Today we went skydiving. No, not the real thing, which is quite pricey and risky (both the most legitimate reasons against I could come up with as a parent), but the indoor simulation version.
I could sum up the experience as following: You go to this place in Union City, you watch a 3 minute safety and instructions video, you put on a suit, goggles, a helmet and earplugs, and you enter a wind tunnel where the air spins and blows at over 120 miles per hour (which is the beginners speed, the pros fly much faster) and you defy your fear of dying by trusting yourself to the instructor and to your own physical coordination. The only difference between this simulation and a real skydive is the name, and the fact that a plane isn't involved. It's not a ride, it's an actual human flight. And it's AMAZING!!!
We did two 2-minute flights and one extra 1-minute flight at the end, because once we tried it, we were hooked. It's addictive; I was never a big fan of extreme sports, but this was different, somehow good and right. I felt freedom and lack of fear I've never suspected I was capable of. And aside of doing a crazy ass impromptu flip when my legs got under me by mistake once, I did pretty damn good overall.
At some point they speed up the wind, the instructor grabs you, and you both start spinning all the way up the tunnel, like rockets. I'm telling you guys, the exhilaration and triumph I felt then were unmatched. I'm so doing it again!
Here are some snapshots from the experience. They are taken with my phone, and some are the proofs we got from iFly, hence the watermark and the poor quality. Video coming soon!
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