12c - Mom: I'm Going To Jump Out Of This Airplane...

While the rest of the family shopped and relaxed with Thai massages in the city, Theo, Cameron, Nectarios (Nick) and I went on a day trip just for the guys. I had never been skydiving, so Nick decided to take me...I had been talking about it ever since arriving in Sydney, and he had the urge to take his second jump with me, his newly introduced cousin.

We anxiously waited for two hours as air traffic control delayed the jump...


Finally suited up and ready to board the plane.




We climbed to 14,000 feet over about twenty minutes, and then the green light went off, signaling it was our time to jump. Craig, my tandem instructor, pushed me out and off we went spiraling in a free fall for over sixty seconds.



The view was incredible from up there - I had barely had the chance to see Sydney from the ground, so this was one of my favorite parts of the trip.


Once we pulled the shoot, Craig asked me if I liked roller coasters. When I replied that I absolutely love them, he gave me the controls. I pulled as far down to the right as I could, spinning us violently in circles as we gained speed. It was a bit strange to have total control on my first jump, but I can't wait to do it again. I am considering completing enough jumps back in the US to get certified as a solo jumper....I can't wait. Mom can.




Theo and Cameron opted out of the skydiving experience, citing their will to live as reason enough. They did not, however, fail to get a bit of a thrill on the ground.



Copy and Paste this link to your browser to see my skydiving video:
(I couldn't get it to load the link here, but I will keep trying...)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNb-zBTGYHg