Going tomorrow and scared to death!

[wowoah 0]

Hey everyone! I'm a new poster as well as a guy who's never gone skydiving before in his life, but a bunch of my friends and I are going tomorrow and (don't tell anyone) but I'm scared out of my mind!! Just the idea of leaping out of a plane toward the earth seems (I'll admit, thrilling, but) unnaturally suicidal :P I want to have a good time tomorrow (and not wuss out) so can anyone tell me anything that might alleviate my fears? Mostly I get freaked out at the sensation of feeling the earth fly up at me (i.e., if you've ever ridden the DropZone ride at Great America in Santa Clara, California, or any ride that drops you for a couple second freefall), and I don't know how I'll mentally survive that sensation for such a long fall. Is it as bad as I'm imagining it? Should I find a stupid excuse and wuss out? :)

Any support/pity would be appreciated. Thanks!

[Jib 0]

Welcome to the forums!

The where the hell did my stomach go elevator/rollercoaster thing doesn't happen. So, don't worry about it. You're gonna have a blast!

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the depth of his depravity sickens me.
-- Jerry Falwell, People v. Larry Flynt

[dropdeded 0]

Mostly I get freaked out at the sensation of feeling the earth fly up at me
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Then you got no worries mate

You will be too high for your brain to feel like the earth is "flying up at you".

It isnt at all like driving 120 mph on the highway, with stuff wizzing by. Just relax dude, you are gonna have a blast. Come back and share the experience with us.

dropdeded

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The Dude Abides.
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[skymama 35]

Welcome to the forums and to skydiving!

Just relax and go with the flow. Trust me, you're gonna like it.

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[ber 0]

I think you're talking about a jump with a instructor(tandem)? If so...
Just remember the first 3 rules for the first skydiving experience: have fun, have fun and have lots fo fun, because is for that you're paying;) When the dive ends you will be wishing getting again on a plane.

Ber
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"Who Needs Oxygen Anyway?"

[iamspoild 0]

Cool! Tomorrow evening, you'll be amped like never before!

Don't worry about the accelleration sensation. It aint gonna be there. Believe it or not, you wont actually accellerate very much at all - like skymama said (who has a nice new pic today BTW). The first few seconds or so, you kinda level off from the direction of flight to straight down.

Almost all of us newbies get nervous - especially on the plane ride. In the plane, take a few slow deep breaths, and enjoy the view. Out the door, it will get very windy and loud. But no worries, there's no pain and you'll be able to breath just fine. Smile for the camera guy, and enjoy! Let us know how it went!

[littlestranger 0]

Hi, don't think about it too much, just enjoy the ride!

[skymama 35]

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like skymama said (who has a nice new pic today BTW)

LOL, thanks. Deuce took that and most of my pics that I change out. In this one, I was hanging off him and chopchop at the American Boogie. My first hybrid!

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[skylord 1]

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Hey everyone! I'm a new poster as well as a guy who's never gone skydiving before in his life,

Wowoah,

Relax and enjoy. By now you should have had your skydive. How did it go? With me, I was very thankful to do the tandem jump first. I was so busy thinking about the jump in the door, I was glad to have a big tandem master push me out. Once in the air, I thought "Arch!!" and did. It was a great jump. I'm signing up for AFF, and will probably take my first training jump this Sunday.

Bob

Bob Marks

"-when you leave the airplane its all wrong til it goes right, its a whole different mindset, this is why you have system redundancy." Mattaman

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[Muenkel 0]

I think I am in a minority here. I had absolutely no butterflies but an enormous sense of peace from signing up to leaving the door. And like everyone said, you do not feel like you are plummeting to the earth during freefall. It's noisy and cold, but no drop in your stomach. And the canopy ride is peaceful and smooth as silk. The hardest part I experienced was the opening of the chute. Nothing major, but it did give me a bit of a jolt.

I hope you had fun and let us know how it went.

Chris

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Chris

[wowoah 0]

Thanks everyone for all their moral support! I totally don't know if I would've done it without all the reassurances from this forum.

All I can say is it was ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE. I've never felt that sensation before, the total rush of jumping out hurling through the air right before you stabilize and the air holds you up as you freefall, it was so unspeakably intense. I can't wait to do it again--in fact, if I weren't a starving student and had $500 to spend, I'd get lessons and learn to jump myself ;) Thanks again for the moral support, it was the experience of a lifetime.

[FrenchyDiver 0]

Hehe..
Way to go Wowoah Glad you did it and even more glad you've enjoyed it. Welcome to the family

Hispas Brothers President
HISPA #2,

[skymama 35]

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All I can say is it was ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE.

Heehee...we told ya so!

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon