As a kid, I used to wonder how it felt like to fly, but I had never thought I would experience it one day. Jumping out of a plane had never crossed my mind. It is one experience I usually picture in my head but I did not know I would ever be able to do it. After watching Mofe’s Skydiving video on her last trip to Namibia, all I could say was, I’M NEVER DOING THIS! But who am I to say NEVER?
Last month, during the first Naija Nomads group trip to Namibia, I had the opportunity to finally say yes to this experience and a few other experiences on my bucket list, with 5 other nomads. We spent 3 days in Swakopmund, quadbiking and sandboarding in the Namib desert, cruising on the Walvis Bay and of course SKYDIVING.
On our third day in Swakopmund, after our scheduled time to fly was cancelled due to bad weather, we finally faced this great adventure. I got to fly high above the sea level and this was not just flying in a plane, but by jumping out of a plane at a height of 10,000ft. In my entire life till this moment, it is my BIGGEST ADVENTURE.
THE EXPERIENCE
Although we were told in our safety briefing at the reception that skydiving is safe, I was still scared to death. I could not process anything in my brain other than the distance we’ll be dropped from air to the ground. A lot of thoughts crossed my mind. Being one of the last 2 to fly, I watched 4 other nomads drop from the sky like a falling star. My fear came back to life, but at this point, there was nothing I could do. I had paid the non-refundable fee so I had no choice but to DO IT.
It took 15 minutes to get up to 10,000ft. Up in the plane, while my photographer was busy taking photos, all I could do was give a sarcastic smile back at the camera. As the first person in my plane jumped out, I sat on my jumper’s laps and he strapped himself tightly to me while I looked out the window to see what’s going on mid-air.
The faith I had in my jumper was 50% as I was almost filled with negative thoughts. As it was my turn to take the leap, I looked back at the ever-smiling guy strapped to me, his smile gave me a bit of confidence. He seemed not to have any fear whatsoever, hence the confidence I built in my mind.
1…2…3…JUMP!!!
WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE TO FLY?
It is hard to describe how it feels to skydive. The intense adrenaline, the thrill, EVERYTHING!
“You must jump to know, no words can describe the incredible rush when the wind invites you to play.
You are one of the few.
For a brief moment you doubt, but the doubt is short lived.
As gravity pulls you from the safety of the plane you understand, this is freedom.
No turning back now! But who would want to?
The dream of human flight. You know what it means to skydive.” – Swakopmund Skydiving Club
As I was pushed out of the plane into the air, I breath seized. This is exactly what breathtaking is all about. I died and came back to life in 5 seconds. The experience was truly BREATHTAKING! Just when I thought the parachute would open immediately, we had already done 30-45 minutes of free-fall. The feeling was really confusing.
The experience became a lot more better when the parachute opened up. This was the chance I got to look around and see the beautiful scenery from a bird’s eye-view. Being the last person in the group to jump, we had a lot of time to cruise around in air for a longer time.
The parachute ride took about 5-8 minutes and landing was incredible. The experience was totally different from everything I had imagined. This experience can’t really be described in words. That roller-coaster feeling was amazing. After landing, I was relieved that I survived the jump.
If you haven’t tried skydiving, I strongly recommend that you to add it to your bucket list. It is definitely a life changing experience. Swakopmund in Namibia is one of the best places in the world to try this adventure. Whenever you are in Swakopmund, I’d definitely urge you to try it out. There are a couple of companies offering this adventure.
Shout out to Yejide Runsewe for encouraging me to take up this adventure!
Have you ever gone skydiving? Where did you skydive and how was the experience? If you have never tried skydiving, is it something you wish to do someday?
