hookah

I went skydiving today and did my first jump... Surprisingly I wasn't afraid and just a little nervous BUT I wasn't scared even one bit. My instructor that I am going to be my AFF instructor. Honestly skydiving didn't give me as much as a thrill as I expected but I loved it and want more. There was 0 fear the whole time I am smiling in the video from the point I am in the door to freefalling. Just freaking amazing I am impressed!

That is a subject that will be covered in great detail during your ground course. Cool! Skydiving seems like a good thrill for me. I am pretty sure the only part that will scare me is the jumping out of the plane part. Once in freefall I will probably enjoy it like all the other fears I have beat thus far. I figure we all have to die someday and what is the point of life if you didn't live it! Almost got killed yesterday on the highway on my bike after a truck encroached into my lane. Would have been a more painful death than skydiving lol

Goddamnit! I did too much research! I was getting more and more pumped after beating a few of my other fears but after watching parachute failure videos I am freaked out again lol How hard is it to recover from one of those? Not asking for my jump but just in general I am kind of curious. Best to just cutaway asap and rely on the reserve?

Well now it mostly feels like flying. You ever have a dream where you go flying? It feels kind of like that. Those early AFF jumps and tunnel sessions reminded me a bit more of trying to balance on a bicycle the first time without knowing exactly how to do it. Then they take the training wheels off for the first time 3 minutes (3 jumps) later and you find yourself just doing it... There's a lot of other discussion about fear and stuff after you asked this question. Before our first jump they introduced us to a door mock-up where we could practice our exit on the ground. Several times during my training they told me that there was no difference between climbing around on the door mock-up and climbing around on the plane at 12000 feet. I didn't believe them at the time. Just recently I found myself saying that to an AFF student who probably didn't believe me either. Here's the thing, and I'm not looking to do it or take any unnecessary risks, but if there were some life-threatening emergency that forced me to climb out the door of the plane without a rig on, I feel like I could do that now. Because I KNOW it's no different than climbing around on the mock-up rig on the ground. I know my footing will be good, I know that my grip won't fail. The only difference is in my mind. I had a dream after I had this realization where I had to jump from a high platform (200-300 feet) and catch on to the rigging of a hot air balloon, and I did it without fear because I knew I could make the same jump on the ground without a problem. I didn't set out to conquer any fears when I started this, but that's kind of nice bonus to the whole experience anyway. That sounds great and makes me feel a lot better right now about the experience. The thing with me is I am usually afraid while waiting because that's when you think about things. Same thing with roller coasters! I will be in line muttering expletives at my friends but as soon as I get on the coaster and we start going I am throwing my arms up and having fun! Had the same experience ziplining or anything else that would put fear in me before trying it. Now thinking ahead how much would an AFF1 course cost roughly? Unfortunately that has become the SOP around here. It never used to be, but some where along the line, the clique decided that the best way to deal with anyone who doesn't fit the dz.com approved standard skydiver profile should be bashed until they leave. Regarding fear, it's normal to be scared (I don't like heights much either) but Tandem Instructors are used to nervous students and take good care of them. Ultimately how you deal with fear is up to you but in this game it really is a good idea to make sure you can still operate normally when scared as freezing up is not a good survival trait. That in itself I find is a pretty good motivator not to be scared, or at least to deal with it more effectively. My policy on dealing with fear was to imagine the perfect skydive from take off to landing, calm and relaxed, with no dramas and with no fear. Repeat that 100 times and you start to believe it. It seemed to work for me at least. Thanks! I will try this!

You would have to more clearly define 'fear'. I learned everything I could before my 1st jump...I knew the basics and more, well before ever taking the class. I had what I'd consider to be normal apprehension, but no it wasn't fear by my definition. 'Fear' can and does affect different people in different ways, some freeze up, some forget everything and revert to curing up & hoping for the best. Some run & some fight...if you're the type that 'fights' through it and performs well under pressure then tally-ho. If not, you're putting yourself in a bad position for a BTDT tee-shirt that means little in the grand scheme of things. Even if fear did make me freeze I am sure my TI would be able to handle the situation properly. I don't get the apprehension here and don't appreciate the limiting belief system being preached. If I didn't care to do my research I wouldn't bother registering on this forum. The fact that you guys are discouraging me when you can run through thousands of videos on YT where people full of fear skydived is quite weird. I was talking to someone who does it often and they told me you will be scared shitless on your first jump. I like to experience life and I take part in my dangerous recreational activities. For god sakes I ride a motorcycle in NJ and probably have better chances of dying from that then skydiving. If I don't like it at the end of the day so what? I can't recall any activity that scared me that I tried and didn't like...Quite the contrary. Also psychologists say the best way to get over fears is to face them as long as it is done on your own terms. I am not a slave to my fears or slave to anyone else's self limiting belief systems. Thanks for this! I have been told you don't have any idea of how fast you are going and no concept of height at that point.

I've been a scuba instructor for over 10 years...and one of the first things we look out in students is their reasons to scuba dive. IF they say something like "i need to get over the fear of water, or i need to get over the fear being under water, or getting over the fear of claustrophobia", that is a red flag to either keep an eye out on the student or to really recommend looking for a different sport. In my experience and in my colleagues experience 9/10 times a student who wants "to get over their fear" in scuba ends up not liking the sport or does not pass pool qualifications to go to the next level to qualify for open water. That being said, i know sky diving is not like scuba but to "get over your fear" is not a legitimate reason to skydive. Some fear is ok, it keeps you sharp. But total fear to the point of paralysis and not being able to think clearly or act can put you , your instructor, and others in danger. Ask yourself this, are you willing to put your family, your job, your friends, your life on the line to jump? Are you willing to accept the risks and consequences if something (remote) were to go wrong? I would totally disagree, I think it is a great reason and legitimate reason to do something. I am not the sort of individual that likes to live my life in fear of the world and not trying things that scare me. Heights freak me out but this whole month I have been pushing the envelope and doing things that scare me. Guess what after 2 seconds of initial fear I end up having fun in these activities. I like to live on the wild side and don't like to let my irrational fears paralyze me. I used to be afraid of water but my friends pushed me in the deep end once and guess what! I swam and now I am decent swimmer and cliff dive into the Delaware river every year. Obviously I haven't been paralyzed by my fears yet and doing so would be uncharacteristic of me. In fact, you have just motivated me even more to go ahead with my first skydive. How many people in this sport aren't fearful their first time?

What can I expect to feel during freefall? Does it feel like when you jump off a 25 foot cliff and get that weird dropping feeling? I hate that feeling but I am trying to get over it.

I am scared out of my mind but I have to do this to get over my fears and tackle them. Everyone talks about skydiving but barely any of those people end up doing it. I am scared of heights and even the thought of jumping out of a plane gives me sweaty palms. I want to face my fears and put my foot on the platform and jump out without my instructor pushing me out. Any advice on managing my first time fear? I am scheduled to jump in a week.