Today is my 30th birthday and I decided to go skydiving to mark the occasion. Joining me was Dan and Kelley (Dan's girlfriend). Shawnna decided to watch from the ground since she thought she might have a heart attack on the way down :-)
We arrived at Bay Area Skydiving (located in Byron, CA) at about 8:30am to start the experience. After signing our life away (at least our right to sue if our life was taken away), we watched a 15 minute video about the dangers and thrills of skydiving. Next, we met with our instructors who gave us more instruction while we were suiting up - Dan got paired up with a very small, female instructor (Connie); she was the most experienced with over 6,000 jumps! Kelley was paired with a slightly taller man (Vic) and I was paired with the big guy (Keith). Then, it was time to board the plane.
Besides the 3 of us (and our instructors), there were 7 others who were diving solo. We all crammed into the small plane for the 15 minute ride up to 14,000 feet. Despite being a little cramped, it was a fairly uneventful ascent. After reaching altitude, the solo jumpers dove first, then Dan, Kelley and finally me.
When I reached the plane door, I waved to the camera and dove into the big, blue abyss - or maybe I was pushed by the instructor. Per my request, the first thing we did was a backflip exiting the plane. After about 5 seconds, we had reached terminal velocity (120 mph) and continued to freefall for about 9,000 feet (1.7 miles) which took about 50 seconds. While freefalling, I really didn't have the sensation that I was falling like when riding a roller coaster at an amusement park. I suppose it was because I was so high up that nothing was racing past me so my perspective was changed. The only way I could tell I was falling was the sound of air rushing past my ears. We did some turns to the right and left while looking down at all of the farmland, freeway, windmills on the Altamont Pass, etc. - then the parachute opened.
Once the parachute opened, we went from 120 mph to 10 mph in about 2 seconds. It wasn't as jarring as you might think - just a rapid deceleration. The next 5,000 feet took 3-4 minutes and was just a very slow, leisurely descent. Without the wind whipping past our faces, the instructor and I were able to talk about the jump and he gave me some landing instructions. At this point, I was able to look down and watch Dan & Kelley's parachutes floating toward the ground. The instructor guided us toward the landing zone and we made a very smooth, safe landing.
Once on the ground, Dan, Kelley and I posed for a victory picture and walked back to the hangar to de-gear, meet back up with Shawnna and collect the video and pictures of the jump. The big question is: Would I do it again? Yes, I would (and will) do it again. It was unlike anything I have ever experienced in my life and definitely provided enough of a rush to want to do it again. Let me know if you're interested and maybe I'll go with you.
View the skydiving photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/52995831@N00/sets/72157594173173476/
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