The Intro
So today (Friday the 13th of December 2019) both Katy and myself completed a SkyDive. This activity has been a source of discussion between us for some while as we are deciding on what is actually the more terrifying of the two activities.
We both did our Bungee Jump back in the summer of 2018, in Canada. I was spending the vast majority of the year working over in Ottawa and Katy and few friends came to visit me and do some travelling too. Whilst they were in Ottawa I showed them around the local area (including one of my favourite haunts, Wakefield). On our drive back we passed the Great Canadian Bungee Jump, located above a disused quarry. A short discussion followed and both Katy and I signed our souls away onto the legal paperwork to allow us to do a jump.
The Sky Dive was offered to us from the hostel we stayed at in Cairns. Their attached travel agency called me to let me know that we had been picked out in a raffle to receive a special offer on an activity booking. Of course the real question is how many people win this, and I heavily suspect that everyone walks away a winner. But not to look a gift horse too closely in the mouth we were offered a discount on a skydive, and well, dove right into booking a tandem dive.
The Preparations
Both activities (at least where we had chosen to do them) were very well regulated and had safety checks all over the shop. Both places had two safety checks on harnesses as well as instructors and support staff who had nothing but safety on their minds.
The key difference in the prep is the for the bungee jump, we walked up alongside the quarry before walking along a wobbly platform which hung over the edge of a quarry. Each step caused the platform to shake ever so slightly and looking down below you could see the water you would plummet towards. All in all, the buildup feels longer due to tension but really was only a few minutes.
The skydive on the other hand took a lot longer, mostly due to the plane ride which ascends you to the jump height, in our case 15,000 ft. This allows you time to look around and take in the great views of the jump location, and if you allow them, nerves to build up.
The Jump
The bungee was completed as so. After choosing where the straps would go (waist or ankles, we chose ankles), you were walked through a gate which closed behind you. The support staff gently walked you to the very edge and had you shift your toes over the edge. At this point they would lower the bungee cord below you and a small tug on your ankles would be felt as the weight was released. At this point it is all about the countdown, not looking down and leaping at the trees you can see in front of you.
The skydive took another approach. As the ascent brought us higher, the instructors strapped us in and ran us through last minute prep talks, When then time came, the roller shutter door on the light aircraft opened and we made our way to the door. We had to bend our legs back and have our feet touch the plane, our arms crossed to our shoulders and our heads back looking up. Before you knew anything the instructor had left you both out of the plane, thus removing you from any decision making process. This is probably the biggest difference between both experiences.
The fall
The bungee jump is sheer free fall. Having our old friend gravity pull you downwards a 9.81 metres per second per second, you rapidly see the ground coming at you. However, after the shortest of the true falling sensation you feel the bungee grab at your ankles and your descent is rapidly halted, before shooting you upwards once again. The following bouncing around parts are fun but they amount to nothing more than Roman candles to the giant rocket of the first jump.
The sky dive had a similar feeling at the off. Once pushed out of the plane the downward velocity ramps up and the falling factor comes in. However, unlike the bungee, this time it is terminal velocity that is the slow down factor. No more acceleration can be felt but the wind rushing past you, taking all your screams of enjoyment upwards, is something else. After what feels like a long time (though in reality is only a couple of minutes), the parachute opens and the gentle descent back to terra firma takes places.
The Ending
The bungee ended by letting all momentum stop. Hanging upside down with adrenaline still coursing through our veins, attached to a static bungee line, we were slowly lowered to a boat that was waiting on the waters surface. Once close enough, the boat person helped us down and detached the line from our ankles. A short little boat ride back to the edge of the quarry and we were reunited again. Still breathless with smiles and masked fear as we shared the experience of our jumps.
The skydive had a more uncomfortable but still really fun way, to end things off. As the descent brought us closer to the ground, each turn and drop provided a wide range of g forces. These resulted in straps flying up places straps shouldn’t go and stomach rising sensations you get on roller coasters. As the ground came very close, the instructor reminded us we had to bring our knees up and extend our legs out, allowing the landing to be a fun slide on the ground on our bums!
The feeling After
Both activities, like anything physical, left us feeling drained after. Though not much is done physically in either I can only assume the resulting crash of adrenaline overload causes this “fun fatigue”. At least with the skydive we were driven back to hotel rather than me driving with a suspected minor bout of whiplash on the Canadian highways.
The Verdicts
“Bungee jumping was instantly terrifying whereas skydiving was more of a slow burn. Not helped by the fact my goggles kept slipping off, the longer than expected free fall time started to increase the fear factor as the ground hurtled towards me at terminal velocity. All in all I would say that bungee jumping was more fun (my favourite rides at theme parks are the drop rides), but I wouldn’t hesitate to do either one again if the opportunity arose.”
— Katy
“Bungee Jumping scared, and to this day, haunts me as being the single most terrifying endeavour I have completed. The moment when I stood at the edge where you need to overcome your own mental instinct of basic survival and jump off a static platform to the ground close below remains clear as day in my mind. By comparison, Sky Diving was just super fun the whole way down.”
— Martin
What are your thoughts on either activity? Love them/ Hate them? Let us know in the comments section below!