You will envy your instructor because they have one of the best jobs in the world, but most of all, you’ll have great respect and gratitude for your instructor because he took you where you could never go on your own.
Your friend(s) decided that skydiving in Zadar would be a great thing to do when visiting Croatia? Yes, it most certainly is! But there’s a problem: you are terrified of heights. Through my experience, as an ultimate acrophobic (working with skydivers, oh the irony), I will list some reasons why you can and should do it!
‘Ask someone to drive you to the airport. You’re going to jump with me.’ After hearing tandem instructor say those words, I panicked. ‘Huh? You mad, bro? No way!’
Half an hour later I was at the airport wearing green ADV suit. I jumped. I LOVED IT! Here’s why.
- It was out of my control – and that’s a good thing! If you’re anything like me and your brain, limbs, eyesight freezes when it comes to heights, it is good to know that you are attached to instructor whose reactions are diametrically opposite to yours and they will keep it cool up there.
- That awesome moment when door opens – and I realized that I am about to jump out of an airplane! My mantra in those seconds right before the jump was ‘Anamarija, why the hell you thought this was a good idea, ha?’ But, luckily, there is no going back once you put your legs out that door (yeah, you are the first who feels the air current 3000 meters above the ground, ain’t that great)
- Free fall – there are no words that could describe those 50 seconds up there, so I won’t even try to list every sensation, thought, state of mind, that I’ve experienced while free falling. Using some clichés feels like blasphemy now. It’s something you just have to experience on your own.
- Riding under the canopy and feeling your mind and body blank and overloaded at the same time – parachute opened, I was screaming from the top of my lungs and just soaked everything in: what just happened, the scenery, the feelings, the weird connection with my instructor, oh my Lord, there was so much going on at that time!
- The perception of height is different – this is something that guys said to me before the jump and I was sceptic about it, but it really is. I didn’t feel any discomfort, nausea, or vertigo I usually experience while, for example, looking down from 6th floor window.
- That smile you won’t be able to get rid of for quite some time – may sound funny but, once I’ve landed, I just didn’t know what to do with myself! I was shaking, smiling, taking deep breathes and just had the urge to hug and kiss people and that’s something I never do… ever. That’s how overwhelmed I was. Wow, I’m getting those ‘skydiving’ goosebumps just by writing this.
- Sense of accomplishment – I just jumped from 3000 meters. I mean, come on! That’s huge! Especially for someone who can’t climb a ladder without panicking (even after the jump I still can’t, but I’m getting there. It’s something.).
You will not die from heart attack, fear, you will not faint or vomit – I mean, yeah, the later can happen, but if you do what your instructor says (the ‘Relax and enjoy’ is official ADV slogan), you’ll be just fine.
What I’m actually trying to say, if you’re afraid of heights, afraid of jumping out of an airplane, parachute not opening, or any other excuse you might have, don’t be and just do it. I almost said ‘Thanks, but no thanks’ to (probably) the best experience of my life.
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