Follow your dreams and chase your passions… even if others think you’re crazy!
When I was 21 years old, I did my first tandem skydive and I fell in love with it! The only problem was that I didn’t have enough money to afford the sport and my parents were highly against it.
I dreamed of jumping out of planes ever since my first jump. I would watch countless youtube videos and would constantly talk about what it would be like to fly in the sky…
Seven years later, at age 28, I finally made the leap and turned my dream into a realty!
Above are some photos of my first three AFF jumps. I started at a small mom and pop drop zone, but eventually transferred to Skydive Perris, where I did my next 100+ jumps! I spent about 100 jumps flying belly with the load organizers; it was a lot of fun and I learned a lot, but I got tired of wearing the belly suit in the middle of the hot summer!
Once I got comfortable enough with my jumping and landing, I soon started jumping at other dropzones. Skydive Elsinore became one of my favorites, but I also enjoyed Gojump Oceanside.
I eventually got into tracking and angles, which is a discipline in skydiving that allows you to dive flat or steep. It’s extremely fun and allows you to fly fast.
Although freeflying was a goal of mine, I never pursued it because it takes a lot of tunnel time (indoor skydiving) to get proficient.
The Hot Air Balloon Jump
One day I was jumping at Skydive Perris and I did a jump with a few guys who were traveling from Utah. They were pretty rad and invited me on a balloon jump the next morning.
Even though I didn’t know them very well, I said yes to the invitation since it was always a goal of mine to jump off a hot air balloon (for a while I wanted to become an air balloon pilot, but I think this desire has passed).
I set my alarm early in the morning and woke up while it was still dark, crisp and cold outside. I got dressed, sloppily put on some makeup and headed to the location with all my gear. After they signed us all up, we drove to the take off location. At this point, the sun was starting to come up and the sky started to light up the fields and mountains. The crew was outside getting the air ballon ready, and we all waited in anticipation. Finally, it was time for us to board, so we squeezed in the tiny little basket.
Jumping with the wrong Altitude on my Wrist
Halfway up, I remembered that my altimeter was off (the gadget on the wrist that tells you what altitude you’re at), so I quickly turned it on without giving it much thought. We floated above the beautiful open land and watched the sky turn into day when the pilot announced that it was time to jump. I looked at my altimeter and it read about 3000 ft. This was strange to me since we were supposed to go to 5000ft, but I didn’t have much time to think about it since it was my turn to jump.
I excitingly crawled up to the basket, stood up straight towards my new friends, crossed my arms together and slowly leaned back into the open air! This was unlike any jump I’ve done before because I felt my stomach drop similar to the feeling when you’re going on a roller coaster.
I did a few flips in the air, got stable on my belly position and pulled my parachute right away. I adjusted my parachute, made sure the thing was working, and when I finally looked at my altimeter, it was at about 1500 feet. I quickly realized that this was completely wrong since I was far away from the landing area and I was still pretty high up. I was a little nervous since this was the first time landing without a working altimeter, but not totally freaked out since I was confident in my landing abilities. I managed to make it back to the drop zone, performed my normal pattern and landed safely close to target! Woooo! We all started screaming and high fiving one another; this is a jump that I would always remember!
Here is some information on my progression and gear:
I did my first and only tandem in 2014 at Skydive Elsinore, in 2019 I did my first and only static line in Oregon, my first three AFF jumps were at Skydive West Coast in February 2021, and in March I started Skydiving jumping at Skydive Perris where I got licensed.
I rented gear from Golden State gear for my first 42 jumps. After that I bought a used rig: the Infinity with a Saber 1 170 inside. I put over 200 jumps on it, but it was too big for me and quite cumbersome, so I switched to a Black Javelin with a Saber 1 150.
I have approximately 350 jumps total, I have a B license and I have a coach rating.
Skydiving Builds Confidence and empowers you to overcome fear by doing something that frightens you. Jumping out of a plane is risking your life; and this isn’t an easy task. When you trust yourself to jump out of a plane, perform the correct maneuvers while flying in the air, pull your own parachute and safely land the fabric above your head… it instills self assurance and confidence that bleeds into other areas of your life. “If I can jump out of a plane, then surely I can do _____!”
Skydiving Deepens Intuition by forcing you to trust your instincts and listen to your inner consciousness. You must be able to think quick and make decisions on the fly.
Skydiving Sharpens your Mind: Everytime we learn a new activity, we are building new connections in our brain, and everything about skydiving is new and unfamiliar to our current habits and thought patterns. If you want to save your live, you have to study, work, learn and adapt. You must take the time to fully understand what you are getting yourself into. This includes the safety procedures, the winds, the gear, equipment, and so many other variables.
Skydiving forces you to Work Hard and have Discipline. If you want to succeed in the sport, you must be willing to study, read and learn a lot of new material. There are classes you must take, tests you must pass and knowledge that you must memorize in order to be allowed to jump solo. To get a license, you need about 25 jumps; you must demonstrate that you can safely jump with others and perform many different tasks.
Becoming Certified takes Patience. Twenty Five jumps may not seem like much, but all those jumps are done under extreme supervision and almost perfect weather conditions. If it’s too windy or too cloudy, you’re not jumping. If you’re at a small DZ with small planes and few instructors, there’s a high probability that you’ll be waiting all day. It’s possible to get your license in only two weeks, but most people take months to get certified. I lived on the DZ and it took me about 3-4 months.
Skydiving Teaches Adaptability which is the quality of being able to adjust to new conditions in the environment. From the weather, to the equipment, from the instructors to the landing pattern, nothing is ever constant. You must be able to assess, adjust and stay calm under pressure. Flexibility is a must in skydiving.
Skydiving Feels like Freedom! It’s so liberating when you are finally able to jump out of a perfectly good airplane on your own!
Skydiving builds Teamwork by teaching us how to listen to others and fly safely as a group. Once you get certified, you’re now able to fly with friends, build formations and plan cool things to do in the air. If you want to have a successful jump, you gotta learn how to work with others!
Skydiving brings us a Community! It’s no secret that most skydivers are all a little odd; many of us are passionate, impulsive, wild and crazy. When we meet other people who share similar interests, we get excited, and when we get our adrenaline pumping and jump out of planes together, we build bonds that last a lifetime! I have met so many amazing friends skydiving! It’s very common to drink beers after a day of jumping, grab food, have bonfires, and plan trips that have nothing to do with skydiving.
When you open yourself up to new experiences and new people, it will change your perspective and change your life. Skydiving isn’t for everyone, but I believe that we should all be open to discovering new interests that simultaneously scare us and light our souls on fire. I fell in love with the sport and I believe that it pushed me to become a better version of myself. It taught me courage, confidence, discipline, patience and working with others. I learned many new skills with this hobby and met incredible friends along the way.