Anyone here done a tandem skydive?

For some reason I have got it into my head this should be on my list of things to do before I get really old. Hopefully not the last thing on my bucket list….

So, how as it?

Many years ago I did a static line jump.

Oh, I’m not great with heights but best to attack your fears head on….

Skydiving sounds fun but I can’t see what I’d do with a bike up there

If you’ve done static line, I’d class the box as ticked (I know I do 🙂 ).

Yes, great fun…although once chute deploys it isn’t as exciting. No concept of falling at 180mph or slowing to 120mph – you are so far up the ground doesn’t approach fast enough to compute the speed. Initial jump out plane and freefall is brilliant.

I’d do another.

did a charity tandem a few years back, loved it, scary as hell but worth it for the rush. i’d highly recommend doing it.

Was pressganged into it by the wife. Hated every second of it until we were out of the plane and free falling, at which point it was the greatest rush I’ve ever experienced. If they had someone at the bottom with a disclaimer form and a means of taking payment I would have signed up for another there and then, and would probably still be there now.

Thinking back on it now the euphoria has died off, it makes me feel sick to my bones. Never again.

Did one a handful of years ago and our group were all grinning like cheshire cats when they landed.
I on the other hand didn’t get the same buzz as them.
I thought sitting in the doorway of a plane at 12000ft with my legs dangling was scary/fun and the roll out of the plane, seeing the underside of the plane 3 times as we tumbled was quite a buzz but the rest of it was just a bit meh.
I had to drive for ~5hours straight afterwards and thought about it the whole way, I felt really guilty that I didn’t enjoy it as much as the others.
Maybe it was just because I’ve done/do other “extreme” sports and it felt a bit tame to me. I’ve always wondered if a static line jump would be better as I would have to have the balls to jump out by myself rather than being jostled out with an instructor strapped to my back.

Did one a handful of years ago and our group were all grinning like cheshire cats when they landed.
I on the other hand didn’t get the same buzz as them.

^ This. Did a tandem jump in Taupo on a whim only because it was on the GF’s bucket list and she didn’t want to go up on her own. I just didn’t get the buzz at all, everyone was stoked when we landed but I was like meh, it was alright but didn’t see what the fuss was about. Can’t deny jumping out was a bit edgy but the experience itself wasn’t as I expected – I’ve been much more afraid on two wheels! You have no sense of speed that high up and once the chute’s open it’s positively relaxing!

Missus and I did a tandem over Lake Taupo in New Zealand – really enjoyed it.

Missus was strapped to a massive M?ori bloke so she was happy. 🙂
My partner was a tiny five-foot-nothing girl so we did quite a few exit spins before we got it under control.

It’s an odd mix because exiting the plane and the freefall is pretty intense – but as soon as the chute opens it turns into a nice gentle zen sightseeing tour.

I’d done a couple of static line jumps before, as well as bungee jumps and canyon swings. I’d say the initial adrenaline rush is more comparable to the latter. Static line is more of a mind game because you have control but the chute opens immediately so there isn’t as much intense “rush”.

best rush ive ever had. get the one with the highest altitude you can for a longer free fall. such a buzz. added bonus if you jump somewhere scenic and its clear you get a nice view on the way down.preferred it over a bungee but it was only 50m high.

I did a 15,000′ tandem jump at Lake Taupo, NZ (popular place, it seems). I wasn’t that excited about it, to be honest. Only really did it because my wife had done a jump herself before and said I was chicken, and another mate had jumped there and she loved it. So I did it, probably also ‘cos I was a few weeks from turning 40 and it does have a bit of the bucket list about it.

Everyone else was super stoked about it both before and after, whereas I was just a bit meh. Felt a bit like I was missing out! Flight up was a bit nerve wracking, to be honest – but could be fun if that was your thing. The apprehension of jumping out of plane builds slowly, but never really peaked for me as you’re strapped to some dude who’s done it thousands of times before, so there’s no personal challenge on you to do anything. The tumble and the freefall are fun – that’s a buzz for sure, but then the ‘chute opens and that for me was the best bit as I’d jumped in such a scenic location and the view was incredible. Could see loads of NOrth Island and could work out where we’d been previously and where we were headed next. Bit dull maybe, but that’s what worked for me.

As for adrenalin rush…? Not really, there’s no challenge on you, you’re just a passenger. I find it more exciting racing the downhills on my local bike track as there it’s all on me not to mess up. I never once thought about the safety element of the jump as I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t do it if it’s dangerous. Clearly everyone’s different though, so if you do do it – (i) jump high so you get more freefall, and (ii) jump somewhere with a great view so you enjoy it when the ‘chute opens. And if you’re really ballsy, train and do a solo, now that would be exciting!

I did the AFF (Accelerated Free Fall) course a few years back, all jumps solo (although first few have an instructor holding onto you and then just following you). Biggest adrenaline rush of my life by miles….

Feels like you are about to die for 45 secs solid. Then the parachute goes of and it’s like being hit by something in a car crash. Instructor does corkscrew turns to get to the ground asap and you feel sick in the middle of 2G turns.

The best/most surreal bit was watching a perfectly good plane disappear away above me while upside down tumbling out of the plane.

Taupo, NZ year 2000, £40, 14,000 ft jump.

Interesting, but not particularly enjoyable. Wouldn’t do it again TBH

I did a 15,000′ tandem jump at Lake Taupo, NZ (popular place, it seems).
…
I never once thought about the safety element of the jump as I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t do it if it’s dangerous.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-30706236

Its very much a game of two halves

1) Sheer F**KING HEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!! screamy terror as you do the most unnatural feeling thing you could possibly do, and send yourself plummeting towards earth at a huge rate of knots, leaving behind you a perfectly serviceable aircraft.

2) The rather pleasant experience of hanging there once the chute has opened, and admiring the view from up there as you slowly corkscrew down

All in all – bloody brilliant fun. My ex, who did it with me absolutely hated it!!!

Sheer F**KING HEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!! screamy terror as you do the most unnatural feeling thing you could possibly do,

I blacked out for a few seconds on my first jump. Woken by the instructor shaking me…

Done a tandem and a static line, I thought the static line was scarier tbh as it’s just you that has to dangle your legs out of the plane and decide to jump! Both were great fun, not something I’d make a big effort to do again but will probably do one next year when we’re in Oz as the gf hasn’t done one.

Taupo, NZ year 2000, £40, 14,000 ft jump

holy hell. way more than that now. mine was $300 aus or so in cairns couple years ago.

just checked $339 for 15,000 ft

Tandem doesn’t appeal. If I was going to do it I’d want to be actually doing it rather than just the passenger. I’ve never got a thrill out of ‘packaged’ adrenaline thrill seeking like bungee jumping or tandem jumping which feel like posh roller coaster rides – just not in the same league as ‘earned’ thrills like jumping a bike or windsurfer or piloting aerobatics in a plane.