Try This: Skydiving

Take the leap and feel what it’s like to fly

By Molly Sprayregen

You know that feeling when you plummet down a rollercoaster and your stomach lags 10 feet behind? Well here’s a secret: Skydiving doesn’t feel that way. You may be thousands of feet higher than that amusement park ride and strapped to nothing but the instructor on your back, but it only feels like falling for a few seconds. Once the wind resistance sets in, it simply feels like flying.

I jumped from 14,000 feet—from a plane, of course—and my only regret was not going higher. I wanted to stay in freefall forever because, surprisingly enough, that 150-mile-per-hour plunge was the least scary place in the world. It’s hard to describe what it felt like up there, but it definitely did not feel like plummeting toward a rocky death. I was so high that it seemed inconceivable to believe that the ground was waiting for me below. As the wind whooshed my lips into a smile, all I felt was freedom.

I’ve always been an adventurer. I’ve backpacked all over the world, rappeled down waterfalls and craters, rafted through the jungle, and even jumped off a 1,200-foot bridge in Ecuador. I love a thrill, but skydiving was always one step above where I was willing to go. When I saw a video of a friend’s mother skydiving, I expected her to look like I did when I jumped from that bridge: mouth wide in horror, so shocked that screams wouldn’t even come out. But she was smiling, giving peace signs and thumbs up, and flapping her arms like a bird. I had to try it.

I did a tandem for my first jump, which meant my instructor jumped with me and was attached to my back. I would highly recommend this for the first-time jumper. All of that adrenaline is more than enough to handle without worrying about logistics. Besides, having someone attached to you who jumps 10 times a day is a big comfort. Think of it this way: You can trust him to get you down safely because he wants to get himself down safely, too.

Standing on the edge of the plane, it helped having that extra push behind me. I was connected to someone, and when he jumped, I had to go with him. There was no option to back down. And, even though I was scared at first, I have never felt so simultaneously thrilled and calm than the moment the two of us did a flip into the wide-open sky.

When I was flying, it was the only thing that mattered, and all of my anxieties disappeared. Never has my mind been so consumed in the moment, concerned with nothing but what I was feeling right then. Skydiving was the most fun I’ve ever had, but it was also an emotional cleanse, as if that immense wind blew away all of my problems, making me see that it really is possible to be that happy and carefree. n

DO

• Jump with an instructor attached on your back for your first time. Not only is it safer, but it’s also a great way to decide if you love skydiving enough to spend the many hours—and dollars—it takes to get certified for solo dives. With a tandem jump, you have a highly experienced jumper accompanying you, and you can enjoy the entire experience in an afternoon.
• Elect to have a cameraman jump with you. You’ll be happy to have both a video and still shots of your dive to relive the moment and share your experience with friends and family. Having another person falling next to you makes the jump even more fun because you can interact in the sky. It’s cool to watch someone circling around you and above and below you. During my dive, I grabbed my cameraman’s hand and we spun in circles.

DON’T

• Choose the cheapest skydiving facility. Do your research on safety regulations and get recommendations from others who have tried it and had a great experience. More often than not, the best skydive centers are regulated by both the United States Parachute Association and the Federal Aviation Administration.
• Forget to pull the parachute. I was having so much fun that I didn’t notice my instructor tapping me on the shoulder telling me it was time. That’s why I was glad I was flying tandem. I forgot, but he remembered.