Skydiving in Thailand – Fully Alive at 55

For my birthday this year, Katae and I bought a pair of one-way plane tickets. Yes, we got to take off and cruise at 13,000ft, that’s 4KM above the surface of the planet, but we had to make our own way back down to earth without the aid of the Wright brothers ingenuity. Fortunately we had some assistance from the DropZone skydiving posse in Rayong.

In this blog post I’ll share my experience of skydiving in Thailand.

What Does a Tandem Sky Dive Feel Like?

In a word – insane! A tandem skydive scrambles all your senses and logic as you question and experience the exhilaration and adrenalin overdose of it! It’s hard to comprehend and actually put into words the real feelings just before you step out of the plane and during the free fall decent.

Let’s say the feeling of free falling through the air at high speeds is indescribable. Once the parachute is deployed, you feel a sense of peacefulness as you float down to the ground. That is until my instructor pulled some stunts and the G-force takes more than your breath away.

The view from above is also breath taking, as you’ll get to see the world from a completely different perspective. Overall, a tandem skydive is an unforgettable experience that combines the thrill of adventure with facing your fears and the beauty of nature.

DropZone Thailand

We did out sky dive at DropZone in Rayong, Thailand which is an exceptional place too as you also get views of the coastline and island of Koh Samet. It was a beautiful clear day with hardly a cloud in sight to impede our views.

We did a free fall for 20 or 30 seconds reaching terminal velocity within about 10 seconds. Terminal velocity is the maximum speed that an object can reach when falling through the air, and it is determined by the object’s weight, surface area, and the air resistance. For a human skydiver, the terminal velocity is typically around 120 mph (195KMP). All the while taking in the view of the underside of the plane and the ground several times as we rolled before levelling out.

Once the parachute was successfully deployed you slow down very quickly, much quicker than I imagined. Then you get to experience the sensation of weightlessness. The view from the altitude of about 9000 feet is breath taking, quiet and as a quintessential Englishman, time to talk about the weather.

There was also a great sense of relief and freedom before thoughts turned to landing.

What is the Chance of a Parachute Failing to Deploy?

The million dollar question before skydiving is of course “What is the chance of a parachute failing to open properly?” Actually it’s very small. Modern parachutes are reliable and highly-engineered pieces of equipment, and they are designed to open automatically in most cases.

In fact, the rate of parachute malfunctions is less than 0.001%, which means that the chances of a parachute failing to deploy are extremely low. Of course, as with any piece of equipment, there is always a small chance of failure, but skydivers reduce the risk by regularly inspecting and maintaining their parachutes. Being in a fatal accident on the roads of Thailand is magnitudes higher.

It was interesting and reassuring to see the camaraderie between the skydivers who check each other’s rigs on the flight and communicate with hand signals much like divers. It also comforting to know you’re in good hands with these professionals.

It’s also important to note that DropZone Thailand is licensed by the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) and a United States Parachute Association (USPA) Group Member.

Is 50 to Old to Skydive?

Not at all. Age is not a barrier. You can skydive at any age as long as you have reasonable health.

As an aside, an interesting observation I made over the course of a few days in Rayong was the amount of people still living in fear and wearing surgical masks, even between bites at dinner.  We’re talking north of 70 percent of people muzzled! On the flip side, the international crowd at DropZone, where everyone lives life to the full, was not wearing masks.

If you are looking to face your fears, live your life to the fullest or simply for a unique and unforgettable experience, I can highly recommend skydiving in Thailand with DropZone.

We had an absolute blast and we ticked off another item on our bucket list.

Cost of Skydiving in Thailand

DropZone in Rayong offer three tandem skydiving packages at different price points:

• Economy – 8,700THB
• Deluxe – 11,700THB
• VIP – 14,300

Licensed jumpers can fun jump from 1,100THB

Skydiving school starts at 133,000THB and Accelerated Free Fall (AFF) is 70,000THB

You can find DropZone Thailand at the following address:

95 M.4, Chakphong,

Klaeng District,

Rayong 21190,

Thailand

Or via their website here.

Skydiving in Thailand – Fully Alive at 55

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