First Time Skydiving ???

1. Ready to sign your life away:

If you are mentally prepared to jump, you need to sign your life. The contract you’re signing says you might get hurt, you might even die, and your loved ones won’t sue if either happens. Hopefully you’ve thought about—and accepted—these sobering facts well before the day of the jump.

2. Set yourself for the thrill: 

Thanks to tandem jumping, first-time skydivers can experience the thrill of falling almost three miles with an experienced instructor strapped on their back. This gives you the luxury to be able to fully enjoy your ride without worrying, “When was I supposed to pull that cord thingy?” My instructor guided my hand and pulled at the proper moment so I had the thrill of pulling the ripcord without the pressure of having to remember when to do it. Perfection.

3. Forget everything or don't Assume:

You might think you have a pretty good idea of what the dive will feel like. Maybe your buddies have described it, and you’re hyped up imagining a roller-coaster drop or the sensation of flying. Forget all that. Skydiving feels like nothing you’ve ever imagined. You don’t experience a drop in your stomach that you might feel on a roller coaster. Yet at the same time, it doesn’t feel like those weird dreams of flying you have. I have a hunch that each jump, each free-fall, is a completely personal experience.

4. Get ready for Video shoot:

You might choose to document this momentous occasion with a video, which family and friends will invariably insist on seeing. Preparation is in order, and I don’t mean hair and makeup. The instructors advised us to look up at the videographer during the free-fall. This might seem like commonsense, but once you’re falling at 120 to 180 mph, your propensity is to stare straight down, giving the camera a nice shot of your scalp. Mugging for the camera shouldn’t distract you from the joy of jumping, but flash a smile, wave a hand or merely look at the camera every so often. You’ll be happier during those video-viewing sessions later.

5. It’s okay to be a lemming.

One of the most common things I’ve heard after my jump is “I want to do it… but it’s so hard to actually pick the day!” It helps immensely when you have a mess of other folks throwing themselves out of the plane with you, and even better when someone selects the day (in my case, Extreme Florida founder Jack ). This is one time when I say it’s perfectly okay to be a follower, as long as your leader has the guts to make it happen.

6. Don’t let fear come in your way.

I have a fear of falling. I also recently jumped out of an airplane. Although contradictory, my fascination with flying was able to overpower my fear. I could finally scratch this item off my “To Do Before I Die List.” A cynical friend had reminded me that by attempting this one feat I may not have the chance to complete the rest of the items, but I tried not to let that faze me. I figured, If this is the way I’m meant to go, so be it.