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Ifearheights

Is this a good idea?

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Forget the video. Just go for the experience. I did, some 14 years ago. Then came back for another. And another. 5 years of that and I signed up for lessons.

10 years later it has altered my life beyond all recognition. More friends than I can count. Experiences so mindblowing I jump up and down hollering inarticulate gibberish that usually ends in "YEAH!" I've now got thousands of wingsuit skydives under my belt and I'm only going to stop when I am so old I'm physically unable to put on a rig and fly anymore or I'm eaten by something bigger.

Do it. Do it. Do it.
After,
you'll wonder if you ever really lived, before...
-B
Live and learn... or die, and teach by example.

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Forget the video. Just go for the experience. I did, some 14 years ago. Then came back for another. And another. 5 years of that and I signed up for lessons.

10 years later it has altered my life beyond all recognition. More friends than I can count. Experiences so mindblowing I jump up and down hollering inarticulate gibberish that usually ends in "YEAH!" I've now got thousands of wingsuit skydives under my belt and I'm only going to stop when I am so old I'm physically unable to put on a rig and fly anymore or I'm eaten by something bigger.

Do it. Do it. Do it.
After,
you'll wonder if you ever really lived, before...
-B



I'll post the video here after the jump.
I don't need the canopy on video, that's just sightseeing. Free fall on tape and the arrival is enough

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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.



Everyone has fear before a skydive. If everyone let that stop them, there wouldn't be any skydivers. Your friend is full of it. Go ahead and do it anyway, despite the fear.

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in a bungee jump you get closer to the earth at 200km/h.



It is true that you would be falling closer to the ground, but you will not be anywhere close to 120 mph. It takes about 12 seconds of freefall to reach that speed, and bungee jumps are usually only a second or two before the fall starts to be restrained by the bungee cord.

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



Clouds do not exist at a fixed height. They come and they go, they start low and rise, they can occur at different levels, they can be as low as only hundreds of feet or as high as tens of thousands of feet. No one can guarantee you that you'll be above the clouds. Maybe, maybe not.

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Please don't think I'm laughing at your expense. I'm not. I'd quote US prices, but it wouldn't matter much to you. I found these two possibilities w/a quick browse of Australian DZs. The first one looks good. It's >$100 less, for almost twice the altitude. You would enjoy 14K' much much more than a measly 8K'.

They go to 14K' for $300:
http://www.ramblers.com.au/

Probably only goes to 10K', but still only $300: http://www.skydivecaboolture.com/sky_prices.asp

Here: http://www.dropzone.com/dropzone/Pacific/Australia/index.html You're aware of this part of our site? I don't know where you are located. You can also look up New Zealand DZs, here. On the brighter side, AFF prices don't seem to be so inflated down there. If you get hooked? Get your license for about what it would cost, here. Then, you can jump for around $40 a pop. Beats the H*ll out of $300+, no?

I hope you find a good place to jump. I hope you have a blast. :)
P.S.: Mmkay... If you do happen to make that viral "MOMMY!!!" video? I'll be laughing with you, not at you. :P

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Where do you currently live? There may be a DZ near you and you could do it before leaving in Feb.

Cost seems to be a big factor in your decision. At a lot of DZ's in the US, you can get a tandem to 10,000' or higher & professional video for a little less than $300, or without video for around $200.

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"I don't need the canopy on video, that's just sightseeing."

Don't discount the canopy ride too quickly. You'll be able to see 75+ miles in every direction. You'll also see the look (of wonder) on your face after just finishing your first freefall. Good Memories...

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Where do you currently live? There may be a DZ near you and you could do it before leaving in Feb.

Cost seems to be a big factor in your decision. At a lot of DZ's in the US, you can get a tandem to 10,000' or higher & professional video for a little less than $300, or without video for around $200.



I live in Belgium now but I'm heading to Perth (South West Australia) on february tenth.

I'll reside in a youth hostel for 4 days and then I have to find my own place to live for 4 months.
I don't know if I'll travel across the country with people I meet there or I'll stay near Perth for a while and then take a national flight to the eastern part of AU.

I'll see what the future holds.

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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?
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



If you're really scared of heights, you can always go do a tunnel for 2-4 minutes.

The tandem will feel a bit less fun, but you'l get a small "sample" of what a tandem would be like.



Cheers!

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Ifearheights trust me you aren't any more scared of heights than I am. I waited till i was in my fifties to try this, damn I should started a lot sooner. I'm still new at it. I still get very nervous on the plane, but once door opens I want out!!!!! Just remember your instructor has hundreds if not thousands of jumps, he or she will take care of you, just enjoy.
Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.”

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I have made up my mind and I am definitely going to jump. If not, I'd be wondering what it's like for the rest of my life.

I have seen many skydive videos by now and noticed there is a difference in the way instructors jump out of the airplane.

Skydive express in Australia seems to slide you to the edge of the opening (sitting position), and then tilt you forwards so you fall.

Others are standing up and jump with their head downwards which seems scarier. I can imagine that I would get dizzy standing up and facing the height, and that I would create a counter force with my legs to stay in the airplane.

Or does every instructor perform a first tandem skydive in sitting position?

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Or does every instructor perform a first tandem skydive in sitting position?



There's a dozen ways to exit that are up to the instructor, everyone has their own preferred exit type, so it really comes down to who you go with.
"I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly
DPH -7, TDS 578, Muff 5153, SCR 14890
I'm an asshole, and I approve this message

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I can imagine that I would get dizzy standing up and facing the height,



No need to worry. You don't face the "height", it's like looking onto a model railway layout.
When at the door, simply tilt your head back (your TI will love you for doing this on your own) - "ya got 50 s time to watch down, just allow yerself the luxury of watching the plane 'go away' by tilting yer head back as we exit" I usually tell my students. ;)

Way of exit depends on type of plane (sitting exit from a Skyvan ain't that practical, for example) and TI's preferences. I'd rather sit-exit from a DO28, for example.
The sky is not the limit. The ground is.

The Society of Skydiving Ducks

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After I got home from my first jump (AFF) someone asked me if getting out of the plane (heights) was difficult. I don't think I ever saw the ground before or during freefall, or at least didn't look at it during that jump. I was so busy with the diveflow tasks.

Looking at the ground was not part of the training.

Dan
Instructor quote, “What's weird is that you're older than my dad!”

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Butch Cassidy: Alright. I'll jump first.
Sundance Kid: No.
Butch Cassidy: Then you jump first.
Sundance Kid: No, I said.
Butch Cassidy: What's the matter with you?
Sundance Kid:
:|
:|
I can't swim.
Butch Cassidy: BWAHAHAHAHAAAA!!
Are you crazy? The fall will probably kill you.

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I am afraid of heights too. Climbing into the plane is the scariest part of a skydive for me. We used to have a ladder for getting in and I had to crawl into the plane on my hands and knees! I can't even stand on a chair to change a light bulb without holding on to something!!

I did some research on it and the fear of heights has something to do with being physically connected to the ground. When there is no connection between you and the ground (such as in a plane) it is not the same as standing on a ladder. And since you don't reconnect with the ground until you actually land the parachute, hanging under the canopy is not scary either. This is my experience anyway.

I would advise getting the video. Yes it is a lot of money. But if you really think you will never do this again, then it is nice to have the evidence. And if you end up being a skydiver, then it is fun to have the video of your first jump!

Good Luck and Bon Voyage.

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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.


It's more like looking at a Google Earth photo as opposed to looking down from a bridge/cliff/ladder etc. What's more, you're so high that the ground doesn't really zoom up at you. One article (I'll post the link if I can find it), compared it to "jumping into a picture".
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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.


I have about half the jumps as your friend has, but I say go for it.
Personality wise, I'm cautious, timid and easily scared. I only tried a tandem (at age 42) because my curiosity got the better of me- no way was I going to let fear push me around. I didn't want to be on my deathbed someday thinking "Damn, I should have tried skydiving.":S
So I did the tandem, even though I don't like heights and I don't like the falling sensation* I was scared, but at the same time it was wonderful.
I remember being glad I tried it, but when the instructor mentioned doing additional jumps I thought, "right, like I'm doing that again!"
But guess who did another tandem a few weeks later?
Guess who signed up for AFF classes and is now working her way towards getting licensed? The early jumps scared me silly:$, and I still get nervous, but I'm also having a lot of fun.

*In my experience, the falling sensation only lasts a few seconds, and after several jumps, I stopped really noticing it.
My blog with the skydiving duck cartoons.

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*In my experience, the falling sensation only lasts a few seconds, and after several jumps, I stopped really noticing it.



Not only you. I something feel sort of envious when students tell me "I liked the tingling sensation in my tummy right after jumping out of the plane most" I still 'member this sensation from my 1st tandem but can't reproduce it any more.
The sky is not the limit. The ground is.

The Society of Skydiving Ducks

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*In my experience, the falling sensation only lasts a few seconds, and after several jumps, I stopped really noticing it.



I've seen quite some videos of first time jumpers now. From the look on their faces I can tell that they are afraid during the first seconds of the free fall.

But once they are falling in a horizontal position the scary part is over and they start smiling.

I'll just push my limit and do it. Maybe it's a good idea to take a soft tranquilizer

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I'll just push my limit and do it. Maybe it's a good idea to take a soft tranquilizer



ABSOLUTELY NOT!

Don't drug yourself. You need to be on your 'A-game' for skydiving.

My first 15 or so jumps I would freak out in the plane on the way up, asking myself what the hell I was thinking. It's normal, just learn to relax the nerves and enjoy the jump.
"I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly
DPH -7, TDS 578, Muff 5153, SCR 14890
I'm an asshole, and I approve this message

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Troll?

If not:

I got my A-license last autumn.

Always on the ride to altitude the nerves get to me. I hate to pretend being calm, but unless you cant control yourself nobody think bad of the nervous person (rather the opposite).

Once you progress through AFF and make solo exits you will be amazed by how fantastic it is to float on the relative wind.

Do not rush to be like the experienced jumpers, they are way beyond your level. Take advantage of the "protection" given by your instructors. Do not force away the nerves, rather learn how to gradually cope with them :P

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Just do it!! I'm afraid of heights as well and when I went to do my tandem I thought I would be shit scared but once your out the door, you don't have the time to think about the fear. You'll be sad that it was over so quick :)
I loved it so much that I decided to do the AFF course, which I did through Skydive Express and now I jump there whenever I can. They have a great bunch of instructors and nice, clean facilities. As for the price, thats pretty much the same as everywhere else in Oz.

As for for some of your other questions, $109 handycam is a video camera on your instructors hand, where as the $149 is where another person jumps with you and takes the video. $269 is for both and photos. As for leaving the plane, its always in the seated position at York.

Hope this helps :)

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