Divinfool

Seldom ever need a Drysuit here in Florida.... on the coldest days I only wear a 5-7mm with a hood and still do 5 dives. Fear is the thief of dreams.....

Nice! Best instructors around....if you get a chance, go to the tunnel too, it's really worth spending 15-30 minutes there before or during AFF. I'll be out there on Friday, weather permitting...any idea who your instructor will be? One tip....don't forget to try one of Chromy's sausage sandwiches at the Perfect Spot....amazing. Blue Skies! Fear is the thief of dreams.....

My other girl....love my Mirage Fear is the thief of dreams.....

Been Scuba diving for many years.... about 2600 dives logged.... commercial and rec spearfishing, thousands of freediving hours. The only thing I love more is jumping out of planes! Fear is the thief of dreams.....

Wow...very cool shot. Fear is the thief of dreams.....

I lost 30#...went from 188 to 158... I think I had a goal during AFF to get more fit so that I could skydive better. One of the main reasons I work out and stay fit is so I can be a better skydiver and longer. Fear is the thief of dreams.....

Could be... unfortunately, I can probably be blamed for the bruises on some of my buds! Fear is the thief of dreams.....

Yes, horizontal when my arm is hanging. I'm thinking it is a pressure bruise caused by holding on tightly to the inside bar before I release. Do you bruise more easily at higher altitudes? Fear is the thief of dreams.....

On three of my jumps from a PAC 750 (when I do a standing exit holding the rail in my right hand), the next day I have found large bruises horizonally at the top of my bicep on my right arm.... I have never felt like I hit anything or felt pain....and have even watched videos of my exits, but never notice my arm hitting anything. Has this happened to anyone else? Fear is the thief of dreams.....

Forget the scuba gear...I have close to 2800 scuba dives and IMHO skydiving is by far the most exilerating sport I have been involved in.... get the scuba stuff later. Just my 2 cents. Fear is the thief of dreams.....

Wow...incredible photos. I love that era of America...everyone knew the goal and would do anything to attain it... because of that mentality, America became great. Fear is the thief of dreams.....

Deland is 45 minutes away...AFF and training there.....lots of places to purchase gear there...too ChutingStar, Skydive Deland, PD, Aerodyne etc etc etc come to mind. I'd call ahead and have the gear ready when you get here. Just my 2 cents. Fear is the thief of dreams.....

Wow...amazing AND incredibly stupid.... at this point in my life, testing fate is not my idea of a good time. Fear is the thief of dreams.....

One of the biggest problems with Ethanol that sits for a long period of time is that it becomes Hydrophilic ~ they will attract water which can really hurt your engine. (technically...compounds that have an affinity to water and attract water). Fear is the thief of dreams.....

Still can't believe he rode that canopy with those cut lines ... I don't understand why he did not go to his reserve. Fear is the thief of dreams.....

Ignorant here...How much in US dollars is £460.00? Fear is the thief of dreams.....

If you fly United (Continental) just be prepared to pack light...we paid a fortune on bagage fees last summer. Fear is the thief of dreams.....

I'm still a noob, but going from a 190 to a 150 with a wing loading of 1.61 seems like setting yourself up for an accident (from what I have learned).... wouldn't a 170 be the next step? If you recently did a canopy course....what was the instructor's recommendation on downsizing? I guess I still don't understand why skydivers have the need to constantly downsize. Fear is the thief of dreams.....

Sounds like you are having a great time. Think I met you at Deland on Sunday.... if so, nice landing!btw..GO Knights! Fear is the thief of dreams.....

Ouch...that could ruin your whole day! Wonder how long it will take until somebody seals the lead to sell as scrap? Fear is the thief of dreams.....

Wow... pucker factor 10.... well done Sully...cool as a cucumber. Could have been so much worse had they not been over the water! Fear is the thief of dreams.....

Anything that you have never done before that is meaningful will bring fear. You will learn so much in ground school and have a huge learning curve... ask lots of questions and voice your fears to your instructor. A good instructor has a way of calming a student down. I sometimes see the fear on some of the AFF student's faces when I get on a load and clearly remember how I made it into a lot bigger thing than it is. Learn your EPs and be able to do them in your sleep. You will learn so much in the first 25 jumps. I like what my instructor told me..."Skydiving is like learning to play a song... you begin one note at a time and eventually they come together to form a beautiful thing." And welcome to this incredible obsession with the sky.... Fear is the thief of dreams.....

Bass Pro Shop post thanksgiving sale...jeans...$8. Fit like a glove too. Fear is the thief of dreams.....

I put a ZPX Pilot one size larger than the suggested normal material size recommended for my Mirage and it fits nicely in the container...I'm not a great packer yet, but I found that the Mirage D bag has a smaller opening than some of the others I have seen. I have to really work to keep the folds together to get first part of the folded canopy in the bag...I can imagine a 190 in a 170 bag will be a very tight fit and difficult for an inexperienced packer. Fear is the thief of dreams.....

IMHO.... be patient. It's easy to get so into this sport that you hear someone say "you got to have"... and you assume that you really have to have that thing. The reality is you don't really know enough about the sport to make a good decision until you have learned so much from instructors, books, articles and other skydivers. I just got most of my gear and throughout the process I depended on my favorite instructor to guide me through my questions and choices. Ultimately I had to make my own decisions based on TONS of information. Glad I did not jump into the first rig that someone tried to sell me.... take your time buying your stuff. IMHO... buy a basic alti, open face helmet and jumpsuit first (unless you have unlimited funds and don't have $$ issues). Fear is the thief of dreams.....