Southwest Florida Skydive Club

I came here to celebrate my 50^th birthday. I have been wanting to do this for as long as I can remember. They did not disappoint! They made you feel very comfortable and were very thorough in their instructions. I will definitely be back!

How often do you have the person taking the sky diver more afraid than the sky diver herself?
That’s the strange situation I found myself in recently.
I took my sister on a surprise trip to go skydiving for her birthday. The only information she had was the piecemeal directions I gave her as we drove to the location. (Most GPS’s won’t bring you to the correct location, so they ask that you use their specialized ones.)
I had jumped at this same location myself years ago and wanted my sister to have the same amazing experience. That’s why I was taken aback by the sudden feeling of fear as her car rolled into the parking lot. What if she was that rare case where someone got hurt? Could I live with that guilt?
It was too late.
By this point, she had figured out where we were going and she was ecstatic. There was no turning back.
How do you convince someone to get in his/​her car and drive to a rather remote location and arrive appropriately dressed to jump our of a perfectly good airplane? By being persistent and crafty, it appears.
Years ago, I had come to this same location to jump for my birthday and I wanted my sister to have the same experience. So, I convinced her to hop in the car and use slightly sketchy, customized directions to do just that. (
Funny enough, once I got there, my sister was calm and collected while I began to freak out inside. What if she was that rare case where someone got hurt? Could I live with that guilt?
The first thing they had us do is watch a scary, informational video and my sister signed her life away. From there, they started teaching her the proper technique, as well as attempted to gauge how she was feeling.
Not once did they ever pressure her to go. To the contrary, they reminded us on several occasions that she could change her mind at any time – even once she got on the plane. The staff was extremely friendly and funny. More importantly, they’re also extremely experienced. They know what they’re doing and they take safety seriously.
Once everything was ready, they sent my sister and the rest of the jumpers off to the airplane while I waited down below.
From that moment, it takes about 30 minutes for everyone to start jumping, so be prepared to wait. (If you’re the person jumping out of the plane, time will go by much faster.)
The actual jump is a thrill. It’s exhilarating and leaves you wanting to jump again.
My sister thought so as well. As soon as she reconnected with me, she was already making plans to come back and visit again.

After you sign your life away with paperwork, there’s a quick training session and you’re ready to rock and roll. It’s a fast process if you book an appt. They suit you up and you board a tiny plane and begin your journey upward. My tandem partner Scott was great and provided reassurance. It was the thrill of a lifetime and it was nice to be in good hands. I will definitely sky dive again after my first experience here. Many thanks.

Happy Birthday, Sal!
But what do you get for the guy that just goes out and buys what he wants when he wants it? Here’s a novel idea, shove him out of a plane.
I had no idea I was being brought to the Southwest Florida Skydive Club. It was just another normal day where I was working my ass off and I thought I was going to QC another field job. Lo and behold, we turn into the Skydive Club at the last moment and my acrophobia starts to ping off the charts — that is my irrational and excessive fear of heights. I played it down in my mind as I was working on some items on my laptop.
And then the truck turned off.
It was at this point that I rationally knew what was going on. My comfort zone was being tested. And then I shut off my brain. If I thought about it, I would never make it off the ground. When it comes to getting out of my comfort zone, I never just take one step at a time, it is usually some grand gesture to show me just how much I am actually stuffed in «the box.» After signing and initialing all of the paperwork that told me there was a high likelihood that I was going to die, I met Zak.
You see, Zak was to be my tandem partner. And thank God, because there was NO WAY IN HELL I was jumping out of a plane if it was just me by myself. I might be able to overcome acrophobia in many instances, but I knew that I was not strong enough to do so at 10,000 feet. As Zak introduced himself and started to go over what was right and wrong with form through pictorial instruction, he began a segue into what to do if I became scared. It was at this point that I took over the conversation.
I asked Zak how long he had been jumping and how many jumps he had done. His answers satisfied my rational side. I then went on to tell him that I wasn’t going to think. If I thought then I wasn’t going to make it out of the plane. I asked him not to talk about how other people got up the courage to make it out of the plane. You see, with me, too much thought would have killed the deal. I told him that I would mirror his every move and that he should only go over the do’s and do not’s of the situation. He looked at me with a questioning look and I reiterated that doing it my way was the only way I would ever be able to get out of the plane.
Skip forward 20 minutes and I am cool and calm. I am strapped in sitting behind the pilot and looking out the window at the amazing scenery when I get that momentous tap and signal from Zak. I get in to position and he tethers me to his front. I watch as the two professionals along for the ride open the door and jump out. At that point my subconscious starts to register DANGER and kick in. I am pushing my self to follow the movements of Zak and get myself up to the open door.
I get myself into position, took a hold of the stabilization bar, watched Zak place his foot outside the plane, placed my foot next to his and thought I removed my arm from the stabilization bar. I tried, but my subconscious was really kicking in. I had told Zak to help me along earlier and he saw and so helped me get my arms in place. Had Zak not been in control I never would have left that plane. He was moving, I was following his actions and my fears were coming to fruition as I exited that plane.
The first 15 seconds I was screaming and swearing. And then I started to realize I was still falling and not splatting. The rest of the journey was exhilarating, but not as much as that first step. The feelings that came over me were undescribable and I am still shaking several hours later.
Who’s up for going the next session?