An Unconventional CAS Experience…

During the last week of my trip to Dubai, I jumped off a plane. Yup. I actually jumped off a plane strapped to some guy I’d just met. But I have to say, it was by far the most amazing experience of my life… My family and I had gone to Dubai for three weeks, to take a break from Covid and Sri Lanka. My cousin sister, who is married and lives there, has a second apartment which we stayed in.

My family and I were sitting in my cousin’s apartment, when suddenly, her husband asked if we were interested in going skydiving. I immediately said yes, as it had been a dream of mine for a long time. I remember when I was still in elementary school, I’d watched a movie in which a few friends went skydiving, and I’d been excited to go ever since. So I was really excited when I realized I’d get the opportunity! My brother was also really keen, so my brother-in-law booked us sitting right there. Unfortunately, my dad wasn’t there that evening, so it was a shocking surprise for him when we called to tell him we’d booked non-refundable spots…But eventually he got on board, and then began the countdown of days!

When Monday the 18th finally rolled around, my dad, brother and I headed over to the drop site. There was a short wait, and we watched other divers land while we waited our turn. Finally, they called us in for a short briefing and training, where we learned how we’d have to hold our arms and legs while diving.  My dad was worried that he’d forget everything when it was time to jump, but they told us that it didn’t matter, and that the most important part for to enjoy! Once that was done, they introduced us to our tandem instructor and photographer. Everyone had their own photographer who’d jump with them and take photos. My instructor and photographer (Andre and Junior) were both from Brazil, so while we were waiting for the plane, I chatted with them in Spanish a little, which was a lot of fun! Then we got strapped into our harnesses, and went to board the plane.

The plane was small, and the ride lasted about 10 minutes. It was beautiful, as part of the plane was open, and we had a view of the ocean and The Palm. Then came the slightly awkward part…we had to sit on our instructor’s laps so that they could strap us together. This also meant we were going to jump soon! Once I was strapped in, my instructor gave me some goggles, and reminded me of the position to hold myself in. I was so excited! Suddenly, a light in front of us turned green, and my instructor pulled me to the door. We were going first! I looked back at the 7 people sitting and watching me anxiously. I had wanted to jump last so that I could watch the other fall, but apparently it was too late to decide that! My sister and brother-in-law had warned me that as I paused at the edge of the plane I’d get cold feet, and panic, but none of that happened. As I paused at the edge, a 13,000 foot drop below, I felt so ready and so excited! And suddenly, we tipped sideways, and I was flying…

The fall lasted about a minute, and my instructor kept pointing out the photographer to me so that I could look at the camera attached to his helmet. We made heart signs, peace signs and more as I fell, the wind pulling my skin tight. It was an amazing feeling. Suddenly, I heard a parachute open, and we shot upwards. The photographer continued falling, and I guessed he’d be waiting to capture our landing. The opening of the parachute was a slightly painful process, because the harness was pulling me up, and the harness was digging into my

thighs. But still, completely worth the pain! Once the parachute was open, I could speak again, and me and my instructor chatted about how I felt and how much fun that was. Then, he gave me the controls and taught me how to control our movement. We had some fun with it, swerving and dipping (I’ll never enjoy roller coasters again!!) for around 10 minutes, before he guided us to the landing area. We both lifted our legs up and smoothly landed on our backsides, while the photographer waited in front of us.

The best experience ever…I couldn’t believe it was over! The next day my core was slightly sore, but that was expected, given that I fell 13,000 feet against the wind resistance. I wanted to do it again and again and again…Like the tandem instructors! Apparently they jumped 8-10 times a day! In that moment I decided that I was going to do the course, and become a certified skydiver so I could jump solo and drop zones all over the world! And that decision never changed. Upon returning to Colombo, I did all my research, and I’ve found programs and skydive schools close to the different cities I’m applying to for university. I plan to complete the training and then become a tandem instructor as a summer job, or simply be certified and then skydive in different drop zones around the world!

Learning Outcomes:

2. Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process – I took a risk, and definitely stepped out of my comfort zone with this one! It truly challenged me, but I learned new skills, and have made plans to develop the skills further in the future.