Is Skydiving Safe?
Is Skydiving safe? It’s the question I asked 100 times after booking my experience last week with Skydivelasvegas.com. Maybe it’s the fact of going through the HARDEST year of my life that made the brief orientation, the climb up to 15,000, and inevitably the fall at 120 mph strangely exhilarating and with little to no fear.
Before I can think about it we are thousands of feet above the earth and I can see the Hover Damn out of the left window.
Chemicals that are released in the brain like Adrenaline and Cordisol started rushing through my body the moment I see the door open and our friend Jessica disappears out of sight.
As you can see in the clip, I sat at the door with my feet dangling far above the earth for only about 6 seconds. I’m smiling and throwing up a “shaka” in a weird state of arousal.
Many people, including Gabby wonder if they are going to faint or pass out and from my experience 4 days ago you couldn’t be further from that feeling.
The first thing that I noticed as my legs went outside the door was the cold so my slight shivers could be excitement/ nervousness, or the drop in temperature. (Temperatures drop about 3.5 degrees per 1,000 feet) So we are about 52 degrees colder than when we left the ground.
You look out at the earth and it’s so far away. It just doesn’t seem RIGHT. The brain is now chemically soaked as all your nervous system begins responding and prepping for survival.
Next you take in the view. It’s extraordinary yet TERRIFYING.
You’ve never been in a relationship with heights and gravity quite like this before.
In those few short seconds my adrenal system kicks into high gear anticipating what is about to happen. High levels of cortisol, the stress hormone releases into my bloodstream. The adrenaline levels are the highest that my body has ever experienced. Other hormone systems inside of my body also kick in and feel like I am ready to fight a Saber Tooth tiger.
My heart begins self stress testing, my brain is testing for aneurysms, and my kidney’s for strength. They say that your heart rate can reach over 170BPM on your first jump and that your blood pressure can go to 200/110.
I personally couldn’t feel those things happening. The only sense that I had was nervous/excited energy, a feeling of being the most AWAKE I had ever been, and a sense of time slowing to a stop as I looked back at Gabby.
The strangest thing happened in those 6 seconds. I was fearless and with a 5. 4. 3. 2. 1, I was falling out of the plane with no hesitation. I did one complete flip and saw the plane and propellor moving in slow-motion.
My eyes were open the whole time and I found myself not breathing but with my blood pumping through my whole body it was as if I didn’t need to breathe.
The free fall was 45 seconds at 120 MPH but seemed at times only milliseconds and at other times an eternity and then all of a sudden the parachute deploys. There was never a feeling of nausea or dizziness like you would experience on a rollercoaster.
As we slow to a slow drift with the parachute open, I feel as if I have just won the lottery. I look up and ask which one is Gabby to ensure that her parachute is open. Even though you are still THOUSANDS of feet in the air, It’s a feeling of immense gratitude and joy. It’s like a feeling I have never felt before and there is no fear of falling or fear of heights.
Floating with the parachute is strangely familiar as if we were designed to “SOAR” in this life.
As I watch back this video and think about the experience I am making some self-discoveries. You think about the moment, your complete fear, and your natural God given ability to ACT, and then think to yourself that perhaps nothing will ever be too hard again.
So is Skydiving safe? My chances of being killed in my own neighborhood in a car accident is far greater and I drive my car every day.