Skydivers’ choice

Ah! Skydiving! It was high on my list of potential hobbies, until I actually tried it. A few years ago, one of our dear readers invited me to a tandem jump (hi Charlie!). That’s one of the perks of drawing a comic in this particular niche, I suppose.

Don’t get me wrong, it was AWESOME. The rush of jumping out of the plane, the free fall, the goofing around with the other skydivers … it’s hard to describe the feeling, and I can imagine it must be so much cooler still when you’re not strapped with your butt to some other dude’s crotch.

But when the chute opened, things took a turn for the worse. At first it was nice to cruise along and watch the landscape from above. But soon, I started to feel motion sickness. What can I say, it’s something I have dealt with all my life, and one of the reasons why I’m not a mariner or aviator. I barely made it to the ground without puking. And the last minute or two were sheer torture.

That’s not to say that I don’t want to try it again some day. Many things deserve a second shot. But, although I know it’s rather safe, as long as you do everything right, now that I’m a father, I have decided to postpone it until further notice. I’ve never been an adrenaline junkie, but now I’m even more risk averse than before. Or maybe that’s just a sign that I’m getting old, haha!

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6 comments on “Skydivers’ choice
  1. Leeloo says:

    Perfect comeback to that old line.

  2. Magnoire says:

    HAHAHAHA!!
    My oldest brother did skydiving once. ONCE! He never went back again.
    I get motion sickness by just walking. I even have trouble watching a movie in a theater.

  3. ThisGuy says:

    Looks like Chuck doesn’t get it 🙂

  4. RG2Cents says:

    I like what Clint Eastwood had to say on the subject in “Heartbreak Ridge”:

    Swede Johanson:
    Gunny, I’m afraid of heights.

    Highway:
    So am I.

    Swede Johanson:
    You are?

    Highway:
    Jumping out of a perfectly good aircraft is not a natural act. So let’s do it right, enjoy the view.

  5. Matte says:

    Well, after been an rag wing flyer for 13 odd years I can with some authority and experience tell you that there is no such thing as a perfectly good aeroplane. An airframe may be ‘fine’ but is wholly dependent on the paint scheme and who is looking at it…

    Stef, your motion sickness may actually not be an significant issue if you are in control of the movements of the canopy your self…with a bit of luck. Having your tandem instructors ‘junk’ up against your butt is also likely a major factor, I feel a touch iffy just thinking about it (yes, I have had the dubious pleasure of examining tandem instructors and know the feeling).

  6. stef says:

    Good pointe, Matte. It was the same with cars: As a kid I used to get sick easily and all the time. As soon as I had my drivers license and started driving myself, that completely stopped. I think it was also that the strap across my belly was really tight (although that’s probably as it should be for a parachute) and that I hadn’t eaten … Well, I might go and try it again! 🙂

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