Skydiving is something that many people have on their bucket list and it was one thing that had been on mine – sort of. I mean, I always thought it would be cool to try but I wasn’t driven to do it. But, I finally got a shot at it – and in Greece! So, here is the experience of my first time skydiving!
My First Time Skydiving – It Was in Greece!
A friend of mine had offered before to set something up for a jump in Greece and I was tempted by it but it never really happened. That changed when I had a friend with me and he wanted to do it. My Greek friend said he would arrange it and we were good to go!
Unfortunately, our first attempt didn’t work out because of weather so we postponed it. Our last shot at it ended up being a beautiful day so we hit the road to drive to Sidirokastro, in Serres, Greece (outside of Thessaloniki). The place we went to jump was Hellenic Skydivers. The owner also does jumps in Athens on every other weekend. More about this place in a bit.
I have heard about people getting nervous the night before and having more of the dreams it seems so many of us have – you know, the one where you are falling and then actually jerk in bed? 🙂 But, strangely enough, I slept extremely well with no dreams like that at all! I wasn’t even really nervous, which surprised me.
Now, this is my first and only skydiving experience (so far!) so I cannot comment on the procedures and protocols in America. I can tell you that from what I have read, things are a bit easier in Greece with it. Not that it is unsafe at all. The instructor has trainer in the US and jumped in the US and currently has over 8,000 jumps so she is definitely experienced. She did a great safety briefing that lasted about 10 minutes and then reviewed things with us again in practice, both in the position we are to have when we first leave the aircraft and how we exit the aircraft.
But, when I say easier, it was what I imagine was fewer papers to sign (just one) and we were allowed to wear our own GoPros. From what I understand, in the US and other places, it is required to have at least 200 jumps before you are allowed to wear a camera. But, that was not the case here. She just said she wanted us to wear it on the chest mount instead of wrist or head.
Preparing for First Time Skydiving
My friend ended up going first with another jumper who was doing a static jump. Then, my Greek friend and I would go up. He was doing a static jump as well.
The instructor told us it does happen that the adrenaline can make you feel sick (not to mention the falling and motion!). She also said it is a good idea to use the bathroom just before going as well, again, due to the adrenaline (and some people may get nervous enough to lose control).
We suited up in jump suits that had thick fabric handles on the legs to grab to pull our legs up for landing. She showed us the correct pose for the jump and we practiced on the ground.
Practicing the jump position
At the airplane, she showed us how to climb out. Before the door would open, she would have us connected to her. Our harness would link with the parachute which was on her back. So, we were secure before the small door would even open.
Once the door was opened, I had to grab both sides of the opening and put my right foot out to step behind the wheel. Next, I had to put my left foot there. When she was explaining it, I was nervous about how it would be to do something like this at almost 10,000 feet but in practice, it wasn’t bad at all.
After I was on the step near the tire, she began to count – “ONE, TWO, FEET TO YOUR BUTT”. That last part was what she said she would say to remind us to hold our feet up to our butts for the initial fall. So, on “TWO”, we were already away.
She was the one that pushed off so it wasn’t that bad for that part at all since I didn’t actually have to think about it. 🙂
The Jump – WOW!
I had heard that skydiving delivers an adrenaline rush like nothing else – and now, I believe that! The amazing feeling of free falling for over a mile at 120-130mph was just incredible! It only took about 30 seconds and the way the wind hit you from falling was a bit more than I had anticipated but not uncomfortable.
The instructor had said before we jumped to make sure I kept my mouth closed for the jump part and breath through my nose. She said it looked better for camera. 🙂 (She had a GoPro mounted on her wrist.) It probably also helped to feel less winded this way. But, I wonder if anyone actually looks good with this view when falling at 120+ mph? 🙂 I sure didn’t!
Certainly not my best pic ever! But, what a view!
Then the parachute deployed and it whipped us up in the air a bit so the legs came flying forward automatically. At that point, it became much quieter and just totally surreal to see everything around you while just floating.
I mean, think about it. Since the instructor is behind you, you feel like you are alone since you cannot see anything but your own body! It is just an incredible feeling!
The instructor asked if I wanted to do a “roller coaster turn”. That was quite an amazing feeling as well to whip around like that! We did just one because she said she doesn’t do them under 2,000 feet (we opened at 3,500 feet) and we were now approaching that.
Doing the “roller coaster” turn
She handled the chute incredibly well and gave me a great chance to see the entire countryside before coming in for the landing. Speaking of the landing, it was rougher than I had anticipated. I have watched both the ground video and mine and it seems that I did not hit my feet but it may have been rougher than it was supposed to be since she was unable to get one of the sidestraps undone. So, we were tighter together than we would have been. So, when my butt hit the ground, it seemed like it catapulted her into me since we were a little tighter than we would have been. I don’t know but it did cause a bit of discomfort for a bit but nothing too bad.
Skydiving in Greece
There is something unique about skydiving in a different country from the US! First of all, not too many of your friends (even the ones that jump) have probably done it! Also, it gives you a chance to see Greece in a different way.
Make no mistake – there are a ton of things to do in Greece. But, if you want to move beyond the food, ancient sites, and beaches, skydiving is certainly a great thing to add to your list! Depending on how far you are from the jump site (one in Athens and one outside of Thessaloniki), you can probably do it all in half a day, that is with waiting if the clouds are a bit too low.
So, if you are in northern Greece, make sure you check out Hellenic Skydivers! It is a great experience for sure!
Have you been skydiving before? Which locations do you recommend?
