A RUSH of adrenaline filled my body on Saturday as I plummeted to the ground like a bullet piercing through the air.
Skydiving is the last thing I thought I would be paid to do, but when asked if I would like to give it a go and write about, I thought ‘why not’?
When I arrived at Mil Lel Hall and watched the earlier jumpers descend, I instantly reconsidered whether I would be able to complete the dive with butterflies flooding my stomach.
As I harnessed up, I was paired with SA Skydiving tandem master Jed Smith who reassured me he had jumped out of a plane “around a dozen times”.
This did little to help my nerves, but he quickly added he was joking and correctly stated “thousands of times”.
On the mini bus trip to the airport, two other jumpers and myself watched a three-minute safety video on what to expect and what rules to follow.
I personally think this video was to distract us from what we were about to endure, ending exactly when we arrived at the tarmac.
I silently questioned the type of plane we were jumping on due to how small it was, but in we hopped, six people and a pilot squished in the back like a tin of sardines.
As we ascended into the sky, my ears started to pop and I began to fill less sure with my decision to skydive.
We flew over the Blue Lake and above the iconic pine tree plantations, until the pilot said it was time to go.
Connected to Jed, I was the first to jump so we slowly positioned ourselves as the side roller door slid up and cold wind engulfed the plane compartment.
As I stared 8000 feet below, I found it hard to breathe but pushed all my thoughts aside and followed instruction.
My legs curled around the edge of the plane and in “three, two, one”, we went tumbling and twirling around in the sky at 220kph for 25 seconds.
If I compare it to the time I went bungee jumping, this moment was 10 times more scarier and thrilling.
In an instant, Jed launched the parachute and thankfully the free fall was over.
For the next five to six minutes I floated over over my hometown with a mesmerising bird’s eye view which I think anyone living in the South East should experience.
Coming to a quick end, the Mil Lel Memorial Park came into view and I was told to hold my legs up to make sure Jed was first point of contact to the ground.
Skidding in like a motorcycle, Jed made his mark digging in his heels and drawing us to a stop.
After the experience I asked Jed what drew him to sky diving, and he said he can not explain the feeling he gets when he launches from an aircraft thousands of feet in the air.
“I think it is one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences which you have to do at least once, if not thousands,” he said.
“It is truly unique, something you will not regret and I think once you have done it once, it then becomes addictive.
“Words can not describe, you just have to go and do it.”
When I asked Jed why they have decided to come to Mount Gambier to my surprise he told me the crew has already visited the South East around five times.
“We enjoy coming out to some of the smaller regional cities and giving the community and opportunity to do something different,” he said.
“We try and come to Mount Gambier once a year and this year we have came back twice due to the excellent response.
“I think you can count on March or April next year to see us again.”
Jed encouraged those who have not gone skydiving before to book a tandem skydive, which means you go though the whole process with a highly-experience tandem master.
“If you are a first time jumper we give you about 15 to 20 minutes worth of training as we want you to go out there and have some fun,” he said.
“We have taken people from 12 years of age to 102 years of age, you just need a general level of fitness.
“If you are not sure, I think you should just commit and give it a go because it is just an unreal experience.”
