The Best View Ever of Vero Beach

[Tommy]

If you really want to see Vero Beach, then the best view you will ever have is from 13,000 feet, free-falling through the air. At Sabastian Airport, about 15 minutes from Vero Beach is a place where you can do a tandem skydive with an instructor. If you stop at the Sabastian Chamber of Commerce on Highway 1 on the way, you can pick up a coupon for $10 off.

It's called Skydive Sabastian, and you can jump with a certified instructor in tandem (you are both connected to the same parachute and he controls the jump). You go up in a Twin-Otter Airplane and jump out at 13,000 feet. You free-fall until you reach 6,000 when you pull the ripcord.

This is one of the most fun things I have ever done in my 54 years of life. If you've got the money and the guts, then forget about Splash Mountain and have some real fun.

 

[tinkerdorabelle]

54 and jumped, wow!

 

[RobDoc]

Tommy....where are the photos???


Sounds great!

 

[KCritter]

Tommy,

How much did it cost? DH really wants to do that the next time we go to VB. I'm not so sure about me, though.

 

[Renee']

Tommy, Good for you...sounds daring but fun. I agree about the view. We fly over (at about 1,500 ft. in our plane) and it's fantastic. I'm completely secure in the plane....not sure I could muster getting out of the perfectly flying plane though. Sounds like an experience of a lifetime.

 

[Tommy]

The normal cost for the jump is $159, but with the coupon it is $149. Like I said, you have a lot of forms to fill out and you have to watch a 10 minute video that says you know you can get killed doing this and you won't sue if you do.

Here's the photo. I know it is larger than the guidelines appear, but I used Photoshop to reduce it to 18K so that should not bother anyone.

 

[JimB.]

Voluntarily JUMP out of a PERFECTLY GOOD AIRPLANE ????????



Are you OUT of your everlovin' freaking mind ???????????




Remember, it's not the fall that hurts, it's the sudden stop at the end.........




this reply posted by a guy that used to fly airplanes off of ships.................................

 

[Tommy]

I agree Jim....Thing is, I logged over 5,000 hours military time as an EWO (Electronic Warfare Officer). Was a crew member on B-52s and RC-135s and have 350 hours civilian Pilot time. I trained in the USAF for 20 years how to get out of an airplane and to survive. I was taught how to use an ejection seat, how to do a PLF (parachute landing fall), was towed behind a jeep in a parasail, and then later did the same thing behind a skiboat at water survival school. I never had to, or got to, jump out and I felt that unless I did, all that training would be a waste of my life. Now I did all this in the USAF with a jumpsuit, nomex gloves, jumpboots, and a helmet. When I jumped at Sabastian, I had on shorts, a t-shirt and sandals...go figure!

 

[nickglover]

Way to go! Could you see the resort? (I think I would have my eyes closed or be screaming too loud!)

 

[A1A1]

Sounds very, very scary. But I'm glad some people are courageous enough to try. I can live these things through them.

Just returned from Vero last week. Sad to say that while we were there, a visitor from Switzerland died when his parachute did not open...It was at the Sebastian location Tommy mentioned above. Be careful, you take your life in your hands a little more with daredevil stuff.

 

[ohioMickey]

Since reading this thread my pulse and blood pressure are about twice what they should be!

...deep cleansing breathes......whew!

 

[Tommy]

I checked the Miami Herald's archives on the web to confirm the accident and found out that the week before I jumped, the Swiss man was on a solo jump when he became unstable and did sereral tumbles during the drop. He got his position corrected and became unstable again before crashing.

I guess that was why I watched the video before the jump. But yet, people also die on roller-coasters, so does that mean that we have to stay off of them?

I jumped with an experienced (6,000 jump) instructor with a normal chute and a reserve chute. It was still a great experience.

 

[PamOKW]

Tommy, thanks for the great idea and the discount info. Seeing as I haven't yet tried TofT, I think it'll be awhile before I take this jump.

But....we always like to hear new ideas for things to do.

 

[mattsdad]

If they would offer parasailing it would suit me fine, thank you very much