Adventure & Wildlife Magazine - Vol 1|Issue 5-6| Nov 16 - Jan 17 Vol 1|Issue 5-6| Nov 16 - Jan 17 | Page 73

ADVENTURE & WILDLIFE
We Jumped off a plane!!
Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a
daring adventure, or nothing. - Helen Keller
I
’m so happy that my 12 year old daughter already
understands these enlightening words, and has
never shied away from experiencing, and enjoying every
crazy activity or adventure that she’s been introduced to!
Both of us have already trekked at 10,000 plus feet in the
Himalayas, had thrilling encounters with wild animals
in safaris, slept peacefully with snakes and a scorpion for
company, rappelled 450 feet in the Sahyadris, and spent
quality time in Hanging Tents overlooking a vast valley.
But, what we were about to attempt was way beyond all
of this!!!
The build-up
Ever since my brother, Vishal, had the thrilling experience
of skydiving in 2015, me and Sia were keen to give it a try.
He jumped tandem, at Cairns, and we wanted to do it at
the same location. Unfortunately (or fortunately :p), the
timings clashed with our pre-booked tours, and the plan
had to be dropped.
the website of ‘Skydive Australia’, and strongly suggested
that we take the dive at Wollongong. After a long debate,
the dive was booked for the evening of 3rd Jan, 2017.
Father-daughter duo was super excited!!!
Man proposes…
Well, activities like skydiving are heavily weather
dependent, in spite of all the technological advancements
that man has made. If the wind is too strong, or it starts
raining heavily…it’s advisable to abort the plan. And
the adventure sports market down under is so matured
and organized - absolutely no compromise with safety!
Around 9 am, we received a text message about the dives
being delayed by 90 minutes, due to weather. Mentally
prepared for this, we boarded the train for our 2 hour trip,
and then came the call!!!
All evening skydives had been called off, and we were
asked to turn back. It was frustrating. Of course, they
We were in Australia for a full 4 weeks, but it just wasn’t would refund, but I didn’t want the money. Our hearts
happening. Time was slipping away, and the odds were were begging for the adrenaline pumping experience.
heavily against any window of opportunity.
Thankfully, they called us back the next day for a 7 am
But during our last week at Sydney, my uncle showed me jump. So, our date with the skies was fixed!
Vol 1|Issue 5-6|Nov 16 - Jan 17
73