heights and that sick felling..

[DudeNZ 0]

Hi All,

Just wondering if someone can assist me here as I am sure that plenty of fellow jumpers have gone thru this same experience?

I have started my student course and done a couple of jumps and I know I have a great big parachute on my back to assist me down.

But as soon as I look at our lovely 206 I start to get that sick feeling in my stomach and that "WTF are you doing??!?!?!" in my head.

Now I clear my head quite easily and I sit in the plane crammed in like a sardine and think "Im Doing this" and I always do.

Very quickly we get to alti and I sit there looking at the houses getting smaller underneath me and the sick feeling is now worse then before. I look at the closed door and the JM opens it.. I feel like I am going to lose my lunch... I shuffle to the door and assume my exit position...

I now exit and very soon a lovely big canopy is above me (Static Line NOT AFF) and sick feeling is now gone.

However I go thru my procedures and list and toggles in hand I look down and find my DZ and I know start to get a slight panic from the height.

Now can someone tell me if this feeling is quite often normal and will it go as I progress?

I really dont want to get to 100 jumps and feel like I am going to puke every time I see a plane...



Andy

[theonlyski 8]

Quote

Now can someone tell me if this feeling is quite often normal and will it go as I progress?

Yeah, I had that for my first dozen or so jumps... it went away.

Stick with it, but don't get complacent.

"I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly
DPH -7, TDS 578, Muff 5153, SCR 14890
I'm an asshole, and I approve this message

[spootch 0]

It's fun huh?

[jrmrangers 0]

When the door opens on the otter my heart starts pounding. As Im moving to the door and while in the door Im asking myself "WHAT THE F$CK ARE YOU DOING!!!". But as soon as i exit the plane it all becomes so worth it!!! I dont know if i want that feeling to go away actually.

Wait , I pull what first?

[obelixtim 150]

Its your body reacting naturally to an instinctive fear, fire and falling being the two instinctive fears that we all have.

Your brain is telling you that its OK, because you've assimilated some training ,and you've already experienced jumping a couple of times. It will soon go, but it lingers for a while if you only do one or two jumps per week, or have a long layoff.....

Your body will soon learn that you are pretty safe, and the adrenalin rush will quickly negate the effects of your body giving you the danger signal.

Then you'll get confident enough to be dangerous....

My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

[skymama 37]

After reading these forums for 10 years, I can tell you that the feeling you're experiencing is quite common. I bet it gets better by the time you have your A license.

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[riddler 0]

Quote

I bet it gets better by the time you have your A license.

+1. No worries, after a few more jumps, you will look forward to going to the dropzone to enjoy some relaxing skydives. And I do mean relaxing. It's a great escape from the hectic day-to-day of your job and home life.

Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

[wmw999 2,541]

I nearly quit skydiving over it when I first started (yes, it was a long time ago). It went away completely on my first freefall jump, and never came back.

Wendy P.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[ryoder 1,590]

Back when I started, the common name for this was "The Sixth Jump Jitters".

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[jackwallace 3]

Nest time you look down at those little houses. With the little pools and the little BBQ's . That;s as exciting as those folks lives get.
You choose.

U only make 2 jumps: the first one for some weird reason and the last one that you lived through. The rest are just filler.
scr 316

[DudeNZ 0]

Many thanks to everyone who responded and I know feel reassured about what I am experiencing is perfectly normal.

So today's important lessons...

* Dont be a pussy, suck it up...

* If you like breathing... Dont be complacent...

* This is the most fun that I will ever have...

... and the remaining 99.9999% of the population who dont do this dont know what they are missing...

Andy
again thanks!

[BIGUN 1,419]

And, if at any time you don't get some form of anticipatory anxiety, then it will be time to quit.
It's that little bit of fear that releases the adrenaline that we crave so much.

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[wrightskyguy 1]

If you didn't get anxious, what would be the point? You'll get more comfortable as you progress.

John Wright

World's most beloved skydiver

[shah269 0]

Hey....it's OK. Everything is Zen OK.
First off breathe!
Second relax your breathing.
Then work on your shoulders and work that relaxed state down to your core.
All will be well.
Check your equipment, check your handles and check the ground. As in get your equipment on and sit down and breathe through your nose slowly.
I'm at 30, chump change compared to most, but yeah it's still there. But the moment my feet are free of gravity and my bones feel light.....life gets good.

Life through good thoughts, good words, and good deeds is necessary to ensure happiness and to keep chaos at bay.

The only thing that falls from the sky is birdshit and fools!