What it felt like to skydive from 15,000 feet

On my seventh day in New Zealand and first day in Queenstown, the adventure capital of the world, I decided to jump out of a plane. Well, I didn’t jump, it was more like a wriggle out of the door—picture a very unprofessional worm dance. 

I booked my skydive the day before I did it. It takes me longer to decide what to watch on Netflix, so I don’t know what came over me. It’s not exactly a casual thing to do. But when asked if I wanted to do it, I jumped at the chance. Literally.

So I’m here to tell you what it feels like. You know when you have a dream that you’re falling from a great height and you wake up with a startled jump? It feels absolutely nothing like that. I’ll take you through it step by step.

I dived from 15,000 feet. That’s around four times higher than New Zealand’s tallest mountain, Mount Cook. Queenstown is approximately 1,000 feet above sea level, too, so really, I fell from 16,000 feet above ground.

Preparation for the jump

After completing all of the forms that basically signed my life away, it was time to get into gear. Let me tell you, the plane runway is no catwalk. I was given a jumpsuit that smelled like nerves. If you can’t quite figure out what scent that is, I’ve got the perfect description—sweat. I was handed a bunch of accessories too, including a hat and goggles that made me look like a minion. I was about to be strapped to a man for around 10 minutes, and I was the least sexy thing you've ever seen.

Once my instructor had his feet safely on the ground after his previous skydive, he took me to the plane. I was the last person to enter the plane, too, which meant I was closest to the door. Only about 15 minutes later did I realise this meant I would be the first to go. 

The ascent

As the hot tin can with propellers began to ascend into the sky, my instructor hoisted me onto him so hard I’m sure I was winded. But if this is what it took to meet safety regulations and make sure I didn’t plummet to the ground, I really didn’t mind. Even though it felt like I’d never been so close to a man in that moment, it didn’t stop me from worrying that I would fall through the harness to meet my death. Luckily, that didn’t happen. As it turns out, when your private areas do feel that squashed, you are safely strapped in. 

When we reached 9,000 feet, three people wriggled their way out of the plane. Watching them disappear into the mountains was enough to make me question what I had chosen to do. But what goes up must come down. Admittedly, this means I wasn’t the very first person to go, but the very first person to go at 15,000 feet.

As we increased altitude at a pace I’m really not sure of, I was given an oxygen mask. At this point, I was more worried I’d pass out on my way back down to earth than a fault in the parachute. I sat admiring the landscape, just in case it was the last thing I ever did see. It was beautiful. New Zealand is known for its breathtaking scenery, and ‘take my breath away’ it did, and not just because of the altitude. Cruising at a height and getting to watch the mountains and crystal clear waters beneath me was spectacular.

Before I knew it, we reached 15,000 feet, and after I gave a thumbs up to my instructor, we bum-shuffled toward the edge of the plane as he opened the door. As I felt the fresh air slapping me against the face, I remembered the safety briefing. “Make a banana shape with your body—have your head tilted back against the instructor and your legs wrapped under the edge of the plane”. It felt unnatural to have my legs touching the outside of a plane, never mind wrapped around it. But they didn’t stay there for long. 

The freefall experience

In no time, I was tumbling down toward the earth and being choked by the one thing that keeps me alive: oxygen. The first few seconds were disorienting, to say the least. I was warned it takes you a beat to become aware of what’s happening. While I was very much aware that I signed up for a skydive, those first few moments of leaving the plane are a bit of a blur. It’s a little bit like when you wake in the middle of the night, unsure of where you are and fumble around for what feels like ages, only to realise you are in fact in your bed, asleep, in your room. Except that’s not what I realised. My skydive was not a dream, and I was very much 15,000 feet in the air. 

After doing a few somersaults, I became parallel to the Earth's ground, and the atmosphere had me in a chokehold. The wind hit the back of my throat so hard that it felt like I was being blown up like a balloon. As I remembered my yoga classes, I decided to practice controlled breathing and not let oxygen be the reason for my demise. Once I managed to breathe somewhat like a human being, my attention turned elsewhere. I realised I’d forgotten what it felt like to have limbs and fingers. I couldn’t keep them still, and it must have looked like I was trying to practice my piano skills in the sky. Plus, even though I was wearing goggles, I was sure my eyelashes were flying off. Surely this can’t be what it feels like to fly—to have absolutely no control of your body and let the wind dance you around like a puppet on a string. 

The descent

Forty seconds passed before the parachute opened and pulled me closer to the International Space Station. A huge emotion of relief hit me as I regained full control of my body and began to feel like I was actually flying in the sky. My instructor controlled the parachute, and we did a few loops in the air (at least that’s what it felt like). We cruised our way over the mountains and back down to earth, and in that moment, I didn’t want it to end.    

The next big task was the landing. I was worried my legs would get trapped underneath me and snap in two. Honestly, I’ve sat down on chairs harder than I landed on the ground. It was so smooth that it took me a few seconds to realise my bum was touching grass. Feeling the earth's ground beneath me felt strange, and taking my first step felt like learning to walk all over again. As I stood and saw other people landing around me, it started to hit me that I had just survived a 15,000-foot fall from the sky.

I felt elated, and I can honestly say it’s one of the best experiences of my life. They say what you’re looking for is on the other side of fear, and I found my wings.