Skydive Hawaii

Mal is a daredevil like me. She's not afraid of heights and she's not afraid of speed. There was a time when she and I were the only ones in the family who would ride roller coasters. When we found out that skydiving was a big deal in Hawaii, we knew we definitely wanted to try it. First, though, we had to read and initial this six-page contract. Notice the statement at the bottom of the page. It's repeated on every one of the six pages in bold! No mincing words there! I admit, it did make me a little nervous but we decided the best thing to do was just not to think about it. After all, this is Hawaii, right? It was time for us to put the "hang loose" mentality to work!

Here we are all suited up and ready to go!

I did receive a few last minute exit instructions from Joey.

John, Mal, Maria, and Joey ready to fly!

Still smiling...although there were plenty of butterflies in my stomach!

Altitude: 12,000 feet. Time to jump!

Point of no return. Mal had already jumped and was falling FAST!

Geronimo... Free falling at 120 mph!!! I actually closed my eyes for the first few seconds until I realized that I wasn't breathing. I felt like a dog with it's head stuck out the window. I was actually wondering how long I could hold my breath before I passed out!

Ahhh...breathing again! The view and the speed were exhilarating!!

Above the clouds!

If you look way out in the distance, you can see Mal and John with their parachute deployed. Just a few more minutes of floating and they'll be on the ground.

Coming in for landing....

Landed smoothly on our feet. I kept forgetting to look at my watch (imagine!!) but I think the whole dive lasted only five to seven minutes...seemed lots longer!

What a blast...Let's do it again!

Here I am with my jump certificate. Notice I got the Hang Loose sign only half right...I think I was still a little discombobulated!!

This is, Sonny, who picked us up and drove us to and from the skydive site. He used to live in Independence, MO, and still has family there. It's a small world!!

PS: Guess what John and Joey told us about today? There's a place on the North Shore that does shark encounters! You know, where they put you in a metal cage in shark infested waters. Mal's going to check it out. It may be on the agenda next March when the family returns.

Stay tuned!!!