"cause I'm freeeee fallin'!"

Yuppers, 7000ft in 45 seconds @ 200km/hr, and what a rush!!!!!!

It has been touch and go with trying to get our sky dive in, we tried once last weekend but the weather was too crap - wind and rain. But today, the clouds where high, and we where off to do our skydive. When I did wake up this morning, I was still even hesitant about the skydive as it was cloudy and overcast, but I didn't get a phone call from the tandem master Ash, so it was still on! We got picked up at the hospital, and Ash was there, as well as someone that just finished a jump, and we headed to the airport. On our information sheet we where told that we would get a 20 minute introduction, which turned out to be more like 5 minutes!!! We where pretty much told to keep our head back, hips out and feet up when we jumped out of the plane, and to keep our feet up when we landed!!! Um, ok!
It was the smallest plane EVER that we got into, and I couldn't believe we could fit 5 people in the plane (including the pilot of course) but we did. There was only one seat, and sitting on the floor next to the pilot was Pete with Rob sitting in front of him, and behind the pilot was Ash with me in front of him - I got to look out the back of the plane :) (kinda funny, but Pete is actually a med student at the hospital! I haven't seen him before, but now that I know him I'm sure I'll be seeing him again!!)

It as a 25 minute flight to reach 12000 feet, and it was the longest 25 minutes EVER!!! I didn't really feel that nervous, it didn't feel like I was actually going to jump out of a plane. I had a few butterflies on the ground and as we climbed, and I could feel my heart rate increasing and racing just before we left the plane. We where given goggles to wear and just as we hit 11500 feet we got "attached" to our tandem diver, the door opened and MAN was it cold!!! We where in a few clouds as well and you could feel ice crystals in the air for a split second when we jumped out. Rob went first, and just as they left I could here him say "oh fuck!" and off he went. Ash and I wobbled our way back to the door and I put a foot out, and then the other, grabbed onto my harness with dear life (I'm sure my knuckles where white), and we leaned forward, looking down at the ocean 12000 feet below. I can honestly say that the second I hung there looking down, I wasn't really that nervous, it was a weird feeling that I can't describe. It was loud with the plane and the wind, but at the same time serene and peaceful? If this makes sense at all?? Ash didn't give me any warning that we where jumping, it was just a smooth lean forward and a gentle fall out of the plane, no jumping out of that plane!! We tossed and flipped once before smoothing out, I got a tap on the shoulder to say I was ok to put my arms out, and down we went - 200km/hr. We where told it was a 45 second free fall, but it sure didn't feel like it, more like 15 seconds!! I was worried that I wasn't going to be able to breath - I always have my breath taken away on roller coasters or fast moving amusement park rides, but sky diving I had no problems breathing at all, nor did my stomach turn when we fell out of the plane. It was a disappointment that it wasn't all blue skies, but you could still see the amazing ocean, the beautiful coast line, and everything was so green from all the rain we've been getting!! Ash pulled the shoot at 5000ft and we came to a sudden slow down as we dangled from the pretty blue parachute for about 5 or 6 minutes before landing - which felt more like 3 or 4 minutes! The company we went with have hand held video camera's so the whole jump is on video, the free fall, and the parachute ride down, some of which I got to fly!!
And just like that we landed, very smoothly at Lee Point Beach. We where told that we would land on our bums, but it was more like half standing when we landed - no sandy bum for me :) We where given a certificate for our jump as well as a student parachute license :) This will be laminated and sent home so it doesn't get destroyed on my travels.
It was such a surreal experience and I still can't believe that I actually 'fell' out of a plane today! The company will put our video together with background music and we will get it in the mail, hopefully very shortly.

I pay a crap load of money for internet here as I pay for the amount that we use, so if I try and upload the video to facebook or here, I think I would be broke. I am going to mail it home and hopefully get my mom to upload then!
I highly recommend everyone to sky dive if they EVER get the chance, it truly is the thrill of a lifetime and I can't wait to skydive again!!!!