4/19/20 Let's talk more about "dangerous activity"
6Have you ever:
Skydived?
Scuba dived?
Hang glided?
Hot Air Ballooned?
I have always wanted to sky dive, but the closest I have managed so far is in a dive simulator which was pretty cool and was a gift for my birthday from my wife several years ago.
I haven’t been scuba diving in too many years (SSI open water certification), though I still have all my gear. I keep meaning to fire it up and at least use it in the pool, but never seem to get around to actually doing it Some my favorite dives were a shark awareness dive in St. Martin and a shallow dive off Looe Key were we saw an octopus just hanging out on a corral head. Oh , and the stingray encounter in Grand Cayman was super cool too… Hoping the grandson will be interested and I can go on some of those dives (SWMBO doesn’t dive, so when we vacation somewhere with diving available I generally don’t partake). We do go snorkeling together when the opportunity arises.
I did get to take lessons and hang glide once in Kill Devil Hills near Kittyhawk years ago and found it a lot of fun… even when it was more of a “hang crashing” experience towards the end as I flared up and stalled by pushing out too far on the bar. I would go back in a minute.
The closest to going hot air ballooning I have come so far is paying for my MIL to have the experience for her birthday a LONG time ago. Maybe I will make that a bucket list activity to go with the parachute jump…
So, now it’s your turn to share your experience(s).
- 10 comments, 15 replies
- Comment
Nope never done those things, only things like rock climbing, white water canoeing and kayaking, ice climbing… And with all adventure activities except scuba diving, the risk of driving to and from the activity is higher than the risk of actually doing the activity.
I had the opportunity to sky dive once, for free no less, and declined as I was afraid of a hard landing. If you could have guaranteed a soft landing where the parachute somehow gets tangled in a tree (without the tree touching me) where I am then a foot above the ground I would have tried it. I know I would have been scared the split second before I would actually made the jump. I like roller coasters so I am pretty sure I’d like the rest of it.
Scuba would be fun as snorkeling is fun. But not in an area sharks are feeding. Hang gliding - that takes more skill than sky diving I would think. I’d want a LOT of lesson time prior to trying it. And I’d want to try it where my first attempts were VERY close to the ground. Like off of sand dunes or something. Hot air ballooning would be interesting on a nice clear day in an area with no threats of sudden storms.
I went skydiving 3 years (and 3 days) ago. It was great. I would do it again. But this time I’d either go in warmer weather or make sure to wear long sleeves. It’s cold 14,000 feet up
I bungee jumped on a Friday the 13th in 1995. 210 feet over water at the port of Long Beach (right next to the Queen Mary). I would also do it again.
I’ve not done any of the others listed, but hell I’ll try anything once. I think most of them would be fun. If money and time were unlimited I would have done them all by now
I’ve got snorkeling in Puerto Rice, done some rappelling (in boot camp), ridden dirt bikes
@remo28 Never did the bungee thing, but think that would be pretty cool (not sure my 65yr old spine is up to that any more). Did some rappelling off a 100ft ladder truck back in my volunteer firefighter days. That was fun, once you took that first step off the edge.
@chienfou @remo28 Yeah it is that first step out of the plane that I think would be hard with sky diving too. The first time ever I had done rappelling it took me a while to step off the edge. One you are over the edge feeling the pressure of the harness with the taut rope makes the entire thing feel way more secure.
@chienfou @Kidsandliz It wasn’t actually a step out of the plane. I kneeled at the door with my arms crossed holding on to my harness, and the guy I was strapped to held on to the door frame and we just leaned forward and fell out of the plane.
Voluntarily leaning off a platform in the dark with a bungee cord tied around my ankles was far more difficult.
@chienfou @remo28 Despite all the things I have done for a living in outdoor adventure its that first step that involves falling or thinking I might be falling even if intellectually I know I am not is what I find hard. I can jump of off high dives into the water, I can climb without a rope (yeah I know stupid, I was teaching lead climbing and was no more than 30’ above the ground and that is dangerous) but there is something about the first step of bungee jumping or sky diving that I find scary. I know I’d be able to talk myself into doing it, but I haven’t yet talked myself into wanting to put myself into a situation where I’d then have to talk myself into doing it.
/image you’re a chicken
@chienfou @remo28 Not meaning you, meaning me, as the chicken.
No.
No.
No.
No.
/giphy none of the above
No desire to leave a fully functioning airplane.
Doubt I’ll be able to. I had a hard time sitting at the bottom of an 8ft deep pool. Snorkeling has been fun though.
No thanks.
No. I’ll probably pass. I love rollercoasters because you are strapped in and danger is low. I think the anxiety would overwhelm me eventually. Sometimes when I’m at the top of a ladder at work I’ll imagine just tumbling off which is a sickening feeling. The French call it “the call of the void.”
I would love to SCUBA at some point, it is on the list. I have swam with sharks. It was a Superfund day of interactions with walrus, dolphins, stingrays and the sharks.
@tinamarie1974
How long did you have to spend in decontamination afterwards?
@Limewater yeah I caught that after it was too late. Either fat fingers or damn auto correct on my phone.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@tinamarie1974 where was that? Sounds pretty diverse, like maybe an aquarium or SeaWorld?
@chienfou I was in Punta Cana and I paid for a whole day excursion. I don’t recall the name of the company, but it was booked through my Apple rep. It was very expensive, but well worth the $$
@tinamarie1974 I wouldn’t have thought about walrus being indigenous to the
mexican riviera. Duh, Dom Rep… That’s cool. I keep hoping to make a trip to Crystal river to swim with the Manatees one day…@chienfou I was a little surprised to see it there, but I was up close and personal (got a “kiss on the cheek”) with him. As fyi, his breath was VERY fishy!!
Swimming with the manatees would be amazing.
I’d like to go skydiving at least once. SCUBA looks awesome, though I’m probably more fearful of what’s in the water. I have skied some pretty gnarly double diamonds which have definitely been dangerous. One slip up on some of those and it’s a long way down ping-ponging off some boulders.
FOOLS! TOOLS! JEWELS! AWESOME!
@cinoclav
The beauty of SCUBA diving in the Carib is that the water tends to be really clear. It is not uncommon to be able to see the bottom of the boat from the ocean floor at 80-90 ft.
While there are a certain number of things that can hurt you underwater, most of them will give you a wide berth if they can see you. I have done dives with sharks and stingrays and jellyfish and lionfish with no problem, just give them room and some respect.
I have also been on some Black Diamond runs were the viz was WAY worse, and you were trying to ‘guess’ where the run edges were and hope to keep out of the trees/boulders.
If you ever have a chance to do a “scuba experience” type dive I would highly encourage you to give it a try.
Hot air ballooning sounds nice.
I’d also accept a ride on a dirigible.
I’ve been skydiving twice. It was cool, but I don’t think I got the “rush” that a lot of other people get. It is also an expensive and time-consuming hobby to get into, so that’s another reason not to pursue it further.
I’d take it up over golf, though, for sure. Long-term, I think it’s about as expensive as having golf as a hobby.
i went skydiving about 12 times back in college. i opted for solo dives so could eventually get certified. sadly, ran out of money well before i could get that far. i’ve never done a tandem dive though and i’m not sure it would be nearly as fun.
SCUBA diving is great. You just have to pay attention and treat your gear as the life-support equipment it is. Other than that, you’re flying effortlessly through a beautiful alien world.
@PocketBrain
yes… that!
One of my favorite pics taken on a dive was of a stingray taken in Grand Cayman. I was belly down on the sand and ‘he’ was maybe 2 feet away facing me. As I shot that pic, my SIL was taking a pic of me taking it. That was pretty cool. The stingray pic was on my mouse pad for years.
@PocketBrain ooohhh! I found it!!
