Skydiving: 14,000 Feet Above Byron Bay

During my three-day trip to Byron Bay, I decided that I wanted to go skydiving. I'm not really sure where the idea came from, but once I set my mind on something, there's a good chance I'm going to do it. I stopped by the travel desk at my hostel and booked a 6:50 a.m. pickup for a skydiving experience in Byron Bay.

One of the biggest tips they give people before a skydive is to avoid scuba diving and drinking alcohol the day before. The next morning, I was picked up at my hostel and driven to the skydiving center. The bus ride only took about ten minutes.

When I arrived, I had to be weighed and sign several waivers. After that, I was given goggles, fitted with the appropriate skydiving gear, and taught the proper procedures for the jump. Once all of that was finished, they had me record a video message of myself "just in case." This was probably the one part that caught me off guard. I couldn't take it seriously and definitely hadn't prepared what I would say if those were somehow my last words.

Once that was out of the way, it was time to board the plane. The flight to 14,000 feet took about ten minutes. When it was finally my turn to jump, I had to tilt my head back, cross my arms, and curl my legs underneath the plane. At that moment, I remember thinking, "How did I get myself into this?"

Then came the jump.

Once you leave the plane, all you can really do is scream as you're free-falling at nearly 200 mph. After a short time, you spread your arms and stabilize, slowing to around 125 mph. Everyone keeps asking me what skydiving felt like, and honestly, it's almost impossible to describe unless you've experienced it yourself. The closest comparison I can think of is a roller coaster, but multiplied by one hundred.

It's one of the biggest adrenaline rushes imaginable. There's so much excitement and energy flowing through your body that it's unlike anything I've ever experienced before.

Once the parachute opened, everything became peaceful. Instead of racing through the air, I was simply floating above Byron Bay with incredible views in every direction. It gave me time to really appreciate the scenery, and I even got the chance to steer the parachute for a little while.

Surprisingly, the hardest part of skydiving was the landing. You have to keep your legs lifted and then begin running as soon as your feet touch the ground. Thankfully, everything went smoothly.

If I could give one piece of advice, it would be this: if you ever have the opportunity to go skydiving, do it. It was an incredible experience and nowhere near as scary as I thought it would be. Looking back, I'm so glad I took the leap.