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*Skydiving Special*
Nelson<, 25th November 2001
 After a quick hello to the skydiving crew, we were led through to a
spacious lounge and left to wait with surprisingly little
information or instructions. In the corner a TV was blaring, showing
a sample video of someone tandem skydiving. After a few minutes, the
first 2 people were kitted in funny looking overalls and led
outside. The rest of us followed them out into the glaring sun. I
sat down on a wooden bench and rolled my sleeves up in order to gain
maximum tanning benefit from the hot sun, I was fairly laid back,
because I had a bit of wait before my turn.
The first two 'jumpees' walked nervously out to the small plane and
boarded it along with 2 instructors. The plane wheeled around the
grassy field before taking off. After a few minutes of circling, it
disappeared out of view.
After sitting in the sun for about 20 minutes, I laid back on the
bench, watching the sky eagerly. A few minutes later, one of the
ladies shouted 'There they are!' pointing to the sky. I strained to
look up, but the freely shining sun made it difficult. I couldn't
see anyone. A few more minutes passed, then I saw a small pink dot
suddenly appear, quickly followed by another blue one. The
parachutes had opened. After a few minutes of spiralling, they
landed softly on the field in front of me.
 It was now my turn. I pulled on the lovely green & purple jump suit,
now looking like a colourful mechanic. A helpful, young lady
strapped me securely into my harness. The camera guy (I decided to
purchase an optional video of my jump) wandered over, camera in
hand, and told me to smile for the camera, making witty remarks
about young ladies strapping me in. I pulled on a funny tight hat to
complete the really cool outfit. It fitted fine, so the lady removed
it and clipped the hat, gloves & goggles to the front of me.
After a few moments, a man with ginger hair & freckles, wearing the
complete outfit and a bulbous backpack (clearly containing the
parachute) came over and greeted me in a strong New Zealand accent.
Up to now, I had been feeling totally relaxed, but as we walked to
the plane, my adrenaline levels stepped up a gear.
 As we got closer to the plane, I realised there were no seats. I
knew the plane was very small, but I expected some seats or benches.
Peering into the plane, I could see the narrow floor of the plane
was covered with a giant grey mattress type thing. The only seat was
on the left-hand side at the front where the pilot was sitting. The
pilot, wearing dark glasses, cap & big headphones, was busy flipping
switches and talking over the radio. The guy, who I was tandem
jumping with, climbed into the plane and slid back a bit. He sat
facing forward with his legs apart. I then crawled in after him,
sitting facing forward, between his legs, up very close & personal.
Just when I thought how tight the plane was for space, the camera
guy climbed in as well and slid down beside us facing backwards.
Just as I thought we were ready to go, another guy squeezed in
behind the camera guy, next to the pilot.
After checking everything over, the pilot reached through and
slammed the door shut, and the plane pulled forward. We trundled
round in a circle and the plane began to gain speed. The window
began to shake, more & more violently as we picked up speed. Then, I
was pushed back into the person behind me as the plane strained to
lift off, and we left the ground behind. This was the point of no
return. Next time I see the ground this close, I'll be hurtling
towards it.
We kept climbing up. The height we reached was proportional to the
number of butterflies in my stomach. Unlike normal passenger planes,
the cabin was unpressurised (so we can open the door to jump out).
This didn't really feel that much different, I suppose because we
don't reach the same height as commercial planes.
The camera guy swung his camera around, alternating looking at my
expression & out of the window to the views below. The ground was
slowly getting further & further away. I was holding the camera
man's helmet between my legs and I noticed that there was an
altimeter lying inside it. At first I thought it was broken. We were
climbing fast and the ground seemed to be far enough away for a
jump, but the meter said we were only about 4000 ft up, still
another 8000 to go! Surprisingly calm, I tried to chat with the guy
strapped to my back. Well, more of a shout than a chat due to the
noise of the engine.
 I returned to looking out of the window. We were still climbing and
we had just hit the base of the clouds. I glanced at the altimeter,
only 6000 ft. The fields were getting further & further away and
they seemed to be multiplying. I could see for miles around, the
horizon of my vision was slowly growing.
Climbing....climbing....8000 ft....9000 ft...I was told to pull my
gloves on....10000ft....I was told to pull my hat & goggles
on....110000ft....I was told to hold my hands across my chest & look
up when falling, when he tapped my head, I was to throw my arms up &
out behind me.....120000ft....the plane levelled out & the meter
stopped changing. After a few seconds of level flying, the cameraman
pulled the door open & the sound of the air rushing by filled my
eardrums.
 The lone guy at the front pivoted round and threw himself out.
Usually a strange sight. The camera man than swung himself out and
grabbed hold of the wing! He then hung OUTSIDE of the plane from the
small, white wing, camera in hand & a camcorder on his helmet. I was
told to edge forward. So I shuffled forward nearer the door. I
reached out to pull myself forwards, but the guy strapped to me
knocked myad out of the window of a moving car. Just much stronger
and colder. I hung there fory arms up & out in the traditional pose
as I had felt the tap on my head earlier. I smiled, but closed my
mouth again quickly because of the cold wind.
After falling for a few more seconds, the cameraman zoomed off from
us and I felt a sudden, sharp tug and we appeared to shoot upwards
as our speed quickly decreased. The parachute had opened and had
slowed our descent. We were now falling so slowly, it felt like we
were not moving. The sound of the rushing wind had stopped. We hung,
apparently motionless. The only sound was my own breathing and the
distant tweeting of birds. The ground was much closer, but the
fields still stretched to the edge of my vision. I had more time to
appreciate the view. I looked around. It was so peaceful, quiet and
beautiful from here. We spun round in a few tight circles and I
could take in the whole scene below us. Believe me, there is nothing
in the world quite like this. The feeling & the views were
unbelievable. Strangely, I felt completely safe and at ease, even
though we were 1000s of feet above solid ground.
 Below us, the buildings & fields slowly grew in size. The small dot
buildings were now growing into "Lego" models. The pinprick cars
were now growing into tiny Corgi Cars. I strained to see our landing
spot and eventually saw the yellow & red pole marking our field.
Drifting lazily, the ground approached. It seemed to take ages,
particularly in comparison to the previous rush. As the ground began
to get close, he told me to lift my legs on his signal. He spun us
round slowly a few more times then we came into the final straight.
I lifted my legs as instructed and we slid smoothly to a stop on the
soft, yet reassuringly hard, ground.
With adrenaline pumping around my body, I sat in a daze as he undid
the straps holding us together. The camera guy rushed over to me
asking me how it was. I answered breathlessly, unable to convey how
unbelievably amazing it had been. The questioning over, I rose
slowly to my feet and looked around. For the first time, I saw the
huge folds of red material that I had trusted my life to. The man I
had fallen with, smiled then continued to gather up the parachute.
The young lady from before wandered over to take my hat and gloves.
I could feel the sun on my skin. After the coldness of the rushing
air, the sun on my skin felt warm & relaxing. I strode towards the
building, feeling quite back to normal. The skydive was over, and it
was without a doubt, one of the most amazing experiences of my life
Next Diary Entry >>
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To know the road ahead, ask those coming back
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