Our Sky Diving Adventure!

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Mike and I enjoyed two weeks of R&R in Oahu in December of 2023/January of 2024. One of the highlights of our trip was our sky diving adventure on Mike’s birthday!

So here is another LOVE Story. It’s been too long!

A little back story. We’ve stayed at the same airbnb in Molokai (on the northwest side of Oahu) three times now. It’s a hop-skip-and-a-jump from Dillingham Airfield and so each time we visit, we marvel at the jumpers that literally float over our heads each day as we sit on the beach.

In the past when we saw the jumpers, we’d say “let’s go jump”. But we didn’t. Until now.

So when planning our last trip to Oahu, Mike booked it ahead of time. We had a couple of months to think about it and I admit, I secretly was thinking maybe I shouldn’t do it for one reason or another. But I wouldn’t let myself cave.

When we arrived at Go Jump Hawaii, we signed in and checked off all the boxes for assuming responsibility. Admittedly, I didn’t read anything. It was go time and there was no turning back.

Mike and I were assigned to a group of jumpers and tandem partners. We were pretty amazed to find out that a fellow jumper shared Mike’s birthday, but 33 years older. He was a 90-year-old veteran and hadn’t jumped in over 50 years. He had a huge support system there including his cute little wife who was snapping tons of photos of the whole group.

Mike and I met our tandem partners, Jake and Aaron, where we did a quick intro and tried to keep it cool. They were NOT going to see me shaking! I was pretty surprised that there was very little instruction (which was probably a good thing) other than “I’ll strap you on me when we get up in the air”. Okaaayyy!

The plane was small. We actually couldn’t stand up straight inside and it was a packed house – one pilot and probably 18 other people, including tandems.

As we flew through the clouds, it was a surreal feeling watching the coast disappear below us. I quietly mentioned to my guide, “my life is in your hands” as he began clipping himself to me. Let’s just say that we were attached at the hip!

Everyone was quiet as we pondered what was about to happen. I felt a sense of calm as we reached 14,000 feet. But then the door opened in the back of the plane and a few nerves set in! Individual groups inched toward the open door and one-by-one dove out of the plane. We were up next.

You can see the force of the drop by looking at my distorted face. The wind force was flapping my cheeks all over the place and you can tell that I’ve never had botox, LOL. Next time (if there is one), I’m going to get the special photographer (like Mike had) instead of the selfie stick! Cuz I look wacky!

As we neared the fluffy clouds, my guide pulled the Shute and our bodies jerked upward. What a relief to see the large parachute above us, keeping us safe in the sky. We floated over the area where we stayed and it was a cool feeling to have jumped after watching so many people do it during our time there.

What I’d do next time: Tie my ponytail and my shoelaces tighter (EVERYTHING came undone!), open my mouth in the air (to maybe avoid the severe lines haha), and put my feet down when landing (to avoid the tandem guide falling on me). LOL!

I love looking at the amazing photos of Mike jumping. He has a HUGE fear of heights and he was whooping it up by the looks on his face. That’s a man enjoying his birthday! Also, note his guide in flip flops. He was definitely defeating the odds!

Would we do it again? I’m going to say YES. It was an amazing, invigorating experience and I’m glad Mike and I were able to experience it together. Hang Loose!