I have never been the kind of person who would willingly jump out of a plane but when the opportunity came up to take the plunge and dive 4000m (14,000ft), I thought ‘why not?’.
On the day of the jump, I was apprehensive but excited and feeling positive about the prospect.
At the Skydive York drop zone I met Bubba, the instructor who would take the tandem plunge with me.
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READ NOWIt was sunny, not too windy and I was keen to find out if picturesque York looked even better from above.
The York drop zone was Australia’s first purpose-built skydiving centre and is the largest in the country. It has hosted four national championships, so I knew I was dealing with experienced and professional instructors.
The team did not disappoint and throughout the whole process were keen on making the experience a memorable one.
Bubba was positive and high-energy, and keen on making me smile and laugh the whole time, which is important when you’re about to jump out of a plane.
Strangely, my nerves disappeared when my feet were dangling over the edge of the plane, almost 4.3km above ground.
The wind roared in my ears as I plunged and the cold air reminded me that the incredible view below me was real as I raced towards it.
When it came time to deploy the parachute, we went from an exhilarating 200km/h to what felt like being frozen mid-air, dangling in the sky; a surreal experience.
We slowly floated to the ground, taking in the views of the beautiful Avon Valley for about five minutes, with Bubba bravely letting me take over the steering, before we landed.
It was an exciting experience for someone no reasonable person would call an adrenalin junkie, and one I don’t hesitate to recommend. It’s something you will never forget and a major item to cross off the bucket list.
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