A dream come true
Have you ever thought about jumping out of an airplane? No? I have. For a few years, I wanted to go skydiving but I never had the guts – until this year. With a group tour of 30 young people, I travelled along the Australian east coast all the way up to Cairns. On one of the last days, we were able to try tandem skydiving in Cairns. I’m not sure if it was the peer pressure or the chance to see the beautiful nature of Cairns from above, which I was told is one of the best places to skydive, but I decided to sign up. So here’s the story of how I ended up doing a jump from a plane with a parachute.
Before the Jump
Early in the morning, we got picked up from our Hostel and driven to the skydiving company’s office. We booked our skydiving experience with “Skydive Australia”. At the office, the employees gave us the necessary instructions, we paid for the jump and they also weighed us.
I paid for the experience around AUD 329.00. Additionally, I also purchased a media package that included pictures and a Go-Pro Video of the jump. The pictures in this post are all from this package. And honestly, it was definitely worth spending the additional money on that – I mean who knows if I’ll ever go skydiving again.
Surprisingly I was really excited during the instructions. They took tons of pictures during the whole experience and before the jump, I was constantly smiling. The employees at the office also showed us a video of the skydiving experience, that was the first time I actually started to have butterflies in my stomach.
Once we were prepared and put into harnesses (mine was so incredibly uncomfortable to walk in, I have no idea how everyone else managed to look so cool), we hopped onto another bus and drove to the airport. The plane had two small benches onto which we sat. I was told in advance to NOT watch other people jump out of the plane as this can make you very anxious. Luckily, I was the second person to go (so I just looked away when the first person disappeared from the plane).
To jump out of the plane you have to scoot all the way to the door, lean back on your instructor and push your legs underneath the plane. And then they push you.
Freefalling
Once your instructor pushes the two of you out of the plane it takes a few seconds for your brain to realize what is going on. You’ll freefall for a few seconds, which feels like flying. This was definitely my favourite part of the whole experience. During this part, you will be lying horizontally, so I did not really get the sinking feeling in my stomach (you know the one you get on rollercoasters).
I got told it’s best to just enjoy the view during this part and watch the horizon if you’re feeling anxious and to not look down. From my face in the pictures, you can see I was having the best time. We jumped from 15,000ft and it felt like my brain was not even able to comprehend how high up we were.
Parachute
At some point, the instructor will pull the parachute. My instructor warned me that I would feel like I’d drop a little as he adjusted something (which wasn’t as bad as it sounds, I was just glad he told me before). The view during the parachute part is still incredible but you can see the ground getting closer and closer. As you can see from my face I did not like the parachute part as much. Mainly because I was sitting and every time we turned I felt like I was falling straight down (and I definitely got the sinking “rollercoaster” feeling in my stomach).
At that point I also forgot about the camera a bit and was more focused on how I was feeling.
Landing
The landing is the part I was scared of the most. A friend who had done skydiving before told me that some people break their legs because they push their feet into the ground (sorry if this haunts you now, it definitely is a picture I couldn’t get out of my head). I also didn’t know if I had to run to land. Luckily, all of my fears were unjustified, we just landed on our butts.
While we were parachuting down my instructor told me to practice how to hold my legs up. I was so glad we did that because it took a lot of my anxiety away. The only thing I really disliked about the landing was that I could not hold onto the harness as my hands were holding my legs. It felt like I was just straight falling down (even worse than before). But once you’re close to the ground the landing went pretty smoothly. Just make sure to wear good pants. I was wearing biker shorts with quite thin material and I definitely felt the landing on my butt. But luckily they didn’t tear.
Was it worth it?
Right after the jump, the instructors asked me if I would do it again. My answer then was “umm maybe”. Now my answer would be “Yes for sure”. Even though I did not really like the parachuting part as much, I still had an awesome time and the view is absolutely stunning. Now that I know what I can expect, I would enjoy it even more. Also, it’s pretty rare to be able to say “I started my day by jumping out of an airplane”.
Angela
Angela, the mastermind behind theslowtravelista, is a passionate traveler who embraces slow travel's essence. With a knack for immersing herself in diverse cultures, she treasures connections formed across the globe. Beyond her adventures, Angela's vibrant personality shines through her love for spontaneous hair changes, hitchhiking escapades, and culinary delights. Join her for travel insights, laughter, and unforgettable adventures.
