What should you know before you tandem skydive? Here’s my list!
I tried tandem skydiving in Mission Beach in Australia and it was one of the most exhilarating experiences I’ve had. It is definitely worth doing once in your life!
Tandem skydive from the highest height possible
You won’t be able to tell the difference between 10,000ft and 14,000ft from the plane and it makes a big difference to the free fall time.
Jumping from 10,000ft gives you approximately 30 seconds free fall. Jumping from 14,000ft gives you twice that!
If you’re going to do it, you might as well make the most of the experience.
Invest in the video package
Before you tandem skydive, if there is an option for a video package – take it. In the age of social media you’ll want to be sharing this awesome experience!
I got the video + photo package which has been YouTubed, Facebooked and Instagrammed to within an inch of its life (…and now blogged!).
Think about location for your tandem skydive
For most people, skydiving is a once in a lifetime activity. So it’s worth doing it somewhere amazing rather than an a random airfield.
I did mine on Mission Beach in Australia, where the reef meets the rain forest, and landed on the beach.
But don’t make these mistakes!
Don’t take the mickey out of the guy packing your parachute
It felt like a long wait, waiting for the clouds to clear enough to jump. I distracted myself by chatting to the hot guy with the slightly crazy adrenaline junkie eyes.
I was super nervous and knew I’d taken the playful insults too far when he looked up and said “Honey, I’m packing your parachute! Be careful!”. Eep!
Don’t let your tandem skydive guy somersault out of the plane
On the ground you get a short training session explaining what to expect. You’ll be told to sit on the edge of the plane doorway with your feet dangling and tip your head back to look at the sky.
When it was almost time to jump, my tandem skydive guy said “Hey, remember what they said? You’re not gonna do that, you’re gonna stand up.”
Err, ok – I decided not to argue. It turned out that, because I’m small and light he wanted to do a flip out of the plane. I was not expecting it!!
Don’t look down before you jump
Follow the advise to tip your head back just before you jump – it prevents whiplash. I looked down. I saw the two people that jumped before me spiraling to their doom (they were fine!) and I hurt my neck.
And by the way…
- Clouds don’t feel like cotton wool. They’re kinda cold and wet!
- It’s possible to get motion sick. If you’re prone to that take a travel sickness tablet before you go.
- Skydiving doesn’t feel at all like falling. The ground is so far away it doesn’t look like it’s rushing up to meet you.
So there’s what you need to know before you tandem skydive!
There are so many places that you can do a tandem skydive and I totally recommend that you give it a go one day!
If you need further inspiration, watch the video of mine…
If you’re not convinced on skydiving just yet, check out my other adventure ideas!
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