I don’t really have any recollection of when I started having adrenaline in my junk becoming an adrenaline junkie but I do remember that when a Middle East-based high school classmate did Skydive Dubai with “Beauty and a Beat” in her footage, I didn’t only look forward to doing the same but I also looked forward to what music will be used, which I hoped would be something of the same caliber. (#Belieber?)

Schedule

The time you booked will be your arrival time and not your jump time. Very handy if you’re someone who’s an advocate of Filipino time. Mine was at midday and I already checked beforehand that there was no train station near the Skydive Dubai site so I factored in extra minutes for walking. I always walk when I can. Never skip leg day, right?

Seeing the drop zone alone already made the butterflies in my stomach act as if they were wallowing into a night of pure neglect. “Oooooh yes,” I told myself, as if I just did something illegal and was about to make a lot money out of it.

Getting inside the facility will make you realize that no matter how much you think of yourself as the mightiest, there’s a whole lot of other people who have the same adrenaline that flows within you. While Skydive Dubai has a waiting/standby list for walk-ins who don’t have bookings, it’s always recommended to have one. You’re probably just gonna do a walk-in if there are no more available slots on the day that you can jump or if your time in Dubai is almost over and you just got convinced that you wanna YOLO. (The likelihood of people cancelling their bookings for those on the waiting list to fill in may be very low but who knows!)

Both your weight and BMI will be measured as requirements to do a tandem skydive. Flunk these and you’re instantly out of the game. (More on this later.) Of course, no such activity is ever possible without a waiver. Get your pen and ugly penmanship initials ready!

Interview

I’m pretty confident about my English-speaking skills but there’s no denying as seen in the interview at the end of this post that my mother tongue accent rose to prominence. I even murdered the phrase “so far” at that. Practice, kids! Also, it could be just me, but isn’t it awkward watching yourself in videos when you’re not used to doing so? Cringe.

As a further matter, I’d say that I’m someone who tends to imitate the accent of the person I’m talking to. Not that it’s a bad thing and I’m being defensive and derogatory, but it simply happens and I’ve heard of the same from other Filipinos. Could it be a curse to our race? Char!

Each tandem skydive has a dedicated cameraman who’s the same person doing the interview. There were no lockers so like everyone else I just left my belongings in a corner on the floor. When our batch was set we were driven to the runway and before we could start any prayer we were already up in the air. The drop zone was already busy catching feelings people.

Incidentally, my tandem instructor has been to Bantayan Island and knows Terry, the funny skydiving guy there.

If I remember correctly, the plane can accommodate at least four pairs of tandem skydivers. Including the cameramen, that’s at least 12 people, thrice the capacity of the one used when I did the same activity in Bantayan.

Things will be so damn fast once the first three gets off the aircraft. Before you even know it, your group is already the next to tumble. Brace yourself for what you’ve gotten yourself into!

The Dive

It never occurred to me until the interview that the cameramen had two gadgets strapped on their helmets: a GoPro and a DLRS DSLR. My initial guess (and based on the files) was that the former is for the video while the latter is for the photos. Then again, it could be that one is a backup of the other, in that both record a video and take continuous shots at the same time. In any case, the final products will never disappoint you. Fire away!

Immediately after exiting, the drogue chute will be deployed to reduce the terminal velocity. That’s Physics there, and obviously I just copied the purpose of such chute from Wikipedia after Googling what it’s called. Duh?

If there’s one thing that you should never ever forget, that’s to keep your gaze at the cameraman all throughout the duration of the free fall which will be around 60 seconds. Sixty seconds! This is what you paid for so keep your eyes on the prize and smize! Your instructor will tap you on the shoulders to signal you to spread-eagle. Saludos!

The first glimpse of the Palm Jumeirah caught on camera is a testament that the experience is totally worth it. No words!

At some point you will be spinning ’round and ’round. I felt giddy from it for some seconds after the main parachute was released. The recoil must’ve also been a factor.

Landing

After five minutes we were grounded again. Your cameraman will be waiting for you for your final words. Or rather, your first words after another chance in life. Don’t forget to hold and lift your legs for the landing! The entire experience from the interview until touchdown lasted for roughly 25 minutes. Told ya things will be very quick. (Probably even quicker than your last relationship. #sad)

It took 30-45 minutes for the video and photos to be ready so while waiting for them I treated myself to what I remember to be the cafe’s Grilled Chicken Tikka Wrap.

Photos & Video

The files came in a USB flash drive. Be very careful you’re picking up your own files. It’ll be a disaster for you and your victim otherwise. I remember thinking of asking for the raw videos but I guess it wasn’t possible.

I stayed around for a bit afterwards, savoring what just transpired. As a matter of fact as I write these words I still get the sensation that as if I just landed on the drop zone. The area’s skyline as seen from the facility features the twisted (literally) Cayan Tower. (And oh, that was me up there earlier.)

Personally, aside from seeing the Palm Jumeirah from above, I was also after the photo and video coverage. Like in some other skydiving sites in the world, the ones I had in Bantayan Island were only via a GoPro strapped to the instructor’s wrist. The presence of a cameraman without doubt takes things to a different level.

Before my trip ended I met up with a college friend who’s based in the city for dinner and along the way she mentioned that she’s always wanted to experience Skydive Dubai. She was freaking out (haha) when I told her that I did it and showed her the video. The next thing I knew, she already did her jump on the next available schedule and even ended up with the same tandem instructor. What are the odds!

Tips

• It may be pricey at 1,999 AED (the cost then) but if you intend to skydive once in your life and you happen to score a flight or plan to visit UAE’s most populous city, then definitely consider Skydive Dubai. You just gotta save up for it!
• If for some reason the Palm Jumeirah doesn’t entice you as the background for a skydive (wow ha), they also have a desert drop zone which is cheaper.
• There’s always a backup parachute during skydiving so that’s one less concern for you. And it’s without question that you’ll be handled by experienced professionals. As the instructor in Bantayan Island told me, in his career he’s only used the backup chute twice.
• Skydive Dubai has at least one female instructor every day and you can always request for her when you check in.
• Best time to arrive for a dive is at 10:00 AM. Even if there was still a slot available, I still wouldn’t have selected it because I wasn’t confident I’ll be able to arrive that early from the night before. Gehee.
• I know someone who was given a second jump for free because her photos during the first one were busted. If the same happens to you, lucky you!

And oh, as I mentioned, following are some of the things to keep in mind as well as the video showing how I stuttered and, in the words of a friend, looked balisa (anxious). They probably take into account your nationality since Anne Curtis was featured in mine. K.

Requirements

Your weight and BMI should not exceed the limit (unlike some instances in Calculus, the limit will never not exist here). When I was there the measurements should be:

• Less than 100 kg and BMI less than 30 for males
• Less than 90 kg and BMI less than 27.5 for females

All the updated information that one should know are in the Skydive Dubai website and they even have a BMI calculator. That goes without saying that you should not make a booking if by the day of your jump you won’t survive the preliminary round meet the required measurements. Failing to do so will/may forfeit your deposit for the activity. The e-mail that you’ll receive once your booking is confirmed details all the necessary information down to the last syllable. Alongside the figures already stipulated above, it includes:

• Wearing of athletic/comfortable clothes and sneakers/sport shoes (basic)
• No sandals, boots, or high heels (makes udder utter sense)
• A valid photo ID (you’ll have a better grin after the dive)
• Medical statement/doctor’s certificate (whichever is applicable if you’re declaring something)
• Payment for the balance (plastics, like some friends sometimes, are accepted, brotha!)
• No alcohol (and/or drugs) in your system in the last 24 hours (let me think about that)

Video

P.S. Who would’ve thought I had the sign of the horns (with the thumb) in my reflex?!

Visited: November 2017

The post The Skydive Dubai Experience appeared first on Itinerant.

When I came across a blog post (which I can no longer find) on skydiving in Bantayan Island and saw that Skydive Greater Cebu was already accepting reservations, boy, the following day I found myself at the bank paying for the down payment amounting to ₱3,000. The activity cost ₱18,000 but they had an early bird promo which reduced the amount by ₱3,000. That meant I had ample time to save for the balance and my birthday. Very doable, if you ask me.

Transportation

Getting to Bantayan Island was easy-peasy. I just got on a bus heading to Hagnaya Port at Cebu North Bus Terminal and at the port took a ferry to Santa Fe. Some resorts on the island are partnered with Skydive Greater Cebu and if you’re doing the activity and you stay with them, you can get a discount for your accommodation. I stayed at Kota Beach Resort which is one.

There were no ATM’s in Santa Fe and despite having read about it I still forgot to bring my payment for the balance. Tanga lang. And so first thing on the dive big day, I rented a scooter and drove to the municipality of Bantayan (yes, its name is the same as the island’s) to get my hands on me moolah. I would’ve probably died, not from the dive, but from frustration if all banks were offline.

The Dive

There were four of us in the morning batch and all of us wrote the same thing on our palms that I had to change mine to “Undaunted@28“. After all, it was two days to my day. (Naman!)

Here’s our fighter aircraft, fighting.

Have some English ready for your innerview! I’ve been told beforehand to wear a long-sleeved shirt because of the cold but as I didn’t have anything good back then, I thought that maybe I could get away with what I’ll be wearing. Alas, they insisted that I wear their long sleeves. If you’re particular with what you wanna see in your photos and videos #OOTD, well, you have been warned.

The view from the top is simply breathtaking. Just look at those turquoises! As for the cold, I’d say that it was actually tolerable. (Tch, should’ve insisted on not wearing their shirt.)

I was told that most of the payment goes to the maintenance of the plane, which makes sense given how run-down-looking it was already. It can accommodate two pairs of skydivers.

And then it was high time to shoot my irate, let’s-do-dis, and f-yeah looks.

With the wind so hard on your face, you just gotta brace yourself. You will also be asked to lean your head back and cross your arms on your chest.

If you can’t do it now when you actually can, just do it. Did that make sense? I’m not sure either. Just never ever forget to scream your lungs out. Else you’d be the lamest person alive. Ever.

Keep your legs between your tandem instructor’s~!

At some point you will be allowed to spread your wings like a flying squirrel. (Hah! You thought it was gonna be eagle or butterfly, didn’t you? Aminin.)

The free fall was, without a doubt, the best part. You get to tumble in the sky like mad with the wind against every inch of you. When the chute was already out I was allowed to maneuver it for a bit. You simply pull the right and left handles depending on which direction you wanna go.

Kota Beach Resort

Landing on Skydive Greater Cebu’s partner resorts is also possible. The photo below shows our instructor walking away from Kota Beach Resort. It was later in the afternoon and not after our jump though as I opted to land back at the airport because I offered to take Amy, the Briton girl from Cornwall, to the beach as the place she was staying at—where I drove to and from—was not close to any of it.

We hung out for the rest of our stay on the island and even went back to the city together. One thing I remember well in our conversations was her being curious on why people wear rash guards on the beach. If you’re a Filipino, there’s NCIH that you don’t know.

One last look at the island from the port, just like the first time I laid my eyes on it, told me that skydiving in Bantayan wasn’t gonna be my last skydive experience, especially that the photos and videos were in the form of selfies. (My pores were not spared.)

P.S. You will be provided with a certificate (soft copy) and same day edit video so don’t forget to bring a USB flash drive or data cable (for your phone) for you to copy them. Allocate extra storage for the raw files, too!

Video

Visited: April 2016

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