With spring in the air and summer almost in sight we decided it was about time we escaped the office for our annual adrenalin rush, and after calling on all of our courage we thought it was the perfect time to try a skydive! After all, we’ve conquered karting and perfected paintball, so why not see what it takes to survive a skydive? Taking up the challenge on behalf of everybody here at Activity HQ were activity experts Karen and Marcus, here’s how Karen got on..
“When I got the chance to try a tandem skydive I couldn’t resist, plus the boys in the office aren’t exactly the bravest so I thought I’d show them how it’s done! The only thing I’ve done which is remotely similar is a reverse bungee, and that was awesome so I couldn’t wait to try skydiving.
In the lead up to our skydive I was scared and excited, but I think that’s fairly normal. Thankfully we were booked in for the first jump of the day, which meant there wasn’t too much time to let the nerves kick in – but to be honest my only thoughts were death!
We arrived at Skydiving Bridlington just before our start time of 7.30am, and the instructors were already there so we went straight in. Before our training we had to sign a couple of disclaimers and medical fitness forms, but they only took a couple of minutes to complete and after that we got straight down to action. The training was really simple and easy to understand, and because the instructors were so relaxed it really put us both at ease. After we’d got our jumpsuits on and been harnessed in the reality really started to kick in though.
Once we’d finished our training and harnessed up it was time to climb into the plane, which is a lot smaller than you’d imagine! Getting to 10,000ft took about 20 minutes from take off, but time seemed to absolutely fly by and before I knew I was sat in the doorway of the plane waiting to start my skydive. As soon as the green light appears it’s time to go, and all of a sudden you’re in the air free falling, it’s crazy! The sensation of free fall is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before either, it was exhilarating, heart-racing and absolutely breathtaking. I just wish it could have lasted longer, apparently you fall over 5,000ft in 30 seconds, so by the time you’ve caught your breath it’s time for your instructor to pull the parachute. Gliding back to the ground gives you the perfect opportunity to admire the views though, and you really can’t beat the Yorkshire coast when it comes to spectacular scenery!
After touching back down on the ground I was absolutely ecstatic, and as amazing as skydiving is, there’s definitely a sense of relief when you feel your feet on the ground again. To make sure the day really ended on a high we were both presented with a certificate, which was a really nice touch. I don’t think I’ll have to rely on my certificate to remember my first skydive though, it’s still just as vivid as when I did it!
Overall our experience was even better than I expected and I’d definitely do it again. What really made the experience for me was the beautiful views and amazing instructors. If you’ve got a good sense of humour you’ll love the guys at Skydiving Bridlington, and I’d just like to thank them for giving us such an incredible day.”
Karen and Marcus took on a 10,000ft tandem skydive at Skydiving Bridlington, to find out more about this incredible experience visit our website.