Is this a good idea?

[Ifearheights 0]

I'm heading to Australia in february.
There's a company called skydiving express in York where I can jump and get the whole thing on camera. The 23rd is my birthday and they have special offers for it. It would be my first and last jump (tandem)

BUT

I fear heights. I would never consider a bungee jump because it scares the crap out of me. Looking down from such a height makes me want to puke and get dizzy.

I don't know if this feeling would be the same with skydiving. Because the distance to earth is a lot bigger so it's less scary.

Someone with 30 jumps of experience says I'm gonna feel like I'm going to die when the door opens at 8000ft and he says I should never jump with fear of heights.

What is your opinion on this?
I have no idea how it's going to be. If a jump would make me feel proud in the end or that I'd feel miserable

[Hellis 0]

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I fear heights. I would never consider a bungee jump because it scares the crap out of me. Looking down from such a height makes me want to puke and get dizzy.

I don't know if this feeling would be the same with skydiving. Because the distance to earth is a lot bigger so it's less scary.

With time the distance to earth gets closer during a skydive.
And at one point the distance will be the same as "bungy jump height".

Just a thought

[Freeflaw 0]

you'll be fine...just be ready to tip the shit out you instructor if you throw up on him.

[huge 0]

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It would be my first and last jump (tandem)

Yeah, that's what I thought as well. Then I did another tandem. And went through AFF course, did my first solo. Where I expected rush, I found peace. No matter how much you think of it, your first jump is going to be something different than you expected.

[DrewEckhardt 0]

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I'm heading to Australia in february.
There's a company called skydiving express in York where I can jump and get the whole thing on camera. The 23rd is my birthday and they have special offers for it. It would be my first and last jump (tandem)

BUT

I fear heights. I would never consider a bungee jump because it scares the crap out of me. Looking down from such a height makes me want to puke and get dizzy.

I don't know if this feeling would be the same with skydiving. Because the distance to earth is a lot bigger so it's less scary.

Someone with 30 jumps of experience says I'm gonna feel like I'm going to die when the door opens at 8000ft and he says I should never jump with fear of heights.

What is your opinion on this?

No. There are few places in nature where one can fall thousands of feet so we never got enough chances for our primitive reptilian brains to recognize them and evolve a fear. Getting out the door early in your skydiving career is a scary unknown thing but not a frightening fear of heights situation. It's not like climbing over the railing on a 486' bridge and jumping (your brain does recognize that as a high place and it's terrifying at first).

OTOH, you still need to fly from opening altitude (4500 feet) down to ground level. That could be relaxing like flying in a plane or not.

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I have no idea how it's going to be. If a jump would make me feel proud in the end or that I'd feel miserable

You pay your money and take your chances. If you can handle riding in a glass elevator where you know you can't fall out you're more likely to be fine. If not skydiving probably is not a sport for you.

[Ifearheights 0]

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I fear heights. I would never consider a bungee jump because it scares the crap out of me. Looking down from such a height makes me want to puke and get dizzy.

I don't know if this feeling would be the same with skydiving. Because the distance to earth is a lot bigger so it's less scary.

With time the distance to earth gets closer during a skydive.
And at one point the distance will be the same as "bungy jump height".

Just a thought

Yes but in a bungee jump you get closer to the earth at 200km/h. With your head pointing downwards so it looks as if you are going to crash and die.

Free falling from 8000ft you know it takes a minute to reach the ground. And the parachute is open at a distancemuch greater than a bungee jump.

I don't know how I would feel after the free fall. Relieved because the most intense part is over, or scared because we are still on a distance from earth that makes me die if a bird collides with the parachute.

It's a once in a lifetime experience so I don't know how I will feel

[oldwomanc6 38]

I have a terrible fear of heights, so I understand just what you're saying. I thought the heights would bother me just as when I look over a ledge, bridge, or building edge. My first skydive was my first airplane ride so I thought it would be the same terrifying feeling. What I found, though, was that since you aren't connected to the ground that there is no perspective to mess with your brain. Things just look small.

Don't worry, there will be plenty of other things to be scared of, but the heights probably won't be one of them.

lisa
WSCR 594
FB 1023
CBDB 9

[Skydivesg 6]

I'm scared to death of heights. I own a two story home and I can not clean out the gutters because I can't let go of the ladder with one hand.

I've had a small size branch on top of my roof since October. I got up on the roof to get it off but quickly decided to wait for some one else to handle it. I was physically shaking when I got down off the ladder.

Skydiving is not the same. Everything on the ground is much smaller when you are at altitude and you don't really have anything relative to show how high you are. If you can fly in an airplane with out freaking out, you should be able to handle making a tandem jump.

I'm not saying it won't be scary but that's part of what makes it so much fun.

I've been shooting free fall video of tandems for several years and almost every single person says that even though they were scared getting near the open door, once they left and got in free fall they were totally stoked and thrilled they chose to jump.

You say this will be your first and last jump.

I said the same thing when I made my first jump.

And now almost 8,000 jumps later I still can't get enough of this very addictive activity.

I'm sending you some suggestions in a PM.

Good luck and have fun.

Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

[scottd818 0]

my friend was the same way. said he would do one and only one tandem. now he is on lvl 3 of his AFF course. Just do it im sure u will regret not doin it more than doin it. and who knows u may find out u love it and want more!

[Ifearheights 0]

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my friend was the same way. said he would do one and only one tandem. now he is on lvl 3 of his AFF course. Just do it im sure u will regret not doin it more than doin it. and who knows u may find out u love it and want more!

Possibly. A jump on video costs me $420.
If I turn that into my hobby I'll be broke soon

[NWFlyer 2]

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my friend was the same way. said he would do one and only one tandem. now he is on lvl 3 of his AFF course. Just do it im sure u will regret not doin it more than doin it. and who knows u may find out u love it and want more!

Possibly. A jump on video costs me $420.
If I turn that into my hobby I'll be broke soon

The sport's expensive, no doubt, but it's only your earliest student jumps that cost anywhere near that much (and that amount sounds high for a tandem w/video in US, but it may be perfectly normal for Oz given the differences in fuel costs).

Just to give you an idea of the price difference once you have your license - I did four jumps yesterday for $88 (total). Of course, I have a license and own all my own gear - which I had to buy, and which I have to maintain.

But I'd say go for it, enjoy your first jump. You may be like most people and say "Yeah, that was fun, I'm glad I did it." Or you may be like a very few that absolutely hate it. Or you may be like a very few who say "Wow, when can I do that again? And again. And again."

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[Skydivesg 6]

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Possibly. A jump on video costs me $420.
If I turn that into my hobby I'll be broke soon

Actually if you make your jump at the DZ you mentioned, the cost for both will be closer to $700 USD.

Check out my PM I sent you.

Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

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[scottd818 0]

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my friend was the same way. said he would do one and only one tandem. now he is on lvl 3 of his AFF course. Just do it im sure u will regret not doin it more than doin it. and who knows u may find out u love it and want more!

Possibly. A jump on video costs me $420.
If I turn that into my hobby I'll be broke soon

i know this all to well but now i pay 25 a ticket to altitude!! Its worth it!!

[Trae 1]

in reply to "I fear heights."
..................................

You can think of it more like a distance, you don't fear distances do you?

Imagine you are in a car going 120mph down a straight empty road. (have you done this its fun too )
When you are a mile away from the end of the road you hit the best brakes in the business. You stop within several seconds, still nearly a mile away from the end.
If your first set of brakes brakes fail, you have an even better set as back up.

Not many cars give you that kind of stopping power.

[jonstark 8]

If you do not REALLY want to do this there is no reason to. Why would you put yourself into this situation with no real desire to be there? It sux to back out on jump run and there may not be any refund once in the aircraft.

On the other hand there is no better way for your curiosity to be satisfied. You have to decide just how bad you want to do this.

jon

[dragon2 0]

There are a huge number of skydivers with fear of height. I know I am one

2200+ jumps along the line, I still have a fear of heights and will not bungee jump, abseil, go on a climbing wall, stand on a ladder or ski down anything but the bunny hill (and even that was scary).

Skydiving however, no problem whatsoever. Weird, how the mind works

ciel bleu,
Saskia

[Ifearheights 0]

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If you do not REALLY want to do this there is no reason to. Why would you put yourself into this situation with no real desire to be there? It sux to back out on jump run and there may not be any refund once in the aircraft.

On the other hand there is no better way for your curiosity to be satisfied. You have to decide just how bad you want to do this.

jon

I want to push my limits in as many ways as I can.

I am heading to a different continent for the challenge. I have always been the boring student who lived at home with mom and dad because it is close to college.

I am full of it now and I am heading to Australia which is literally the other side of the world (12 hour time difference)

I want to cover my own expenses, meet new people, get small jobs to be independant.
And this would be a great way to battle the fear. I want it on tape too. But not if the whole thing costs me more than $420

The result has to match the costs which is not the case for that amount

[adagen 0]

I've never been able to ski more than a green run because of the feeling that I'm about to descend fast from height. I did a power fan jump from 125 feet to prove to myself I wouldn't freak out if I did a tandem - it's the scariest thing I ever did. But I had no height problems on my tandem, or later when I did an AFF course. Looking from that height is a bit like looking at Google Earth. And I'm so focussed on what I'm supposed to be doing that I'm not really thinking about height.

Anne

[piisfish 135]

give it a go. Report back to us once it is done.
oh yeah, have fun and happy birthday

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

[Ifearheights 0]

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give it a go. Report back to us once it is done.
oh yeah, have fun and happy birthday

Thanks. All of you
Never thought so many people would be willing to help me out so fast.

Could someone tell me the difference between the types of video/DVD footage on this page

http://www.skydive.com.au/html/tandem.html

Their videos are all over youtube but I don't know which one is a $109, which is $149 and which is the full package of $269.

$269 for a 2 minute video is really a retarded price and there is no way I am going to pay that

Edit:

I figure this is a full package video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjZuhei1Pb4

And this is a handy cam

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxJT6RAAeJo

Correct?

I also found a site that offers a jump at 6000ft for $180. Is that still above the clouds?

It's $300 for a jump at 8000ft. Too much of a price difference in my modest opinion. Especially for a student like me

[PiLFy 0]

I just looked at the site for that DZ you've chosen. Their tandem prices would be considered Highway Robbery here in the US. Do you not have other options?

I too, was terrified of heights when I started jumping. I still respect them, but it's different. In a harness, I feel safe. Untethered on a high roof, I'd still be scared.

My first jump almost literally scared the poop out of me. When I landed. I thought I was going to puke. I stumbled off the field on shaky knees thinking I'd never do that again. Now, I line up w/the other addicts at the manifest window on weekends.

Learning about the equipment went a long way to lessening my fears. For example, each clip that connects you to your tandem instructor is rated for 5,000 pounds. One connection is far more than you'll ever need. You'll have four such connections. The parachutes are also much more stable than you might think. You can stop worrying about a bird strike right now, BTW. Despite millions of tandems jumps every year. Tandem deaths are virtually unheard of.

You'll be able to jump just fine, if you want to. Though, at those prices, I'd look elsewhere. Worst comes to worst? You'll curl up into the fetal position, & scream "MOMMY! MOMMY!!!" all the way through landing. But hey, a video of THAT would stand a good chance of going viral on Youtube. Think of the royalties you'd make from Ads: 25 cents per view X one million+ views?! Go get 'em, Killah ...

[dragon2 0]

Clouds can be high or low, so 12.000ft can still be below the clouds. Or clouds can be at 2.000ft so every jump will be above the clouds.


A jump from just 6.000 ft means you will get 10secs freefall or less, as tandems generally open at 5.000ft. So basically, you'll just buy the canopy ride down. A freefall cameraman would be pointless in this case.
So, a 6k tandemjump is not advised. I agree with the other website as 8000ft being the minimum you'd want to jump from.

The camera options are pretty well explained. Handcam is a camera on the instructor's hand. This means you get a very wide angle (fisheye look) and any still photos would probably be (much) lower quality than outside stills.
An outside cameraflyer will not capture your canopy ride down (except for landing), but in freefall will show more of the surroundings and generally in a more pleasing manner (less fisheye-y). An outside cameraflyer can jump with a DSLR camera, if so, the stills will be much better quality than handcam.

Basically, I'd look at what equipment they are jumping.
If it is small cameras for the outside flyer too (go-pro and the like), heck I'd go for handycam.
If however the cameraflyer has much better equipment than the handcam, like a decent videocamera and a DSLR for stills, I'd go for outside, myself. But the outside cameraflyer needs freefall time to film, so 10.000ft or higher would be better than 8.000ft (and forget about 6.000ft).

ciel bleu,
Saskia

[Ifearheights 0]

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I just looked at the site for that DZ you've chosen. Their tandem prices would be considered Highway Robbery here in the US. Do you not have other options?

I too, was terrified of heights when I started jumping. I still respect them, but it's different. In a harness, I feel safe. Untethered on a high roof, I'd still be scared.

My first jump almost literally scared the poop out of me. When I landed. I thought I was going to puke. I stumbled off the field on shaky knees thinking I'd never do that again. Now, I line up w/the other addicts at the manifest window on weekends.

Learning about the equipment went a long way to lessening my fears. For example, each clip that connects you to your tandem instructor is rated for 5,000 pounds. One connection is far more than you'll ever need. You'll have four such connections. The parachutes are also much more stable than you might think. You can stop worrying about a bird strike right now, BTW. Despite millions of tandems jumps every year. Tandem deaths are virtually unheard of.

You'll be able to jump just fine, if you want to. Though, at those prices, I'd look elsewhere. Worst comes to worst? You'll curl up into the fetal position, & scream "MOMMY! MOMMY!!!" all the way through landing. But hey, a video of THAT would stand a good chance of going viral on Youtube. Think of the royalties you'd make from Ads: 25 cents per view X one million+ views?! Go get 'em, Killah ...

I have a Canadian chat friend and she says that skydiving is more expensive than this in Canada.
I have also taken a look at other options in Australia but they all charge this much at the first glance.

Can anybody prove me wrong?

I'll take 8000ft for $300 but there's no way I pay more than $149 for a video

I want to go through with this but I don't want to get robbed. I am a student, unemployed. Have saved some money but $500 is a week of hard work in my homecountry.

[oldwomanc6 38]

I am laughing pretty hard right now. You're haggling price online with people who won't have anything to do with your actual jump. If cost is the concern, just do a static line jump if you can find a place nearby that does them. It will be much cheaper, and the fun factor is right up there.

Either way, the key is to have fun.

lisa
WSCR 594
FB 1023
CBDB 9

[Krip 2]

Skip the video.
There's lot of Tandem video's on utube in casse you forget what you did.