Mr. Bichler: Sunday, September 2 ~Skydive Hawaii~

State Park overlooking Honolulu

I know this is the post you have all been waiting for and so have I. I am writing this a week post jump because I was hoping to have a video to post or at least some pictures to share but I am obviously not smart enough to upload my video and I didn't get any photos until yesterday. The day started like most, the kids were up early and we were trying to get caught up on laundry from Maui. We had to rent a car here on Oahu because Sara's car died a week ago and it was going to cost too much to fix and since they weren't going to ship it home anyway they are selling it to the dealership. Sharon and I asked Matt to call and see if we could still get in to skydive and were pretty excited when we got a time for 2:00 pm. We all decided to take a ride up to a State Park that overlooks Honolulu and then go to the Counter for lunch. From there Matt drove Sharon and me to Skydive Hawaii in Waialu on the northern side of the island about 40 minutes away. The airstrip is located in the middle of nowhere but we did pass a polo game in progress and a well advertised yard sale next to the polo field. Skydive Hawaii was very busy and before we did anything we were instructed to watch a video. The video featured a man who bore a striking resemblance to Fidel Castro with a beard that reached all the way into his lap. It seemed his message, which he repeated in triplicate was that if we decided to skydive that we could die. "Skydiving is very dangerous and you may die", "human and mechanical error may occur and you may die"....he must have used the words die and death at least 20 times before ending his morbid infomercial. We then were instructed to find a computer and complete an information form and sign 7 disclaimers that said we would not, nor would any of our friends, relatives or acquaintances, sue them when our impending death occurred as we jumped to our death. When we finished the paper work we were told we would have at least 2 more hours to live because there was a competition going on and they were using some of Skydive Hawaii's planes. While waiting Sharon pointed out that we were surrounded by 20 year old adrenaline junkies that appeared to be high on crack cocaine with hair of every color of a Hawaiian rainbow. We were definitely out of our comfort zone. Let's just say we "weren't in Kansas any more, Toto!" Well the Land of Oz was looking a lot younger than we were. Two hours later I heard my name being called and turned around to see Kevin holding my harness. Kevin could have been a WWF cage fighter and had a purple Mohawk and a Fu Manchu beard. I will say that even though I had told Sharon earlier when I saw him that I was convinced that he was on drugs, he did have a nice smile. Not really, he was completely crazy! Anyway, Sharon, Matt and I all completed our jumps and have the certificates to prove it. The view from the plane on the way up and from our parachute on the way down were breathtaking. Actually, the first few seconds of the jump when the air was rushing into my face I was have trouble taking a breath but eventually my breathing came easier and I could enjoy the soaring down. I now know how the hawks and vultures feel as they circle and ride the wind currents but I doubt they feel like their stomachs are upside down.