My Skydiving Experience

Fear is mostly our imagination than realism. Last December, I decided to

go skydiving despite the risks and odds. I went with a coworker and friend

named Yolenis to an airfield called Los Campanos, which is on the way to

Galapa. Fear is a powerful force that keeps us from doing things we consider

worthy.

We arrived to the airfield that Saturday morning. We were nervous and

excited and while we waited for our turn, we watched a video in which Will

Smith described his experience skydiving in Dubai. Later, we received a brief

training about the preliminary steps for the jump

The moment arrived. We walked to the plane and as we walked there,

one of the crew members interviewed us. He asked us how we felt and why we

decided to do it. I answered it had been one of my dreams and had been

delaying it for almost 2 years.

Once in the air, we felt that the higher we got, the colder it became. This

was one of the remarks our trainer told us, namely – 2 degrees per each

thousand feet. The airplane reached 10000 feet and the temperature was – 20

degrees compared to the surface. The clouds looked like cotton swaps. Well, it

was time to make the jump. It is worth pointing out that one of the strongest
recommendations was not to look down when we placed our feet on the plank

because we might feel scared out of the blue. Surprisingly, I did the opposite as

I was trying to put my feet in the right position. I had the most frightening

sensation ever experienced. However, my trainer jumped me to the void.

For the first 10 or 15 seconds, I screamed without cursing and my

stomach was a little upset. On top of everything, my trainer decided to move the

parachutes in circles, which made the situation worse. As seconds passed, my

trainer told me I could use the handles to lead the way. I did it for a little time

and I grabbed my harness as if my life depended on it. While time passed by, I

thought what the worst it could happen. Then, I became calmer and calmer

Since I decided to make the most of it, I started to enjoy the fresh and

cold air against my face, the sunlight facing my eyes and the incredible view

from above. The beginning was exciting, the development was both scary and

thrilling, but the end and seconds before that were the most sublime and

liberating ones. I learned that courage is not removing fear out of the equation,

but moving forward despite such feeling. Since then, I wonder “what’s the worst

it can happen?” before any “risky” endeavor.