I told myself it had to be safer than climbing in Laos or dirt-biking in Cambodia and as the plane climbed higher I reminded myself that it was undoubtedly safer than the buses in India and more than likely safer than Lao Airlines.
The thing is at a certain point none of these things matter. The small Cessna plane reaches 12,000 feet, the door opens, the wind rushes in, and you have to step out of a perfectly good plane and into the void. Actually, it’s tons of fun.
The Plane
The Franz Josef skydive is reportedly the second most scenic skydive in the world (after Mt. Everest). On one side you have a view of the Tasman Sea, and on the other you have the Southern Alps (including Mount Cook).
View from the plane
So what is skydiving like? For a beginner it’s rather easy- you are tethered to an instructor whose job it is to pull the parachute cord (and presumably push you out of the plane if you need a little extra “encouragement”). The first seven or eight thousand feet of the jump are spent in free fall. After the initial jump, or rather being sucked out of the plane and into the sky, it isn’t nearly as scary as it sounds. After about 45 seconds, which seem to simultaneously encompass no time at all and a lifetime, and the ground is starting to seem very close the instructor pulls the parachute cord and the free falling part is over. The parachute comes to a gentle glide and before you know it the jump is over.
Ahhh, so you experienced the tandem jump… When I first went it was static line jumps. I”m not sure which is better, but in the end it’s still an amazing experience. The weightlessness and the feeling of flying. Remind me to tell you some of my earlier stories… I don’t have many as I haven’t been in years.
We’ll talk more soon, and just so you know… I am following your adventures, even if I don’t write as often as I should. New updates for you when we get the chance to fully catch-up.
Enjoy the rest of the trip, and we’ll talk soon.
Katya, Katya,
And here I was worried that you’d try bungee jumping but you go and do something EVEN MORE EXTREME! Loved your description, loved pics of the tumbling glaciers, and can hardly wait to see more of the S. Alps. Isn’t it just the absolute best experience to be on a summit (ok, you were higher than a mountain) and see the ocean at the same time?
What’s next? I see you’re in Wanaka – which puts you in position to hike/trek/climb in the Mt Aspiring national park. Tell me which BIG mountain you’re going to climb?
Hugs,
mic
I don’t think I am going to get a chance to climb any big mountains here, but was able to spend a day hiking around Franz Josef, and had an amazing view of the glacier!