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Skydiving was never on my to do list. Back home whenever my friends started talking about such sports I used to put on my invisibility cloak and fade away from the discussion. I couldn't imagine why anybody what want to leap off a plane? Today I'm in New Zealand waiting for the NZ Skydive van to drive me to the drop zone for my first skydive.

The jump point of the skydive wasn't in Queenstown but in another place called Glenorchy, which was a 45 minute drive away from the hostel. This was a tricky drive because during the idle time in the van the inevitable "what if the parachute doesn't open" question kept crossing my mind. This minor thought was dwarfed by the curiosity I had to try this adrenalin pumping sensation, and once I decided I was going to do it I wasn't going to take back. On the same van there was a couple in their sixties. I never expected that they were going to skydive but after overhearing them speak I realized that the lady was going to jump.

The first indication that we arrived in Glenorchy was the small propeller plane standing in the middle of the field that was serving as a runway. After the introductions I was expecting a long boring safety procedures rant, after the fuss they made on the whale watching tour it was the least I could imagine. Luckily there was none of this. We only had to sign a disclaimer notice just in case we were splattered to the ground.

Until we were waiting for the crew to prepare the gear, Jack, my instructor played a DVD. There were five options in the menu and at a glance I noticed that one of the options was nude jumping. My first thought was "wouldn't my precious jewels freeze up there?". [Wouldn't it be infinitely worse if you were to do a tandem jump in the nude.] Jack only played the first video with normal people and sexy models. However, out of curiosity I managed to find a nude skydiving video on the net. Apparently it can be done. See nude skydiving video here

When the video finished we went to get dressed to prepare for the jump. The basic gear an unsightly yellow overall, but worse than that I had to wear a leather cap like the ones the early pilots used to wear. [Condom headed Mike!.] The harness to attach me to Jack and the pair of goggles completed the set. The only instructions I was given were to proceed slowly to the edge of the plane, sit down, keep my hands crossed on my chest, and bend feet backwards. The instructor had to push out of the plane and at his signal I could open my hands and keep the body in an arc shape position so the torso is protruding forward, and the legs are like kicking him in buttocks.

>As soon as the plane took off I didn't have time to think about what I was about to do. The scenery was too magnificent. They call this place Paradise and as much as brochures tend to exaggerate they're damn right on this one. The sceneries for Isengard, Amon Hen and Lothlorien from the Lord of the Rings were all shot in Glenorchy. I'll give Lem the merit for suggesting this place even though here intentions might not have been the purest since she was seeing one of the crew.

With 8 people on the plane it was at its full capacity. Apart from my instructor and the old lady's instructor there were the two cameramen, a pretty Finnish (I know it's a paradox) seasoned jumper, and Lem's partner. In order to take photos and video a separate person had to jump with us. This was much better than having a video camera attached to my instructor.

Considering that I was about to jump off a plane I was quite relaxed on the flight. After all it's all easy sitting in a plane gaining altitude. The scenery and the ongoing interactions between people distract your attention from the jump, so it was easy to avoid thinking what might go wrong. The confidence of the rest of the people suggested that there was nothing to worry about. Every once in a while I'd take a look at the altimeter to ensure that we're not about to jump as yet. At about 9,000ft Jack tied himself to me and I start feeling like having a Siamese twin. In a few minutes we reached the established altitude of 12,000ft, the door opened and people started jumping into the void.

All my confidence ebbed. We were the last group to jump out so I had those few extra seconds watching the others vanish in the empty sky. As soon as it was my turn I crawled towards the exit and sat down. The cameraman got out of the plane and held on to the wing so that we will jump off together. All of a sudden I found myself in mid-air. We were off.

As soon as Jack gave me the sign to open my hands I let go and started having all the fun in the world. It was the freest thing I've ever did. It's just indescribable. I'm not even going to try and explain what it feels like, because I can't put it into words. All I can say is that it's definitely one of the best things I've ever did in my life. It was worth every cent and I believe that everyone must try it at least once in his life. Don't use age as an excuse, the granny that jumped with me had over 60 and if you're past that age then you can surpass her record.

The freefall took about 30 seconds and that's were all the fun is. As soon as the parachute opens you're jolted upwards and you turn from a horizontal position to a vertical posture. Even though the parachute descent is nice it's nowhere near the buzz of the freefall. I tried to suck in the scenery around, but after experiencing that sensation it's difficult to focus on anything.

While still on the parachute Jack told me how to land. It hadn't occurred to me that I didn't know how I was going to land, but this is typical of me. I always start things without planning how to end them. To land, all you need to do is keep your feet up so that you'll lend on your backside.

When I decided to try skydiving I thought that I'd try it once and that would be enough. Now that I tried it I definitely want to do it again. It's too sensational. I think my greatest fear, and probably the only one, was that I'd never the plunge and jump. I always believed that I'm too clumsy to trust myself with my life. When I learnt that the first few jumps must be done in tandem, i.e. with an instructor responsible for everything, I thought, I can do this. Now that I've skydived I still don't know why anyone would want to jump off a plane. Maybe to experience something different? Maybe to see what all the fuss is about? Maybe to prove something to one? Take your pick, but do it, you'll feel something you never felt anywhere else!

Live as if there's no yesterday because it's the past we regret

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