After reading this forum for over a year now, and "hearing" so many people talk so much about this sport, I finally jumped out of a plane for the first time today. I have to say it was one of the STRANGEST feelings I've ever experienced. I did a tandem jump, and it was only the second time ever that I had been on a plane of any kind. It was obvious that the peeps who had jumped plenty of times before were getting very excited as the plane rode up, and one of the other "virgins" at the dropzone was actually shaking he was so nervous (I thought the guy was gonna throw his lunch, man). We got ready to jump out, and I couldn't hear the jumpmaster counting off, so when we actually exited the plane it took me much by surprise. He had told me before-hand not to look down, but to look straight ahead, as the view was much better. He could not have been more truthful about that...IT WAS AWESOME!!! The feeling of the wind blowing my weight out of me and allowing me to "fly" was freakin' out of this world! This may sound strange, but it actually felt as if somehow I had gone through some kind of portal into another dimension never before known to me. The clouds flew past me, and the near-deafening noise washed all thoughts other than serenity out of my mind. It's odd, but the more I sit here and talk about it, the more it makes me want to go again. While most people seem to get a strong adrenaline rush, I didn't really feel that at all in terms of lots of energy and alertness, as I had expected. For me it was more like a soothing effect....I felt very calm and relaxed during the jump and afterwards for quite a while (it's still kinda there). It actually felt as though I had been sedated in a way. Does anyone else here get that effect from skydiving? Anyhow, wrapping this up (since it's been a very long post, which I apologize for)...the jumpmaster said I did very well flaring, and he said my arch was perfect, which made me feel good I must admit. Overall I would have to say this experience was not so much "amazing" for me as it was interesting and extremely intriguing...I think some of that may be attributed to countless times I've gone over what it might be like in my mind. It all felt so surreal, as if it wasn't really happening, it was just something I was imagining. I'm thinking maybe after I go a few more times and get a little more used to the actual physical motions of it, the reality of it will kick in (or at least I hope so). Anyone with experience have any thoughts on that? I'd really appreciate some input, as I found this aspect of the jump to be very surprising. Hoping my next jump is SOON.... box
