Jumping out of a perfectly good airplane is a sport plenty of people think about doing but few dare to give a go. Whether on a "bucket list" or done to get over the fear of heights, the opportunity for skydiving is right around the corner at Skydive Lake Wales.
Tandem master Dave "Buzz" Bazzoni has been fascinated with jumping out of airplanes since he was a child. A U.S. Army paratrooper in the mid-1980s, Bazzoni started skydiving in 1999 and became a certified tandem master in 2004. He has jumped more than 4,000 times over the years and says there's nothing else like it.
"I just love being up there," Bazzoni says. "It's just serene flying around up there, it's windy and noisy during freefall, but it's very peaceful and serene when you're under the parachute."
Bazzoni, who is also a tandem instructor, said safety is the number one rule at Skydive Lake Wales, and comfort second.
"Obviously, you have to tighten the harness," Bazzoni says. "The weight of the passenger is not on our bodies. It's actually distributed on the harness during the freefall. The air is pushing up against them and we have a vacuum of torsos at the four points on the harness that keep us fully together. But under the parachute, their weight is suspended by the parachute itself."
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David Perry, a tandem instructor at Skydive Lake Wales, brings first-time jumper Kevin Woods in on their final approach.
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When freefalling, with the air pushing up on the jumpers, the sensation is like flying, says Katelynn Horta, a first time jumper at Skydive Lake Wales.
"After you jump, you're all right," Horta says. "When you're on the plane and you're about to take off, that's the scary part. But when you're falling, you feel free."
Horta, 18, and her cousin went with Horta's aunt to celebrate her 40th birthday - which happened three years ago.
"My aunt wanted to jump for her 40th, but no one would go with her, and we had to wait until we turned 18," Horta says.
With a minimum age of 18, jumpers also sign waiver and go through a briefing and orientation on what to touch, what not to touch, instructions and techniques necessary for a successful skydive, says Chris Roden, who takes photos and films the jumps in the air, while skydiving.
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Dave Bazzoni, a tandem instuctor at Skydive Lake Wales, uses humor to keep Keri Ramlow calm as they prepare for a tandem jump.
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Roden considers himself a guide into the extreme journey of human flight.
"It's really cool. It's almost addicting to see the people scared in the door, then leave the plane and fly up to them while they're freefalling," Roden says. "They're pumping their fists and smiling. I'll grab their hand and we'll freefall and spin together."
Flying through the air is like being Superman, Roden adds. Controlling directions with the movements of arms and legs, the freefall from a jump at 18,000 feet lasts about 60 to 70 seconds, going about 100 to 120 miles per hour. When the shoot opens at 5,000 feet, there is a jerk upward, and all of a sudden everything is quiet. The parachute ride to the earth lasts about 10 to 12 minutes, Roden says, during which a jumper can steer the parachute.
A jump at Skydive Lake Wales costs $199, Roden says. A video package is an additional $90. He says the cost for the sport of skydiving is a little steep; however, all the money offsets the costs of jet fuel, maintenance, and the professional tandem guides, pilots, videographers, and parachute packers who guide the experience, who have thousands of jumps or years invested.
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Tim Jones, a tandem instructor and accelerated freefall and training safety instructor, leads the way for Brandon Lam, a first-time jumper; David Perry, a tandem instructor; and first-time jumper Katelynn Horta to the twin-engine plane waiting to take them to 15,000 feet for a jump over Lake Wales.
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Owners Greg and Patty Nardi own skydiving centers in Titusville and Jacksonville and another in Monterey Bay, Calif. With 30 years in the skydiving business, Patty Nardi says they've heard all kinds of reasons as to why people come to jump, including birthdays, anniversaries, divorces and even being recently diagnosed with a terminal illness.
Nardi, who says with all the technological improvements that skydiving is probably safer than driving the vehicle, says there is a misconception about the fear of heights when one is considering a jump.
"But the actual fact of the matter is, there's nothing to relate the height with, so you don't get the height sensation as if you were on a building or a cliff," she says. She adds it's a very addictive sport. In fact, many jumpers go on to get their certification to be able to jump solo.
"We have a lot of repeat business the same day," Nardi says. "It really and truly is an amazing experience. It's a release."
For details about Skydive Lake Wales, call 863-678-1003 or visit www.FloridaSkydiving.com.
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