Our Skydiving Experience

Bucket List Item #45 Our Skydiving Experience

Is skydiving on your bucket list? Is skydiving a feeling you want to experience as you fly high in the air over 11,000 feet just to be hooked onto a stranger, trust them with your life, and free fall in the clouds as if nothing could go wrong?

That’s how I was feeling right before we jumped or in my case, what felt more like being pushed out. It also didn’t help that I was the first one to go. I had absolutely NO time to think nor regret my decision. It was just terrified screams and hoping I didn’t DIE. (Ok, that was a bit dramatic.)

For many years Andrew wanted to go skydiving but I was always way too scared to go until I finally decided to take the jump (pun intended). You can take the jump too. See skydiving experiences in your area here.

Skydiving was the one adrenaline thing I always said I would skip but for Andrew’s 24th birthday, we took the drive to Plant City FL and had an amazing skydiving experience. 

So, what was our skydiving experience? 

As we got up into the clouds, like I said before I was the first to go and was practically pushed out of the plane. I swear I have never screamed so hard in my entire life. (You can see that in the video below) 

I was so scared but had to remind myself of what I was supposed to do, keep my arms crossed and head up until my instructor tapped my arms then I could release them and the rest was in his hands. 

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Once we were falling, I remember trying to figure out how the heck was I supposed to breathe. Believe me I know that sounds dumb like “just breathe” but all that air flying up your nose and mouth made it so hard believe it or not. 

Once I got the hang of breathing by holding my tongue out like a DOG I enjoyed the free fall until suddenly, the parachute came out and pinched my groin like nothing else. 

Now, you may think “yes! the parachute came out, at least you know it works and now its almost over. All you have to worry about is the landing now.” And while yes, this is true, I must say it was one of the most painful positions I have ever been in. The way the straps were on my groin hurt SO bad and with all the emotions I was experiencing at that moment I just wanted to CRY. 

I felt scared but also relieved all while being in pain but I was also in complete awe. There is really no word to describe this. 

After taking nearly 20 minutes to get to the ground, I sat in owe… (and in pain) until the difficult part came that ended up being really easy which was… the landing.

Once we came in for the landing, I was told to keep my legs out straight and we would slide in on our butts. This sounded easy enough and so I did it all while getting a face full of grass and dirt up my a**.

My experience may scare you away and after we went I remember thinking “I don’t think I would ever do this again.” but, looking back on it I can’t wait to go a second time!

Don’t wait to mark skydiving off your bucket list. If not now, then when? Book a jump with Viator in your area here.

Below, we will give our experience and answer some of the common questions a first time skydiver has. 

Disclaimer: We are not professional skydivers by any means and this is only our experience. Other experiences and jump companies may differ. 

What Is Tandem Skydiving?

Tandem skydiving is the only way to skydive unless you are skydive certified which you can only achieve after several tandem jumps. A tandem jump is skydiving with an instructor attached to the back of you. 

The two instructors we had on our jump were a lot of fun and helped make us feel safe for our jump. They hooked us up tight and gave thorough instructions for us to follow. They took care of everything and we were there to enjoy the ride.

Is Skydiving Safe?

As a general answer, yes skydiving is safe. During our jump we felt safe, we felt secure to our instructor, and there has been an unbelievable amount of safe jumps. I will say however, they did make us sign a waiver before we went but that’s not surprising. 

What Does Skydiving Feel Like?

From my experience mentioned above, you can see that skydiving had many different feelings emotionally. There are however, many more feelings you experience when skydiving. 

The higher in the air you get, the colder you get. Once you jump out of the plane, it is chilly and your heart will be racing! When I initially jumped out of the plane, I didn’t necessarily feel butterflies when we jumped but just the feeling of nothing but space and time. 

It was also hard to breath but at the same time you feel so alive! (Sounds cliche I know)

It’s an experience and feeling you will only understand if you’ve gone. Below you can watch Andrews jump to see how he managed to stay calm through the whole experience.

Is Skydiving Scary?

This is a hard question to answer because it vary’s by person. Of course it’s going to be scary, especially your first time. Andrew managed to stay calm and didn’t seem to be scared at all. 

Me and a few others on the other hand were definitely scared on our jump! 

You can see my face below when we were sitting on the edge of the plane.

Overall, it is fairly safe and there isn’t much to be scared of but yes! It is scary but don’t let that stop you from facing your fear! Don’t forget You are in the hands of professionals and someone coaching you one on one when jumping.

How Old Do You Have to be to Skydive?

In order to sign a waiver, you must be 18 years or older therefor, you must be 18 years old to skydive. 

Skydiving Weight Limit

The usual skydiving weight limit is 250 pounds and can at times charge more if you weigh over a certain weight. It is important to check the FAQ section on the company’s website you plan to jump with. 

Skydiving Height

When we went skydiving we jumped at 11,000 feet. They said the free fall was about 30 seconds. There are other jumps you can take as well anywhere from 10,000 feet up to 18,000 feet where the free fall last nearly a whole minute. 

Check Viator for different jump options in your area. 

How Long Does Skydiving Last?

The overall process of skydiving last nearly an hour. Once you arrive and check in, you sign a waiver and meet your jump instructor. You will then talk about the process of what will happen during your jump and head to the plane. 

Once you get in the plane (which is fairly small) you will fly up high to the jump spot. This is really where the adrenaline starts to kick in. 

Once you get to the jump spot, it’s time to fly. Depending on how high you jump will depend on how long your free fall is. It can last anywhere from 30 seconds to nearly a minute. 

Once the parachute comes out, its about 5 minutes of falling until you reach the ground. 

What to Wear When Skydiving?

It’s really important you wear the right clothes when going skydiving. The higher you get, the colder it gets so it’s important to wear something like a long sleeve shirt if you get cold easily. You should also wear closed toed shoes and stay away from flip flops and boots. You should also wear shorts and no tight jeans. 

Make sure you dress casual and comfortable. 

You can see in the photo below I wore long sleeves and am very happy with the choice I made. You should again, check the FAQ section on the company’s website you will be jumping with.

Skydiving Cost

The cost of skydiving can vary based off of the company you will jump with, the day you jump, and how high you jump. We’ve found that the prices can be anywhere from $140-$240+. When we bought our skydiving jump, we booked through Groupon for a good price totaling $100/pp. 

You can also check out Viator for skydiving deals. 

Let us know below if skydiving is on your Bucket List. 

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