I want to talk to you about taking an adventure.

Talk to you about taking yourself

out of your comfort zone and to try something wild. Something different.
Something scary and exciting and satisfying all in one. I’m talking about going
skydiving.

We have the French to thank for skydiving – or parachuting as it was known back
then - the first jump dates back to 1797. From there skydiving found its way into
military applications – safety for air-crew and for deployment of troops. More
relevant to us is the earliest recreational use of skydiving, which dates back to
1930.

The most important part of skydiving is the parachute, which is really just a big
nylon bag strapped to your back. The parachute inflates on the way down,
creates drag – air resistance - and slows your descent enough allowing you to
land safely. Early parachutes were big dome-shaped canopies that looked like
jellyfish. You’ll remember these from watching war documentary movies that
showed lines of paratroopers bobbling in the air as they jumping out of
aeroplanes. Those parachutes allowed one to steer alright, but they didn’t
produce the softest landings.

The most popular parachute in use today is called a ram-air parachute. It’s
usually rectangular in shape. The foil itself consists of a top and a bottom layer,
with lots of rectangular cells in the middle that trap air. The result is a parachute
that’s very manoeuvrable, something that can even generate lift for short
periods, and depending on the size of the parachute, can slow your descent
down a great deal.

Skydiving’s a relatively safe sport with sophisticated technology. The parachute

mechanism is really clever, with the parachute backpack really containing 2
parachutes. The first parachute is always deployed, but if that fails or tangles up
in any way, it’s possible to eject the entire 1st mechanism and to deploy the
reserve chute. Built into the pack are devices that actually slow down the
deployment of the parachute, so that it opens gently enough for no harm to
come to you or to the parachute itself. You also get devices that automatically
deploy your parachute if you’re so distracted by the scenery around you that you
forget to deploy it on your own.

Which brings us to the skydiving experience itself. Most novices begin with
what’s called static-line jumps, where there’s an actual chord connecting your
parachute to the aeroplane, and the deployment of the parachute happens
automatically with no action from yourself. The plane ride up is only about 10
minutes. Once you reach the right altitude and the correct position relative to
the dropzone, the jumpmaster gives you the signal. You scramble out of the craft
and grab on to the wing. You hold on tight while shuffling yourself towards the
end of the wing. It really does takes all of your concentration to make sure you’re
not blown off the wing, as the plane is flying into the wind at about 140km/h. You
get the signal again and you do the best attempt you can of jumping back. You
arch your back and throw up your hands and you’re immediately blown clear of
the aeroplane. You’re slightly disoriented because you’ve been buffeted a bit by
the wind. You look up and see the parachute deploying. The static line has done
it’s job – it’s pulled the parachute out and its disconnected itself from you. The
view from on top is amazing. The perspective you get of the ground and the
clouds everything around you is really special. It’s incredibly quiet too – the
plane is long gone, and you can use the two handles dangling in front of you to
steer and do twists and turns in the air – and the feeling of freedom is amazing.
You realise you’re flying. A static-line jump leaves you in the air for about 5
minutes, and after that you unfortunately have to land.

When approaching the drop zone you look out for the marshals waving their flags
around. You follow instructions and pull your handles on command so that you
generate just the right amount of lift at just the right time, and you land gently
on your feet.

Do enough of those and you graduate to free-falling. The plane ride up is about
35 minutes, and you jump from three times the height. You exit the plane and
just fall for the first few minutes- it’s just you and the wind around you. You
reach terminal velocity, which is just under 200 km/h. It’s the ultimate feeling of
freedom and exhilaration. When it’s time you reach to your shoulder and pull the
handle which deploys the parachute.

Besides static line jumps for first-timers, you could to a tandem jump. Tandem is
where you’re harnessed to the front of an experienced jumper – the Tandem
Master. He’s in control of everything - from when you exit the plane to when the
parachute is deployed through to the landing. The tandem master has the
parachute attached to his back, and you have him attached to yours! The only
thing to do is to listen to him, and enjoy the experience.

There are a few clubs in the Cape area where you can go skydiving. I know that
safety will be your primary concern – you are, after all, jumping out of a perfectly
good aeroplane! The industry in South Africa is regulated – so look out for
membership to the Parachute Association of South Africa. The association, as
you’d expect, governs safety standards and operational procedures. When you
visit a club, ensure that effort is spent on the training exercises; all good
parachuting clubs have training courses for first timers. The course consists of
safety briefs as well as landing exercises. You want to be confident that the club
knows what they’re doing and that you’re being prepared for the experience.

For beginners, tandem jumps are a little more expensive than static-line jumps.
The first experience will cost just over R1000 all-inclusive. This includes
instruction, hiring of all equipment and the cost of the flight up. From there you
have an option of becoming a member of the skydiving club, or paying each time
you want to jump.

So what’s to wait for? You’ve already chosen an extremely challenging academic

degree. You’re independent, out-of-the-box thinkers. What better way to play
hard and to challenge the natural order – than to go soaring through the air?