Falling with Grace - The Diary of a Skydiver

19 Nov 2024

It was just a regular evening at home, sat on the sofa watching TV when a news article about skydiving came on.

“Would you ever do that?” my partner asked.  Without hesitation, thinking that in all probability it would never actually happen, my bullish reply was delivered “Of course I would,  I mean, how hard can it be to fall out of a plane”.

Fast forward a few months and upon returning home from a hard day’s aviation administration, I noticed a card perched on the dining table with my name on it.  Not one for surprises, I opened it with caution as my partner looked on.  Inside there was a card with a photo of someone tandem skydiving over the Palm in Dubai with the caption “This will be you in March”.  My mind instantly recalled the news article, the question, and my, at the time, bullish reply.  I was not so bullish now.  My bluff had been officially called.

As you would expect it was a glorious day as we arrived at Skydive Dubai, clear skies, warm sunshine, and weirdly I didn’t feel at all nervous as I watched the team of skydiving instructors arriving on their skateboards!  Surely this would change when the reality of what I was about to do set in?! To my surprise it didn’t.

As we boarded the aircraft it became clear that I would be the first to jump and shortly after the wheels left the ground the roller door on the side of the aircraft was opened.

“We can go and sit over there if you want to?” my instructor advised, gesturing to the open door.

“Sure, why not?” I replied.

As I sat, legs hanging out the side of the aircraft as we climbed to our 14,000 feet jump altitude, I felt completely at ease, appreciating that the view of Dubai I was experiencing was different that of most.

The lights in the cabin changed, red, amber, green and before I knew it we were out, freefalling towards the ground at over 120mph.  As the parachute opened, the noise of the freefall was replaced with complete silence as we floated towards the Palm, effortlessly touching down.

I have subsequently completed two further jumps in the UK and Portugal and would highly recommend it!  I would also recommend applying an air of caution when your partner asks you questions related to high-risk sporting activities!

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