Skydiving is on everyone’s bucket list from here to Newfoundland. However, the act of throwing oneself out of a plane just doesn’t seem that appealing on paper. The firm ground seems quite nice in comparison, but the time for wimping out has passed. This is why it’s time to suit up and make that leap of faith.

Skydiving is one of the most terrifying things a normal, middle-class person can do. It is surreal as you wander up to the office, sign a waiver and hand over a fat stack of cash for someone to throw you out of a plane. At this point, despite doing all of the above you have no real intention of actually going through with it. Jumping out of a plane is for stoners and idiots, neither of which am I.

As you proceed outside in the gentle breeze you put on the silly suit and ridiculous “helmet”. It’s not a real helmet, as it has no ability to save you in the event of an unfortunate accident. It’s purpose is merely to keep your hair out of your instructor’s face. If you have particularly long hair, then good luck son, eat my tasty hair. Now there’s a fair bit of waiting at each stage, as let’s face it, professional sky-divers are not the most efficient and organized workers. They have had a hard day. They had to get up at 10am, wash themselves (maybe) and get themselves to work despite their nasty hangovers. Poor sods.

You have a short,  10-minute briefing on how to do a tandem jump. This involves the complex task of doing nothing and trying not to throw your limbs at your fellow jumper. Time will tell how difficult this task may prove to be. Following the briefing is a little more waiting, followed by some waiting. Eventually you get the call that it is your turn to board your aircraft. Shit. Despite never actually intending on going through with the jump, by this stage you’ve waited so long you’ve grown significantly older and wiser, and you might as well go ahead and do it.

The plane ride is remarkably too fast and before you know it, you are clipped on to your experienced tandem jumper, the light turns green, and it’s your turn. At this point your whole body is so sweaty, you basically slip and slide right out the plane. Thankfully there is a body attached to you that has done this before and isn’t quite so petrified. His hungover state is useful in that he acts slowly, calmly, and collectedly. The best part is that you don’t actually have to do anything, other than try to control your limbs.

The jump itself only takes a few minutes. If you stop screaming long enough, you will be able to appreciate the majestic mountains and sea. If you are like me, then you might as well have done a jump in the middle of the Pacific ocean. I don’t remember any mountains or any sea and I’m still not quite sure the whole thing wasn’t some psychedelic trip. The fact that no Sesame Street characters turned up seems to suggest that it was real.

Now the point where you really get value-for-money is when you land and realize that you might as well be Superman, as you survived something that should not be possible. Imagine telling a caveman you threw yourself out of a plane and lived to tell the tale. He would be amazed. Who knows, maybe Jesus was a time-traveling skydiver. You might not get this sort of response in the current day and age, but I do guarantee that a different person landed in that parachute than the one that took off in that plane. I’m not the most spiritual of people, but that plane took me on a journey that no one can take away from me. The impossible is now possible. What you never thought you could achieve is now achievable, and if all this is possible, then we are limitless, and that is beautiful.

Abbotsford Skydive is a great option if you are planning a jump. Take that leap of faith.