sky diving
Skydiving in Mysore:
Skydiving is quite easily the epitome of all adventure sports, specially designed for the bold. Ever wondered what it's like to free fall at the speed of 240 kilometers per hour? That's adrenalin for you! It is common knowledge that the free fall is the highest natural high a human can ever attain.
Mysore, in the state of Karnataka, now offers tandem and static skydiving. All skydiving experiences require you to jump off a plane with a parachute strapped onto your person. Well, safe to say- this isn't one for the meek hearted.
Skydiving is an extremely popular activity the world over. Those who have dared to try it not only swear by it but will look you straight in the eye and tell you that it changed their life, and you know that they mean it.
First time skydivers are not allowed, or rather, are discouraged from going solo. Tandem diving is what they will be recommended. Tandem skydiving, as the name suggests, is a kind of skydiving where you dive in tandem with a professional – your instructor. In this technique, your instructor controls the unfolding of the chute, body movement as well as maneuvers during the dive. All you have to do is give in to the free fall.
Even those who opt for tandem skydives are subject to rigorous training and clear instructions. The participant is trained in absolutely everything that he may require during the entire experience, from parachute deployment to how to hold your body as you fall. However, the instructor will still remain in complete control of the experience in a tandem dive – the exit, timely deployment of the parachute and landing. Tandem dives in Mysore take place from an unbelievable height of 10,000 feet.
Once you have signed the disclaimer and are on the plane with your thighs and shoulders strapped to the instructor and the chute, there is not even a fraction of a second for you to look back. Take a deep breath and prepare yourself for the experience.
If you have requested a videographer, that's another person you will have to co-ordinate your jump with. With your hands drawn close to your chest, you move your body in tandem with your instructor – first forward, then back and then JUMP. The reasoning for the forward and backward motion is to gain the inertia that propels the dive.
Let go. The wind is gushing at unthinkable speeds and you hear its constant buzz in your ears; the cold air is lapping your face at a pace that has so far been alien to every other experience you have ever had. Your body is thrown into an ecstasy that it will never forget, no matter how hard it tries.
After a while, 40-50 seconds, you can start to move or wave your hands about. You will be below with your face downward, and your instructor on top. As you approach the solid earth, your instructor will prepare to deploy the chute at roughly 4000 feet from the ground. On doing this, out of nowhere your momentum drops from over 200 kilometers per hour to 40. This is a massive drop that you feel in a strong, forceful pull of your thighs and shoulders where you have been harnessed to your instructor.
Skydiving landings are beyond beautiful; they unfold with a certain elegance that will catch you off-guard. Just like how an aircraft gradually descends sideways, so does the entity of the two skydivers in tandem.
Certain instructors will drive you in circles or do spins just before landing, like you have seen in nearly every skydiving video. This lends a deliciously wild conclusion to an already enticing experience.
Once you have successfully landed, your straps are immediately taken off and you are, literally, handed your body back. It is no exaggeration to say that it will never be the same body, or mind for that matter - ever again.
Like we said, the experience of skydiving is so exhilarating that it will eternally call you back. With that said, skydiving solo is for that more advanced, exclusive breed of daredevils to whom fear is merely a thing to conquer. Each diver is nothing less than a sacred witness to an experience only a handful of humans are privy to.
Another option for skydiving in Mysore is to try the static jump. This is less expensive than tandem and works very differently. In a static jump, a parachutist jumps solo with his or her parachute opening almost immediately after they are launched out of the plane. In this, the parachutist does not control any part of parachute deployment but it is crucial for him to adhere to the strict instruction on how to hold his body so as to minimize the risk of a faulty deployment.
With regard to landing, an on-ground instructor takes over from the one in the plane, offering timely instructions via radio contact. This is a jump that is made from 3000-4000 feet for which the participant will be subject to a day and a half of training.
In consideration of the nature of this activity, skydiving barely imposes many pre-requisites. You would have to be in suitable physical shape; have no history of cardiac or blood pressure problems; you cannot have had any serious episodes of spinal injury or damage. The maximum height and weight for skydiving is 5'10 feet and 90 kgs, respectively. It is definitely a bad idea to have a heavy meal even a couple of hours before your jump. The lower age limit for static is 16, and 18 for tandem.
Skydiving will change your life; there is no two ways about it!
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