Written by Jane Dennis
Jumping out of an airplane at 12,000 ft is no mean feat, and I’m about to tackle it! Ok, I’m not alone. I will be strapped to my Brazilian tandem master, of Taupo Tandem Skydiving, who assures me it’s like a “walk in the park” for him (he’s done thousands of jumps!). Still, it’s of little comfort to me (I hate heights). “Why the hell am I doing this?” I ask myself. Taupo Tandem Skydiving is based at Taupo airport. The minute I arrive at the drop zone, I’m impressed with the setup. Within seconds I’m feeling calmer, but the moment is short lived when I have to sign a form – in other words, my life away!
One of the friendly and supportive staff helps dress me in the jumpsuit I will be wearing, before my tandem master, Jonathan, talks me through the skydive and safety procedures. I know he’s qualified, done zillions of jumps and he wants to live another day, but still the fear of it takes over me when he checks my equipment. I blurt out “I don’t want to die”. He smiles and replies: “I don’t want to die either”. Sorted: I feel much better! After nervous chatter with staff and fellow members stupid enough as I am to want to jump out of an airplane, we brace ourselves to take flight with our tandem masters in tow! I’m told as I get in the plane I will be the first to jump. “WHAT?” Suddenly, I’m speechless for a few seconds (which is unusual for me) before turning to Jonathan for reassurance: ‘You’re kidding, right?” “It will be fun”, he says. I began to see my life flashing before me!
On the way up, Jonathan tries to comfort me by saying all the right things. The sun is out, it’s a great day for flying. I try to absorb the wonderful scenic flight over Lake Taupo, but I feel sick in the stomach as my mind is preoccupied with the airplane door. “What happens if the door opens and I get sucked out before I have been attached to my highly qualified tandem instructor?” My heart starts racing, so I quickly banish such thoughts and think of all the other people before me who have survived! At this point in flight, Jonathan carefully sets about strapping me to him. “Phew”. I feel a lot safer now! My master is the one that has to do it all, and even if he has a heart attack on me (not that I want that to happen. He’s a really nice guy!), there’s a back-up chute (highly-specialised system) that will automatically open, right? I prepare for the jump: the door opens. I’m sitting on the edge. The cameraman asks me to smile. “Yeah, right”, as if I’m relaxed enough to turn around and do that. I’ve had fearful moments in my life, but this one takes the cake – it’s so intense up here! The wind hits my face. I can’t move. All my rational thoughts go out the window. I close my eyes: my heart’s racing and the thoughts inside my head become louder and louder. “Sh*t. This is it!” as we fall out of the plane. Arrrrrrgh! We are freefalling at phenomenal speed. Jonathan reassures me everything is good and it’s time to have fun. Thank God he’s still alive. Oh - and me, too! The cameraman (skydiving with us) is right in front of me wanting me to relax.
Words can’t describe how I ‘m feeling: the 30-40 second freefall seems to be going on forever. I’ve gone from fear to an adrenalin rush. My arms are wide open. Wow, I’m actually flying! My ears are popping, the wind is strong and my face hurts . . . is it ever going to end? Then, whoosh! The main parachute kicks in, we swing back up into the air as it lifts us and a slower speed kicks in. I finally feel safe, as we make our way down from the sky. The roar of the wind has been replaced by a beautiful silence. It’s wonderful to breathe in the fresh air and the sky is a vivid blue.
Lake Taupo is stunning and I can see the volcanoes and Tongariro National Park in the background. We glide down - it’s so peaceful. Jonathan lets me steer the parachute. I’m surprised how easy it is. He points out the houses and the cars on the road, which look like matchbox toys. Yeehaah. I did it! Jonathan takes back the reins and we twirl around and around. I don’t want this moment to end, but soon we are preparing for landing. We glide in effortlessly to base.
What a day. It’s an amazing feeling and I lived to tell the tale! ***Taupo Tandem Skydiving opened in 1992. It was the first tandem skydive operation in New Zealand and is the largest in the world. It can take up to 220 tandem skydives per day.
