There couldn’t have been a more exciting start to 2024. I am not talking about the golf I played on the first day of the year at the stunningly beautiful course located on the edge of Lake Wakatipu and flanked by mountains at Queenstown, New Zealand. I refer here to what I did a couple of days later at the Franz Josef Glacier township set in the picturesque west side of the southern island of the country.
Jumping from an aircraft is sure to bring the adrenaline rush to anyone. I was no exception when it came to Skydiving, considered as one of the most extreme sport in the world. I had been undecided about doing it when I reached New Zealand. On the first day of the year I had made up my mind not to indulge in this sport in which you had to jump from an aircraft from an unimaginable height and go into a free fall till parachute is opened. It was the idea of free fall which scared me as I started thinking of falling from a sky for 40 seconds as being similar to that feeling which you get on a roller coaster with stomach churning and heart sinking to an extreme depth. Yet-just 2 days later I was on a plane from which I was being asked to jump from 13000 ft. I still don't know how this thought transformation came about but I am glad I conquered this mental fear and enrolled for the dive.
It was all very well organized. I had made an online booking so just went and registered at their office which was right across our hotel at the scheduled time. We were taken to an airfield nearby and in the shed there was a lot of activity happening as instructors were instructing the skydivers and support staff were getting them ready. I also joined the process and then waited as I was in the 2nd shift. This meant that the aircraft would go with a load of skydivers and come back for the second shift in which I was to be included. I would have preferred the first shift as one doesn't want funny thoughts to creep in while waiting.
I might have been in the 2nd shift but once in the aircraft I was told that I would be the first to jump so I had no chance to observe anyone while the others watched me carefully as we kept climbing and climbing till I was told that it was time. We had reached the desired height of 13000 ft.
The aircraft shutters were opened and I sat on the ledge with legs arched under the aircraft with hands holding the harness on my shoulders and then the instructor asked me to gently push out and I did not knowing what to expect once I was out of the comfort of the aircraft.
I did not hurtle down as I had expected but seemed that I was being blown by whooshing wind. I didn’t even feel that I was going down. It seemed strong wind from below was preventing gravity from doing its job. A tap on the shoulder by the instructor meant that I could leave the harness and spread my hands like an eagle. And I was suddenly flying and feeling exhilarated with the breathtaking views of snow covered mountains in front of me. The instructor turned me around a bit and the vast Pacific ocean was all there. The hands were really cold and apparently I was going down at the speed of 120 mph though I just didn’t feel it. Did I scream ? Yes-I did. But I couldn't hear myself as the sound of wind was all that could be heard. I could feel the gushing wind on my body while the eyes savored the views. I was flying !
Then the parachute opened and we descended to the landing area. Everything suddenly became calm and silent and we made large circles as we descended. The instructor kept teaching me how to maneuver the parachute and take large rounds till we made a perfect landing. The entire thing had lasted 15 minutes from the jump to the landing but it was those 40 odd seconds of free fall which were most exciting.
Rest of the evening I could not stop talking and thinking about the experience. I was so happy that I found the courage to do this jump. It will remain one of the most cherished memories of my life.
Not surprisingly at night my mind went a couple of years back when I had gone under the sea at Havelock island which is a part of the Andaman & Nicobar islands. The comparison became inevitable as Scuba diving is also considered as an extreme sport.
Scuba Diving in the Andamans
Going Scuba diving had been a great and unforgettable experience. The feelings during the scuba diving was totally opposite to what it was during the sky diving.
In skydiving it was adrenaline rush and feeling of being liberated. During scuba diving as I had plunged meter by meter under the sea water I had felt calmer. While sky diving, it is the sound of gushing wind that is omnipresent but under the water it is the sound of your own breathing that helps you concentrate. You cannot breathe naturally and have to be dependent on the oxygen cylinder tied at your back. I remember being trained for an hour so that you get accustomed to breathing from your mouth. Once this fear dissipated and I felt comfortable breathing, I was mesmerized by the underwater marine life. It was so very beautiful swimming in the midst of array of colours and underwater life. The fish were of unimaginable shapes and colours and even the giant octopus looked so docile. There were so many species that I could not identify. Were they even fish ? The time I spent underwater was around 40 minutes and it felt that you had been transported into another world with the inhabitants living a different kind of life from what we know of life. As I said earlier- it was a whole new world.
I am glad I had gone under the sea then and I am really kicked that I jumped from the plane now. Given an opportunity I think these are the kind of experiences everyone should jump at.
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