You're seated next to a window in an airplane flying 12,000 feet over Oahu's North Shore. The view is magnificent, but right now you're a little distracted — the thought of jumping out of a plane is enough to sidetrack anyone. But that's what you're going to do. You're not going to jump solo, off course. You signed up for a tandem dive and your new best friend, your instructor, will be right there with you.
The time has come so you and your instructor, who is attached to you like a Siamese twin, shuffle to the edge of the hatch. It's now or never, so out you go. Words cannot describe the sensation of jumping out of an airplane at 8,000 to 12,000 feet. How do you explain fear for a mere moment, soon to be replaced by exhilaration that cannot be compared to anything you've ever done? Some skyplanes can take jumpers to 14,000 feet, doubling the already exhilarating one minute freefall, at 120 mph.
The "drop" is over and the floating begins. It's almost anti-climatic if you're a speed freak. But the view soon captures your attention. Again words cannot describe the experience of floating at the same altitude as the Wai'anae Mountain Range behind you, of looking down at the intricate coral reef systems in the ocean.
If you're game, the instructor will perform some twirls and stalls under canopy. The ground is coming up too soon now, you don't want this to end. When it does, the landing is perfect, the instructor pulling up at the exact right moment and settling you gently on the ground. Expect the adrenalin rush to last for awhile. After all, you just jumped out of an airplane — and you're ready to do it again.
