Going Skydiving? Read This Before You Go

7 Things I Did That Helped Me Live The Best Experience Of My Life

Last week I checked off of my bucket list one of my biggest dreams: I went skydiving for the first time. I had wanted to go skydiving for a long time, but I was still trying to find the right opportunity to do it.

When I was still living in the U.S. (2 months ago), I wanted to make my 7-month stay in Brazil remarkable. So, I wrote down a list of things I wanted to do while being here, and going skydiving was definitely at the top of this list. And in order for this experience to truly be a safe and remarkable experience, there were a few things I did that helped me not only find the guts to do it, but also helped me have the best moment of my life.

So, here are a few things I did before I went skydiving. They helped me have the most incredible experience of my life. I hope they somehow inspire and help you cross this dream off of your list.

7- I talked to two friends who had done it before me

Two friends of mine had gone skydiving before me, and when they did, it showed me that I can do it too. You know, sometimes we always say that we want to do something, however, it does not feel like a real goal when you don’t have people within your circle of friends who have done it too.

Having friends that have already accomplished something that you want to achieve is very encouraging. It helps us see that everything is possible and that if they could do it, you can do it too.

I remember when Sabrina, who is my childhood best friend, went skydiving, she called me and she told me everything about it. She mentioned how welcomed she felt at the skydiving center, and how much she has changed ever since she did it. This inspired me so much. I wanted to feel what she felt, and talking to her allowed me to want it for myself too.

When Guilherme, who is also a friend of mine, did it, I could not hesitate to text him and ask him about it too. We video called a week after he did it, and he also got to tell me everything about it. He’s my friend. I love him. He also inspired me so much to do it. So, talking to him about it was very important to me because it gave me the strength and courage I needed to do it, and it showed me that I could do it too.

6- I went skydiving with two friends

The skydiving experience was truly remarkable. But it was even better than I had expected it to be because I did it with two best friends.

How scary would it have been if I had done it alone? I know that so many people do it alone and it’s no big deal, but my experience was so much more fun and encouraging to me because I did it with two friends.

The feeling of planning it together, talking about it, choosing the right school together. Everything felt amazing because I was with them. We lifted each other up, we cheered each other up. We did an amazing job at making one another feel safe and loved. I’m so glad I didn’t just do it. I’m glad I did it with two friends.

5- I joined a community of skydivers

How did we get to the skydiving center? A woman who goes skydiving very often in the year planned a weekend trip to the skydiving capital of South America, which is located in Boituva, Sao Paulo, Brazil. And 18 people signed up for this trip. There were first-timers, like my friends and me, and people who had already done it several times. This trip was so much fun and it felt so smooth because I was surrounded by people who have such positive energy and enthusiasm.

We rented a van, and left Belo Horizonte on Friday night, arriving there in the morning of Saturday. On the way there, some of them told skydiving stories, tips and we bonded together in a way I can’t put into words.

You know, it’s a very Brazilian/Latino thing to be hospitable and super friendly. What I mean by that is that it doesn’t matter if you’ve just met someone, it will always feel like you’ve been friends with them for a long time.

During this trip, we sang songs together, told jokes together. It was such an amazing group of people. The vibe was just surreal. I could have not chosen to go with anybody else. Going with this group of people made the idea of jumping off of an airplane a less crazy idea.

4- I avoided reading the news about accidents and of what could go wrong

When I told people I was going skydiving, the first thing they asked me was: “What if the parachute doesn’t open?”.

I don’t know what it feels like to die like that, but thinking too much about what could go wrong can totally prevent you from doing it. It gave me so much anxiety when I thought about it, so I avoided telling people I’d do it, and reading the news about the accidents that happened. I did not want any negative energy to destroy the excitement I had.

3- I ate something in the morning I went skydiving. But not too much

I’m so glad I ate something before I went. I was told I should eat something light, so I wouldn’t throw up. My stomach felt ok, and I’m glad it did.

My other friend felt so weak and nauseous. She had not eaten enough and that made her have not a very fun experience.

2- If you’re not brave enough to do it right away yet, prepare yourself for the experience

When I posted all my skydiving photos, my friends, family, and followers asked me how in the world I was able to find so much courage to do that. People asked me if I felt terrified to do it. And the answer is: Of course, I felt afraid. But I didn’t let my fear control me and take over me.

When I was at the skydiving center I was terrified. But as soon as they said: “Who wants to go first?” I said “Me!”. Yes, I volunteered to be first. People said: “Weren’t you so afraid, Gabe?”. And the answer is that yes, I was afraid. But it was time to leave this fear aside. It was time to feel something else, and fear wasn’t on the list of things I wanted to feel.

And part of what helped me feel brave was the fact I leaned on all of the other crazy adventures I had gone on before. They reminded me of how brave I was and that I could do anything I wanted in my life.

Before going skydiving, I had gone on the largest and tallest rollercoaster in the world. It is located on the Costa Daurada in Catalonia, Spain.

I had recently gone zip-lining,

I had gone on some crazy rides, such as the sling-shot,

I had done high ropes before,

And I had always been obsessed with amusement parks.

All of those crazy rides and amazing adventures gave me the strength and the courage I needed to go skydiving. It’s as if everything I had done before going skydiving prepared me for the big moment.

So, if you’re debating whether you should do it or not because you’re feeling afraid, try doing other crazy things before the big one.

1- I just went for it

I didn’t think too much about it. I just went for it. When my friends and I talked about going skydiving, we just said: “Let’s do it”. I normally like to say that in anything in life, if you spend too much time thinking about it, you won’t do it.

The idea of a person jumping off of an airplane is absolutely insane. But what isn’t insane in this life? The craziest thing you can do is to live a life with no excitement. A life full of fear.

How did it feel to jump?

Incredibly amazing. I know it sounds super cliche, and that everyone might say the same thing, but it felt like the most amazing thing in the world. The best thing I have ever done. I was amazed by how wonderful the world is, and I felt the most grateful for being alive. It was the best thing I did to celebrate life. I loved it so much. I felt free and light.

When I landed, I felt the happiest. I could not stop laughing. And when I saw my friends land, I started crying. We all hugged each other and went on the day to celebrate what we had done.

What was your favorite memory of this experience?

Everything was remarkable. But it felt incredibly awesome to see my photographer flying in front of me. After a few seconds of free fall, he was right there in front of me. When I noticed it was him, he waved at me and smiled at me. That was incredible to see. It was so freaking awesome to see the beauty of the sky and clouds, and to feel the wind on my face, but it was amazing to see someone flying 6 feet away from me. I have this clear picture of him flying in my head.

Also, when I went through the clouds was something else too. It was amazing. I really loved it. As kids, we always wonder what the clouds feel like, so I had the chance to finally see them and feel them.

The entire experience was dope. I am a completely different person today because I went skydiving.

This is why I encourage you to do it too. Don’t let your fear stop you from living this amazing experience. It definitely changes us. I don’t know how to describe what happens up there when you’re falling, but it does make you feel different. It makes you feel so alive and so strong. It allows you to put all your fears away, and to see life differently. And most importantly, it allows you to see yourself differently. So, don’t wait too much to live this amazing experience. Go skydiving today!

Thank you so much for reading my article today! Don’t forget to follow me on Medium so you don’t miss my other incredible travel stories.

I’d like to give a special shout-out to WoW Paraquedismo! The best skydiving center in Brazil! I had a blast!

Thank you to my wonderful instructor for making sure I was safe and having fun!

And of course, I could not forget to mention how grateful I am for the amazing (and handsome) photographer I had! Thank Carlos Alberto for taking the best photos of me! I appreciate you so much!