Most often the last day of the trips are reserved for relaxing and packing stuff. However this was different. Even before my travel tickets were booked, I had made this my sole purpose of the visit. It was skydiving day. ‘Skydive Dubai’ is highly rated and has a fabulous dropzone at the Dubai Marina. Keep in mind, it is notably more pricey than doing it somewhere in Europe. That being said, irrespective of the fact where you do it, you have to go in tandem with an expert unless you are a licensed diver. Nevertheless, the thrills are unparalleled.
It starts with a check-in at the reception and then a long wait with your token. Each will be allotted to a highly skilled instructor. They will help you in getting ready, physically and mentally. When they ask if you have any question, do not hesitate and ask the one which will mostly likely be brimming at that point. “How many jumps have you been through?” They will be happy to answer. Mine was an uber cool British expert who was jumping for some odd 3K+ times. Every jump crew will have a dedicated videographer, with a go-pro on the helmet and a dslr. They skillfully maneuver in the air with the wingsuit to capture your terrified yet excited pretty face from various angles.
Given the weather conditions or change in wind speed you may expect some delays. When cleared for take off, it takes about 10-15 minutes to reach 13K feet. Standing at the door above the clouds and eerie nothingness is when you exclaim “oh shit!” and before you put an exclamation mark to your sentence you are out the door. Irony is with so much air rasping and gushing to your face you will find yourself gasping for breathe 😀 . With just an eye protector and no helmet you actually feel the force right on your face at an unfathomable magnitude. Few seconds in when you reach terminal velocity you feel weightlessly gliding into a heart clearing stillness. Such a paradox of how you feel like flying but in reality you are just falling. At Dubai you see the beautiful palm island from above adorned with a beach line and skyline just miles apart. This is a 60 secs sensory and somatic experience and that is more than enough for you to be euphoric. What follows is a 10 minutes parachute ride to the drop zone. Suddenly you realize how tranquil the busy roaring city gets. Sound of the breeze and views of man-made marvels. Your instructor will allow you to operate the parachute for a while before he takes over for the landing, which is amazing.
My recommendation is straight and clear. If you have a chance – “ DO IT “ . This is an experience of a lifetime. A soul liberating free-fall that can’t be explained over a write up. I left that day with an elated urge to do it all over again. Who knows, you might too.
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