Sky Diving ✈️

A few months ago, I came across a Youtube video titled something like “Top 10 Adventure Sports in India” where I got to know of a Sky Diving facility just 3 hours from my home. That’s when I decided I wanted to do this activity + I watched ZNMD for the millionth time.

I asked some friends if they wanted to go with me but no one seemed to be interested, so I booked a slot just for me for Saturday at 7 AM. I didn’t sleep the night before as I had to start from my home at 3 AM, and I usually don’t sleep till 2. I reached the Airstrip. It was really chilly that day and I started shivering as soon as I got out of the car.

Then I was made to sign some forms (at least 30 signatures), which were waivers for certain legal rights (basic stuff -> like if you die, not our responsibility). I didn’t read most of it and signed anyway. Then they showed me a video regarding jump and parachute safety. Then a harness was put on me and the instructor (who was very friendly and funny, like most of the staff there) gave me some instructions on how to jump, what the body posture should be, how to communicate mid-air, etc.

After some time, the instructor walked me to the plane. It was a Cessna 172 (a really small plane ✈️ with no door and the capacity to carry 3 people at max apart from the pilot. It was super loud. It took almost 20 minutes to reach the height of 10,000 ft. The view from up there was breathtaking, to say the least. I could see various hills/cities/villages, which seemed really small from above. The sky was crystal clear.

Then came the time I was waiting for - the jump. Turns out I didn’t have to do anything. All I had to do was put my legs outside the plane and wait for the tandem instructor to push me. All I had to do was enjoy. And that I did. Something I realized the moment I jumped, I didn’t feel as if I was falling. It just felt like a cushion of air pressing against my body. For the first 5-7 seconds of the jump, my mind experienced a sensory overload, I couldn’t think of anything else. After that for around 20 seconds, I felt completely weightless/free. It’s something you can understand only by experiencing it. The instructor did a couple of flips while jumping from the plane which was quite fun. I fell 5,000 ft in around 20 seconds.

After that, the instructor opened the parachute🪂 and handed me the controls for it. I did as I was told (pull the left cord when I want to go left, etc.) and enjoyed the parachute ride quite a lot too. It was a bit scary whenever a gush of wind came and I could feel the parachute being pushed by it. And boy was it faaassst. I did a couple of 360 degree turns which was awesomeeeee. It lasted for around 4-5 mins (which went by so fast).

Was it fun? - Definitely one of the most fun things I’ve done. You just have to do it once in your life.

Was I frightened before the jump? - Not even a bit. I was more scared while doing a cliff jump from 15 ft than this. I asked myself if I was scared during the 20 minutes on the plane, but I couldn’t find a reason to be. Maybe it was the adrenaline rush.

Was it safe? - Yes, the staff was really professional. All the proper security measures were there and I didn’t feel unsafe for a single moment I was there.

Would I do it again? - 100%

Things to keep in mind if you’re sky diving - Don’t open your mouth in the free fall. Leads to bad photos (alas!).

Shout-out to the team at https://www.skyhighindia.com/, who made this activity possible for me and incredibly fun.