Skydiving was always one of the things to do in my wishlist. Recently when I was in US I got the opportunity to experience this amazing sport. I am big on adventure sports and this was something I was really looking forward to.Since California is blessed with great weather there are many skydiving companies. I chose the Monterey Bay Skydiving which is a 90 minute drive from my brother's place. Atlast the D-day arrived and I was as excited as a small child...:)I was going to perform the skydive from 15000 feet ie 3 miles above the ground. I reached the site at about 10:30-11 am. The site is a municipal airport close to the Monterey Bay. After reaching there I had to first sign the waiver form which in simple terms means that 'I take full responsibility for what I am doing and the agency cannot be held liable if anything untoward happens'.... :P:P
I know what you are thinking...Don't worry guys tandem skydiving is a perfectly safe sport. Once the formalities were done I had to put on my gear which consisted of harness and goggles. I got introduced to my jumper. In tandem skydiving the participant is tied to a harness with a experienced diver and you jump together. If you are a first-timer like I was then tandem skydiving is the best thing to do. You just have to follow your jumper's instructions and you get to enjoy the dive. He is responsible for opening the parachute and ensuring that you land safely. So 'Just Jump and Enjoy'
I also wanted the video and photos of my dive. So for some additional dollars even that was taken care of ...:)
The breathtaking photos that you all have seen are all thanks to the wonderful photographer. There were 5 of us who was going to make the first jump. Thankfully it was a clear day and we were all ready to go....
We boarded the KingAir aircraft a small plane...Our troupe consisted of total 15 people. So basically 1 group consists of 3 people: the participant, the co-jumper and the photographer....
We reached 15000 feet in matter of 10 minutes and then the big moment arrived. The wind speed at those heights is mindboggling. The door of the aircraft opened and we jumped. The photographer jumps 5 seconds before you and records your dive. He has a camera mounted on his hand which he controls with a remote.
Skydive consists of two parts the freefall and the parachute opening. The freefall is the best part of the dive and lasts for 70 seconds. The moment I jump out of the plane OMG that feeling of freefall cant be expressed in words....I let myself free and I had full faith in Newton's gravitation law that what goes up will eventually land on earth...hahahaha...
As I was falling I started screaming at the top of my voice and my photographer was capturing all the moments...But I discovered something unique. I couldn't hear myself...I was screaming but there was no sound...I guess it is because of the rapid windspeed that you can't even hear yourself...I was making all this wonderful poses for the camera...Then when the height of 6000 feet reached my jumper opened the parachute...The upward force that you feel when a parachute opens is awesome....Once the parachute opens then it is a nice gliding experience till you land...The views from the top were simply breathtaking...My jumper manouevered the parachute to the landing area...The photographer reached the ground before me and he was ready to shoot my landing as I came down....Had a perfect landing and then it was time for interview. I was feeling on top of the world...WOW that was something else....
I have done some pretty cool things in my life like white-water rafting in the Ganges, paragliding, rappelling, trekking in the Himalayas,etc but this by far is the coolest thing I have ever done in my life.Immediately after my jump we were taken by a shuttle bus back to the airport...After flying in the sky I was feeling so surreal to travel by road and walk on land.... In an hour the video and the photos were ready and I made my way back home feeling overjoyed and thrilled with my experience.
After my jump I decided that I want to do a solo-dive and be a certified skydiver someday...My jumper has been diving for the past 11 years...He did his first dive at the age of 16. It is a sport that can be enjoyed by everyone young and old...The only thing you need is to overcome your fear...I know some people are scared of heights but even for them my advise would be is 'Go ahead and do this'. After all as the famous tagline goes...'Darr ke aage jeeth hai'. I look forward to the day when I can do my first solo dive. This experience has created a love for this sport in me.....
