Skydiving in New Mexico with Viva Skydive
I think it’s safe to say that jumping out of a plane is counterintuitive for most people. However, I made the decision to not let fear hold me back from checking this adrenaline activity off my bucket list. After careful consideration, I decided to place my life in the hands of Viva Skydive – New Mexico’s premier dropzone!
I booked my tandem skydiving session a couple of weeks in advance. Throughout those two weeks, I constantly dwelled on the idea of jumping out of a plane, which caused me to get extremely nervous. The longer I dwelled on the idea of jumping out of a plane, the more I started to second guess my decision. Thankfully I talked myself off the ledge and decided to keep my scheduled jump.
The day before my jump, I met up with a friend who is currently in the military and used to jump out of helicopters and planes. My nerves had really set in at that point, but talking to a friend helped me tremendously. I think some people underestimate the power of just listening to someone. He validated my feelings but gave me the reassurance that it would be a moment I’d never forget.
Waking up the morning of my jump didn’t go quite as planned. My nerves and excitement kept me up the night before, so I was extremely exhausted and woke up late. After realizing how late I was, I jumped out of bed, showered, got dressed, fed my dog, and took off to Belen.
After a 45-minute drive, I finally arrived at the Belen Regional Airport and that’s when everything started to feel real. As I drove up to the Manifest, my eyes immediately fell upon the tiniest plane I had ever seen! There was no going back now! Well actually that wasn’t true. I knew if I truly didn’t want to go through with it, I didn’t have to, but I wanted to. I kept telling myself that the nerves were only be temporary, but the memory would last a lifetime.
I walked up to the Manifest where the Viva Skydive team, other students, and a few experienced jumpers were just hanging out. I’m an introvert, so walking up to a crowd of strangers didn’t help my nerves, but I pushed through. After checking in, I sat down with the other students to watch a safety video followed by a safety briefing. From there, it was time to suit up! I chose to wear one of the optional jumpsuits because the landing zone is an area of soft dirt, and I didn’t want to get dirt in places it didn’t belong. Once I was all zipped up in my jumpsuit, it was time to get strapped into the harness that attaches to the instructor’s equipment. And from there I made my way to the plane!
The plane we flew in held up to six people, including the pilot. We each squeezed in one at a time and I felt like I was stuck in a can of sardines. After liftoff, it took us approximately 30 minutes to get up to jumping altitude, which in Belen is about 10,000 feet above ground level. To be honest, the 30 minutes it took to get up to altitude was probably the longest 30 minutes of my life. Several people have asked me if it was difficult to breathe while flying in the plane. My only issue was that I had to remember to keep breathing because when I’m nervous I tend to hold my breath. I knew if I didn’t focus on my breathing, I would risk having a panic attack or passing out. So, my advice to anyone who is tandem skydiving for the first time – just focus on your breathing, enjoy the incredible views, and hype yourself up because you’re about to do something extraordinary.
Let me reassure you that I was never worried about my safety throughout this entire experience. The instructors and pilot are highly experienced and constantly reinforced all the safety measures, so I completely felt safe during every second of the flight and throughout the jump. Ty, my instructor, was great at helping me stay calm, while also keeping me excited. He literally had my back and I trusted him.
When we were about to hit jumping altitude, we were given a two-minute warning and unlike the previous 30 minutes, those two minutes were the quickest two minutes of my entire life! Once the plane door opened, my nerves must have jumped out first, because I no longer felt nervous. Ty and I scooted over to the edge of the plane, I took a deep breath in, exhaled, and then we jumped! We free fell for about 30 seconds before Ty deployed our parachute.
A lot of people have asked me if I felt my stomach drop during the free fall, similar to what we feel when we’re on roller coasters, and my answer is no. When you’re in a plane, you’re already moving fast, so when you jump, you’re not leaving from a stagnant position. That stomach drop feeling we get on roller coasters when they’re first taking off or making a sudden drop is because one second we’re stagnant and then the next second we’re moving at a fast speed.
Once our parachute opened, we slowed down, the loudness from the free fall faded, and everything became so peaceful. It was a calm like no other. I would do anything to live those few minutes again. My words to describe this experience doesn’t do it justice! It’s hard to explain, you just need to experience it for yourself!
After we landed, Ty asked if I would ever go skydiving again and my response was, "It's not 'if' but 'when.'"
You can view the video of my skydiving experience on my Instagram or TikTok profiles.
What I Learned About Myself After I Went Tandem Skydiving
It feels so good to be able to check skydiving off my bucket list! After reflecting on the entire experience, I realized that I actually learned a few things about myself.
Overcoming Fear
I’m not a daredevil. The most thrill-seeking activity that I like to do is ride rollercoasters. But George Addair once said, “Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear.” I don’t think fear is necessarily a bad thing. Fear is human nature. Fear is what fuels us to survive. How we handle and face that fear is what matters. Do we let fear control us and keep us from living life and doing the things that we want? Or do we face that fear head on? Real growth comes when step out of our comfort zones, which is why I’m so proud of myself for having the courage to overcome my fear and live one of the most unforgettable experiences of my life.
Trusting Others
I’m a control freak and skydiving taught me that I have to trust others, and in this case, I had to trust a complete stranger. Of course, in turn, I knew my instructor had to trust me as well. I had to trust that my instructor would provide me with sufficient safety training, and he had to trust that I would listen to his safety training. I also had to trust that my instructor would follow the proper process steps to ensure our safety, and he had to trust that I would follow the instructions he gave me. From both our ends, one little human error could compromise our safety.
Sticking to Decisions
This experience taught me to stick to the decisions that I make. I had to allow myself to do something fun. This was a life-changing experience that I could’ve easily backed out of. But going back to that feeling of fear, life is too short, and I don’t want fear to hold me back from living my best life. In this situation, I made a choice, and even though I could’ve changed my mind, I made a commitment to myself, and I owed it to myself to keep my promise.
Choosing Viva Skydive
After spending a few hours with the Viva Skydive team, I am very thankful that I chose them for this unforgettable experience. The owners take pride in their business and want to bring the best experience they can to their customers! Their priority for safety and reliability was evident based on the safety training they provided and the highly experienced instructors they’ve hired. The entire Viva Skydive team was very friendly, which I appreciated because they really helped calm my nerves and kept me excited throughout this entire experience. In addition to the other students like me, there were several experienced jumpers waiting to fly up and jump by themselves. This spoke volumes to me because experienced jumpers feel safe enough to jump with Viva Skydive. Viva Skydive has created a community where new and experienced jumpers can come together to partake in this thrill-seeking activity.
Tandem skydiving with Viva Skydive costs anywhere $330 to $430. While it’s not cheap, it’s worth every penny for a priceless experience! If you’ve been wanting to go skydiving, I highly recommend Viva Skydive!
To read more about Viva Skydive and the skydiving experiences they offer, visit their website – https://www.vivaskydive.com/.
To read more about the safety statistics of tandem skydiving, check out the United States Parachute Association’s page on safety – https://www.uspa.org/discover/faqs/safety.