We had been bush camping for quite awhile and that morning we were going to stay in an actual town, Swakopmund, for a couple of nights. Swakopmund is Namibia's adrenaline activity spot and they offer sand boarding, skydiving, paragliding, quad biking, etc.
We listened to all our options and when I asked about skydiving, the woman told me the best timing with the weather would be that afternoon. So at 2:00, off I went! I was so incredibly excited and so incredibly terrified!
We hopped in the shuttle (Anna and Sharlene went skydiving too and Toni came to take pictures) and made our way to the office to fill out forms, pay, meet the guys who we'd be going with, and fill a cooler with ice and post-jumping drinks. Then off we went to the desert.
We pulled up at the mini airport and and I met the person I would be tandem with, Jack, and the pilot, and my camera man (I opted to get it filmed!)
Jack
We chilled out for a bit waiting for everything to be ready. Everyone was very laid back and joking and soon I wasn't scared at all. I was ready to get the show on the road (or in the sky!)
Anna and I and the giraffe plane
(Anna) Sharlene and I
I got suited up:
I'm going for the teletubbie look.
And I got strapped in.
Then it was time to go!
Good thing 5 months of camping pounded out any vanity I might have had...
All the guys liked doing that sign. Hang loose indeed!
This is our plane:
We went up in the plane. We six were packed like sardines in this little plane but we had some absolutely stunning views. Looking down, I could see the desert, the sand dunes and the massive fog bank rolling over the ocean. Jack, who I was strapped to for jumping, was very nice and reassuring giving me little pats on the head and even a shoulder massage. But I wasn't scared. I was amazed. After 15-20 minutes of climbing, we reached 10,000 feet and it was time to throw myself out of the plane.
The side opened, my camera person went first and then Jack and I sat on the edge. My feet were dangling in the open air and I had a 1/4 second of absolute terror and then we threw ourselves from the plane and were sucked down, down, down, down.
It was wonderful, amazing, radiant, superb, lovely, and everything else good all wrap up in one.
For 30 seconds I was in free fall. I couldn't hear a thing except the wind as we tumbled. And then the parachuted opened and it felt like we had come to a halt even though we still were being sucked towards the ground quite swiftly. For a few more minutes we were in the sky and I flew the parachute for awhile. To go right you pull on the right string and the same for the left. I pulled hard and we banked right doing circles in the sky. It was awesome!
(These are just the pictures taken with my camera. I did get video and better pictures taken of me by my camera guy. I wish I could get them on my iPad but I have no cd drive. There are some great ones though so I'll try and find an internet cafe with an actual computer soon...)
To land I was told to make like I was skiing (never gone skiing) with my legs apart. I was concerned by how quickly the ground was approaching. But we hit the ground, skidded, and stopped and no broken bones!
I made it! And so did Anna and Sharlene!
Hugs all around. We didn't die!
I am so skydiving again. 15,000 feet seems to be the next goal!
- Sent from Africa using my iPad
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