A few weeks ago, I went skydiving. While this wasn’t my first time going skydiving, I have to admit my nerves weren’t any quieter.
You see, I’m absolutely terrified of heights.
My friend Crystal asked me to go skydiving with her for her 29th birthday as her first “30 before 30” bucket list. It was going to be her first time skydiving and I agreed to be the “brave one” for her.
So, we signed up for tandem skydives with Skydive San Diego.
We arrived early and met the men that we would be jumping out of a plane with at 13,000 ft. They’re actually really great at making you feel less nervous and really excited about the whole experience.
The entire process leading up to the jump feels like a complete blur now, but once you’ve gone through a short instruction, you’re ready to go!
We were put into groups and began our walk to the plane. I was feeling pretty good up until this point. I could feel my palms sweating and there was a lump in my throat. I kept smiling hoping that would help.
In fact, I wore bright pink lipstick that day to remind myself to keep smiling. (It’s a little trick I have when I’m going to do something that scares me!)
After sat down inside the plane, the engines started up but the roar of the propellers weren’t any louder than the pounding of my heart. I felt the fear sink in and looked over at Crystal sitting across from me.
Our eyes met, but rather than cringing in fear, we laughed. Before I knew it, it was our turn to jump. Crystal’s tandem buddy tightened their straps and I lost sight of them as soon as they disappeared out the side of the plane.
Then it was my turn…
We walked to the edge of the plane door and I simply closed my eyes and waited. 1, 2, 3 and we were falling through the sky from 13,000 ft at 120 mph.
The entire experience was equal parts overwhelming, terrifying and awesome!
If you’re interested in skydiving in San Diego for the first time (or 100th time), definitely check out Skydive San Diego! You can’t beat the view of the Pacific Ocean as you fall.
I highly recommend them!
Hi Kiki,
Thanks for sharing this amazing experience with us. Looks like you guys had a great time Skydive San Diego. For those interested in giving them a try have a look at https://www.dropzone.com/dropzones/united-states/california/skydive-san-diego-r392/ . You can see photos and videos from the drop zone as well as user reviews.
Did you guys ever go for more jumps or was the one enough to tick off the buck list?
Thanks for sending that through, Sam! Once was just enough but it was definitely a thrill! 🙂
I like how you mentioned that the skydive starts at 13,000 ft. Since my birthday is coming up next month, I want to go skydiving for the first time with my best friend. I’ll have to find a good skydiving place where we can do tandem skydiving.
What a cool birthday present to yourself! Best of luck in your search 🙂