5 Reasons Why You Should Go Skydiving

The top of my bucket list since I turned 18 was to skydive! My freshman year of college the opportunity presented itself and I jumped at the chance go. I have always been an adrenaline junkie so skydiving was right up my alley.

Here is why you should go skydiving:

1. It is fun

The most obvious reason to go but it is an absolute blast. You ride up in a small plane and you get strapped to the skydiving instructor. The pilot kind of tilts you out of the plane and you spend the first 30 or so seconds in freefall. This is the exhilarating part of skydiving! I was going so fast I couldn’t even see how far the ground was or what direction I was going, it was all just a blur of wind! You can scream but you won’t be able to hear it as you are moving so fast. It is a weird feeling, I felt like it was almost hard to breathe because the wind was rushing at my mouth and nose as if I was a dog sticking its head out a car window. People live for the feeling of adrenaline you get in these 30 seconds! It feels much longer than that too! IT IS SUCH A BLAST!!

2. It is safe

You are completely in the instructor’s care. You are strapped to them. Your instructor does this every day – it is their job. They are experts at safety and I promise will get you firmly on the ground again. They are responsible for pulling the parachute and ensuring a safe landing. You even have a backup parachute in case of failure. Your equipment has been triple checked before you leave. If it is a concern for safety that is stopping you from skydiving, you should not let this be a deterrent.

3. Great views

Once you are done with the freefall, the instructor will pull the parachute. You will gently glide up high in the sky. It was honestly really calming and slow. I was surprised how easygoing the ride became after the initial freefall. It almost reminded me of my paragliding experience in Lake Tahoe. The instructor even let me steer a bit! You will have an amazing view of everything below you! I went in Arizona so I got a great view of all the cities and desert. Pick a pretty place to go because these views are unbeatable. You can’t get these views hiking! You will float around gently getting closer to the ground for a few minutes until you touch base on the ground. After a few minutes, just like that your feet are back on solid ground!

4. Conquer your fears

For those that have a fear of heights, go!! You will not regret it. I really didn’t find it scary and even those that were more nervous than me were pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t as scary as they thought. Because you start up so high in your free fall, the ground feels like light years away. When the parachute opens and everything slows down is when you realize where the ground is at but at that point you are already safely floating downwards! Oddly enough I found bungee jumping (coming soon) to be so much scarier than skydiving because you are closer to the ground and not strapped to a professional. Those who are not afraid of heights, it is still an empowering sport! You are on top of the world for a few minutes.

5. Pictures you can laugh at

Order the pictures when you go!! They are expensive but so worth having. Plus they are hilarious. The faces you make when you are in freefall are exaggerated by the wind blowing at your face. You will no doubt look stupid but that’s part of the fun.

This is a truly once in a lifetime experience! These are the stories you will tell your grandkids one day. You will remember all the details of the day even years later because the memories are as crystal clear as they were the day you went. Skydiving is something to be proud of! You can tell all your family and friends how brave and adventurous you are.

Cost: around $400 depending where you go. It’s expensive so you will have to save and budget to go.

Where I went: Skydive Arizona