All the Good Reasons to Go Skydiving!
All the Good Reasons to Go Skydiving!
Estimated reading time: 10 minutes
A plane takes off from the ground, flies in the sky, then lands. Normally, a human taking a flight would follow the same process. However, some people have the irresistible urge to jump out of the aircraft while it’s in flight. This may seem strange, but over time, it has even become a common practice exercised by a diverse group known as “skydivers.”
Everything that goes up must come down! It’s one of the most well-understood fundamental rules of physics on Earth, but as we’ve seen, everyone has their preference on the method!
Indeed, from the perspective of those who regularly skydive, all reasons are good, and here’s why!
Solo or in a group: A first skydive is unique! Above all, skydiving is the ideal activity for having fun with family or friends. Experiencing it alone is wonderful; it allows you to focus on what the experience means to you and to surrender to the emotions and sensations of each stage. With others, it’s a chance to see who is the most fearful in the group, to set challenges, have a good laugh, and enjoy together. Personally, I did my first skydive with my mom, on the eve of my 18th birthday. As soon as I landed, I knew I was destined to skydive again someday, but especially, that I wanted to relive the experience this time with both my mother and father. So, I booked another jump for the whole family the following week, on August 27, 2014, a moment etched in my memory forever!
At a skydiving center, you see all kinds of people pass through, each with their own dream and unique reason for being there. Some come to celebrate a milestone in their life such as a career change, a wedding, a divorce, or their retirement. Others come to share a special intimate moment, like a birthday, a gender reveal, a birth, a recovery, or commemorating a death.
No matter what brings you to skydiving, everyone present is there to share a moment of intensity and/or pure joy. That’s the beauty of the sport. Joy is seen on every face, eyes sparkle, and laughter bursts from all sides.
It’s more than a jump. It’s pushing yourself, sharing intense emotions, and the pride of having done it. During a first skydive, you don’t really know what to expect. Although you’ve seen videos, wanted the experience for years, and trained before your first jump… nothing truly prepares you for the overdose of emotions you are about to experience.
Why do most people want to skydive again so much?! However, one thing is certain: after making a first skydive, doing it again is now all that matters. And as many times as possible! All to keep that feeling of euphoria from never ending.
And you enjoy the experience so much more during your second skydive. You have a better idea of what to expect. So what about the third jump, or the fourth … you see where I’m going? There it is! I’m hooked. I dream of it again and again.
Is there another sport that can provide similar sensations? As soon as you land, you want to go back up to relive that magnificent experience. We even have a promotion for a second jump on the same day (ask our reception advisors)! Jumping out of a plane, feeling free, being part of a group, a community, a family… Skydiving is a unifying sport. In freefall, no one judges you, and you forget life’s worries. Time pauses and makes you see life from another angle, literally. Now you have to look down to see the clouds instead of lifting your head to see them. It’s another world. And those anxious questions that disturb your mind disappear: will I be late for my latest bill? Will I pass my exams? Will I get that promotion at work?
Nothing else matters. Nothing, except the sky. That moment where, finally, you can be yourself. Just you. Live and enjoy the present moment. No matter where you come from, your job, your education, your annual salary … we share the same passion. It actually took me several years to discover what my skydiving comrades did for a living! It’s strange but true! We are so bonded by the intensity and passion for our sport, in addition to our personal and common goals within it, that we realize much later that we’ve never asked that question!
And every skydiver, whether novice or experienced, can easily tell you about their first jump: it’s a memory that stays etched in their mind forever. So come and jump too! There are only good reasons to do it, from the first time to thousands of times!
Author: François Bertrand-Potvin
