Wow!
As today was my birthday, I wanted to do something extra special to mark the occasion. And what better way than to jump out of an aeroplane from 9000 feet above ground??
I had heard that the weather forecast wasn't great...typical! So I set my alarm clock for 8am and wandered down to the information centre. I ignored Nicole's advice about not eating anything beforehand as I was starving, and so I helped myself to a bowl of rice crispies! Surely that would be ok!
Anyway, there were a lot of clouds around and a bit of a breeze and so I wasn't too optimistic about doing the dive in the immediate future. Still, I asked a member of staff at the information centre to give them a call and see what the deal was. They said that they'd call back in 5 minutes...
A nervous wait then! I knew that I'd be able to do other dives but I really wanted to do it on my birthday. Luckily, they called back and said that they'd pick me up at 9.30am which gave me 30 minutes to head back to the hostel, swap my jandals for my trainers, and take a final toilet break!
The guy who picked me up was typically jovial, but as we made our way to the airfield he seemed a little worried about the dark clouds in the distance. We picked 3 other members of staff up on the way who were cautious about the weather, but also optimistic. It turned out that I'd be doing the jump strapped to a guy from Exeter. It was his first jump in Paihia so he was hoping to get the all clear too.
We arrived at the skydiving centre which basically consisted of a hut and a very small aeroplane! I think I was more nervous about going in that plane than actually doing the dive! We waited around for a while and chatted a bit in the hope that the weather would clear. The others were watching the weather very closely, and after about 20 minutes it seemed like it was going to be ok as the dark clouds were slipping by.
So Gavin got me harnessed up and gave me my glasses/helmet and I was starting to get just a few butterflies. Alas, the wind direction had changed and the dark clouds were immediately above us! Harness off, chill out on the sofa in the hut! I asked Gavin how many dives he had done (a question I bet every single person asks him!!) and he replied "This is my first one!" So although he is English, it seems he has the same sense of humour as the bungy jump guy in Auckland!
Seriously though, the people were very safety concious...they were just very laid back as well! After a further 10 minutes, we got the go ahead and Graham (the pilot) went to "warm the plane up!" Warm her up?? It sounded like an old petrol lawn mower!!
This time it was for real and I quickly got my harness on again and Gavin briefed me on where I was sitting, what needed to happen when we reached 9000 feet, etc. Before long, we were tucked into the back of the plane. I imagined that it would be a larger plane but you could literally only fit 2 people in the back of it.
After a little bit of riding around in the plane, Graham gave the word for take off. There was a huge noise from the engines, and we were away! I had my camera handy and took a few snaps on the way up. Soon we were very high up...so I thought! I looked at the altitude on Gavin's watch and we were only 1000 feet up! Just another 8000 feet to go! After about 5000 feet, you could only see clouds out of the window and it was beginning to strike me that I was going to be jumping through all that in a matter of minutes!
This time I was a little nervous, but I had no doubt whatsoever that I was going to do it. No doubt about it. I couldn't wait to get that buzz when you first left the plane! Plus I'd spent $220 on this so I had to do it!!
As we got closer to our altitude, Gavin asked me to kneel in front of him as he needed to strap himself to me. Quite important that bit!! He reassured me that I was strapped to him at 4 different points and it was very secure. Once this was done, I just sat back on his lap and waited for the signal from Graham. We were actually above 9000 feet right now and Gavin asked if I wanted to go a bit higher...I agreed and we ended up jumping from 10000 feet - a 'bonus' 1000 feet!!
Finally, Graham gave us the go ahead and Gavin opened the door. Straight away you could feel the wind in your face and it was very surreal edging towards the door. I had to hook my feet around the step on the outside of the plane, and keep my hands on my shoulders. For a good few seconds, I was hanging out of the side of the plane with only clouds beneath me! I could feel Gavin rocking backwards and forwards and then all of a sudden...we were away! Gavin tapped me on the shoulders and that was the signal to put my arms out and get my head up.
What a rush for the first few seconds...amazing! Gavin flipped us over and I saw the plane above me...a long way above me! The first few seconds were like the bungy jump sensation but then I got used to it and I was loving the fall so much. It was so peaceful! We span round a few times, and I later found out that we were heading towards the ground at nearly 150 miles an hour! It seemed like about 8 seconds went by in freefall before the parachute opened, but I was amazed to find out that it was actually 36 seconds! I can't really describe it, but that was the fastest 36 seconds of my life! Apparently it is called sensory overload and everyone says the same. You have so much surreal information going through your mind that time appears to fly...just like me!
Once the parachute had opened, we soon passed through the clouds and I had a great view of the Bay of Islands. I imagine it would have been even better on a clear day, but that didn't matter to me as it was a great experience and I'm sure I'll do it again before my time in New Zealand is over. When we got to about 1000 feet above ground, I looked down and saw our landing zone and Gavin talked me through what needed to happen on landing. Basically, it involved putting your feet up in the air and letting the ground come to you! Simple!
It was a perfect landing and it was such a buzz to think that I'd just jumped from 10000 feet! And survived! I waited for the plane to arrive back and got my camera, then took a couple of shots of myself and the plane. Gavin seemed just as thrilled as me, despite the fact that he had done more than 2000 dives before this one! He said that if I wanted to take up skydiving as a profession, then I should do it whilst in New Zealand as it costs half as much than in the UK. I said it was still early days for me!!
I picked up my certificate to prove I had done the dive and after shaking hands with the guys, I headed back to Paihia. The weather was very average, but I didn't care...I'd just done a skydive!
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