was over.
As someone who has a real issue with heights and doing this skydive was probably one of the biggest things, personally, I've ever done, I couldn't recommend doing it enough! It really is the most exhilarating activity you'll ever do and the feeling of flying is something you can never quite put into words, you can only experience it!
'Travel. It leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.'
x
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