My Skydiving Experience in Las Vegas

Skydiving was something I always wanted to try in my lifetime but wasn’t sure if it would be possible or even safe to do as a quadriplegic wheelchair user.  When my friend Tyson from The Naked Traveler and Dean told me about an exciting trip to Las Vegas that included hot air ballooning,  skydiving,  horseback riding and dune bashing I was really excited and researched online to see if and how accessible and wheelchair friendly these activities can be.  I saw a few videos on YouTube of disabled persons who went tandem skydiving and noticed everyone had upper body mobility and hand/finger function.  I kept thinking about how I am able to do this and Tyson assured to me that he contacted Adrenaline 365 and that they will accommodate me in any way they can. I thought to myself that this Las Vegas trip will be a worthwhile trip since I get to check off a few items on my bucket list.  Plus,  I get to spend a 4 day weekend with some cool,  crazy fun Aussie buddies. Our fun filled trip was booked for Halloween weekend in 2013.

On the morning of my skydive, we drove about an hour or so from the Excalibur hotel to the airstrip. My buddies transferred me to the rental car and put my manual chair in the back. I kept on thinking if I should actually do this or if I should just watch for today and try it another day. I know that I will be going tandem with an experienced skydiver and that people skydive everyday safely and lived. I just felt that being a quadriplegic,  I would have no hands or fingers to hold or grab anything,  no leg movement to help with landing.  I was also really worried about scraping my butt when landing. I don’t need any scratches or sores to develop because I need a healthy butt to sit in my wheelchair all day. Talking with Tyson and Dean on our drive really calmed me down and I wanted to prove to them and everyone else that yes I can do this even though I am a quadriplegic.  I knew I really wanted to do this and wanted to face my fears. If I was going to do this,  who better to share this experience with than these 2 adventurous travelers.  The both of them have traveled so much and done lots of crazy fun things while traveling.

Tyson and Dean helping me put on my skydiving gear

When we finally got to our destination,  it was great to see so many people here. There were all age groups of people,  but I was the only disabled one there. The group of people there were really friendly and all had went skydiving before. They all shared me stories of their past experiences and told me they only seen a few disabled people skydive but never a quadriplegic.  The person in charge then showed us videos of past skydivers and answered all our questions.  I didn’t realize I would be the only one skydiving out of me and my 2 friends since it was a full plane. I was a bit of hesitant to go with just one of the employees but went ahead and signed all the waiver forms. It was time to put on our gear and lucky there was a giant couch in the waiting  area.  Tyson and Dean laid me down on the couch to help dress me up in the full outfit.  I got my friends to stuff my bottom with the couch pillows so that I have extra padding on my butt. I didn’t want to risk getting my butt scraped or injured during the landing.   I was also told to strap my arms to my body so that it wont flop all over the place during the jump. My legs were also tied together and had a handle so that the jumper I went with could pull on the handle to lift my legs up so it doesn’t drag during the landing. Seems like everything was ready for me to board the plane and do my skydive.

getting ready to board the plane

I have to board  last because I am supposed to skydive first.  Because I am attached to my skydiving partner and  can not walk or get or get on the plane, my partner sat on the edge of the plane while Tyson and Dean lifted me onto the plane and attached me to my skydiving partner. I am strapped to the front of my skydiving partner like a baby is to their mother. It was time to say bye to my 2 friends and have them wish me luck as the plane had to shut its doors and take off. The plane flew up in the air and I was so nervous.  I had to be the first one to get out since I boarded last and was the closest to the plane doors.  I felt like chickening out because I was worried I could be injured even more or could die. It was too late and my partner signaled to me that the door was about to open and that he was about to fall forward out of the plane doors with me attached.  When the door opens,  I remember it being so cold and windy being that high.  We flipped out of the plane and did a few flips in the air.  It was a bit rough but it was such an awesome feeling. Everything went so fast but when my partner pulled out the parachute,  we slowly floated down and I got to really enjoy the scenery of the beautiful land beneath us. Everything felt so surreal. I can’t believe I am doing this.  As we approached the land, my partner pulled on my leg strap so I won’t damage my feet and he tried to land softly to the ground so I won’t hurt my butt. Tyson and Dean waited right at the landing spot to make sure I was ok and to help me back into my wheelchair.

here I go

I can’t believe I just skydived and I am a quadriplegic.  Everything turned out perfect and I got to share this experience with Tyson and Dean and everyone at Adrenaline 365. It does take some planning,  a few modifications but I definitely recommend skydiving to anyone who likes having a thrill. I would definitely do this again.

successful landing