About a month ago (yes, I’ve been terribly slack posting lately due to starting a new job and a trip to Malaysia!), I was literally pushed out of my comfort zone. That’s right, I was pushed out of a plane, skydiving and falling from 12,000 ft above the ground over the spectacular Kirra Beach.

Those who know me well know that I have a fear of falling; not of heights, but of falling in general. I don’t even do Step classes at the gym as I’m afraid to fall off the tiny platform. Even running up or down stairs make me nervous. So when I was told that I would be going skydiving as a guest of Visit Gold Coast, well, as you can imagine, it was not something I was looking forward to. However, I can say with full certainty (spoiler alert!), that it was an experience I not only enjoyed, but one I’ll never forget.

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The Dread

During the four days Mapping Megan and I were experiencing the adventurous and beautiful activities on the Gold Coast, I couldn’t help but feel dread every time I thought of doing skydiving. “That’s so exciting”, everyone said to me leading up to the event, whilst my inner dialogue was screaming in fear. Don’t get me wrong, part of me was kinda excited about the prospect of doing something completely crazy and out of my comfort zone, but I was nervous all the same. Thankfully, I had a wonderful tandem partner to help ease my nerves.

The Master

It takes a special someone to be a skydiving tandem master. It requires someone who is fearless, but also has a cheeky sense of humour. My partner joked that our jump together would be his first time also, and when I asked him why is hand was strapped, well you can guess what the answer was. Needless to say, we had some laughs and I felt slightly at ease. We strapped ourselves into our secure harnesses, went over each step of the jump and thoroughly went through the safety measures before heading to the airport.

The Flight

Whilst I might have a brave face in the video, you can clearly see the fear in my eyes whilst sitting on the bus and plane. Trying to overcompensate my fear, I joked and laughed whilst white-knuckling the seat as we went into the air. “Just don’t look out the window when you’re in the plane”, an experienced jumper advised me. But it was at that point, that my nerves started to melt away. Like the travel addict I am, being up in the clouds and looking out the window helped ease my nerves and I started to enjoy the experience.

However this didn’t last for too long. “Watch the pairs in front of us jump. Then, when the light goes red, it means we need to get ready. When it goes green, you need to hang your legs out the door and lean back against me” my partner tells me. Well, I can barely remember seeing the lights change colour, as it all happened so fast! One minute I’m awkwardly waddling my way up the seat towards the door, and nek minnit (I couldn’t help myself) I’m falling out of the plane towards the earth at a rapid speed, whilst spinning upside down.

 

The Experience of Skydiving

Minus the initial butterflies competing UFC in my stomach as I fell out of the plane towards the ground, I absolutely LOVED the experience! It was incredibly liberating and the adrenaline kicked in almost immediately, surging through my veins, creating a positive feeling like no other. I think it certainly helped that we were hurtling towards the stunning Kirra Beach, as despite the prospect of crashing on it, a beach is generally my ‘happy place’ and seeing this picturesque strip of sand and sea below me made the whole experience less terrifying and more enjoyable.

The worst part of the whole jump was how much spit I had flying out! I don’t know if it was because I was smiling the whole time (as I was told it would help us look less, well, flabby and ugly on camera) or if I’m just a bit of a ‘juicer’ at the best of times. Either way, a big apology to my partner, who probably got more of my saliva than he was prepared for (maybe that’s why they wear those goggles!).

If you love the adrenaline, or want to be pushed out of your comfort zone, skydiving is a must! If you are visiting Brisbane or the Gold Coast, Gold Coast Skydive is the perfect option, as they are a family run business, who really share their love for skydiving with their customers, whilst still maintaining the utmost professionalism and safety. They are also the only skydiving on the Gold Coast, providing jumps with 360° views of the gorgeous Kirra Beach (and really, there’s no better place to land!).

Thank you to Visit Gold Coast for organising this amazing experience and challenging this travel blogger to face her fear. If this post has left you wanting to see more of the Gold Coast, visit their site.

Have you gone skydiving or done something equally as nerve-racking? Tell us about it below!

Image credits: Skydiving images and video Gold Coast Skydive.