Scary but worth it! - my first sykdiving experience

“Just keep your head back, eyes open, hold this shoulder strap while you jump and when I tap your shoulder release your hands, Kick my butt!” said my instructor

“Kick my butt?” Did I hear that right? I told myself

Logically and analytically, I knew what he meant that if I spread my legs instead of tightening up, then we wouldn’t be aerodynamic. But still in my gut, all I heard was OMG!!!

“We will be jumping just after your sister jumps, Are you ready?” he said

“Do I have an option to say no?” LOL I was talking to myself in nervousness and trying to create some humour in this scary situation. This was the time when I literally had goosebumps, I was terrified but there was not time to react. Before I could say something my instructor said “Let’s jump now!”

We were on the edge of the plane and the door was wide open. The sky was clear I briefly glance past my feet at the Google-Earth-like view of New Jersey below and realized I am about to jump out of a plane!

“Kick my butt!” He shouted again and in less than a second we were out of the plane floating in the air.

Well it’s not as easy as it sounds. We were going down very fast! VERY VERY fast. Moreover, due to the air resistance there was an upward force created opposing gravity. So while we were going down the air was trying to push us up. The sensation of falling so fast was so foreign that only bits and pieces of the experience registered in my consciousness. 

The air resistance pushing against my face reminded me of holding my face out of the window of a moving car. But the air resistance when you jump off a plane is much stronger than that. I could barely control my hands and I could hear the whistle of air flowing past my ears. But still it was a great feeling - the only feeling in the world that’s close to flying, though I was too scared at that time to enjoy it completely. I wanted to stretch my arms in the air but I was too afraid to leave the strap on the shoulder that I was holding.

But trust me, when you jump out of the airplane, there is nothing to compare or explain to the ride down. Free-falling over a minute, facing death, facing mortality and then POOF! - the parachute opens and it is like the very hand of God just gently scoops you up to enjoy that last part of the journey you were so terrified to take only minutes before.

I always had a dream to skydive one day, and this was like a dream come true! I don’t know how many of you can actually relate to this feeling, when you really really want something and you get that. I was overwhelmed with happiness when I saw my tickets and I realised that we were actually going skydiving. All thanks to my beautiful sister who made this possible for me, she not only sponsored and arranged it for me but she also accompanied me in this scary journey.

When the parachute opened up I could finally relax, and that’s when I realised how beautiful the scene was. I could see the entire NJ and some parts of NYC.

So this was my first REAL adventure. I am so Happy! J