To kickoff Olivia’s 27th year of existence, I decided to surprise her with an experience we will never, ever forget. I booked reservations for us to go skydiving at the beach! If you want to see evidence of me falling out of the sky from a perfectly good airplane, check out the video below:
I scheduled our jumps about a month out with Coastal Carolinas Skydiving out of Southport, NC. They had stellar reviews online and happened to be a short 45 minute drive from my family’s beach house in Wrightsville. Although originally scheduled to jump on her birthday (Sunday the 16th), we ended up pushing back a day due to bad weather. This happened to turn out for the better as Olivia’s brother Austin arrived in Wilmington that Sunday afternoon, so he was able to accompany us on this adventure.
We arrived at a small airfield with very simple signage indicating the entrance to the tarmac. No security, nothing–just walked straight through the door in the fence. Following arrows pointing us in the direction of “SKYDIVING”, we found the hangar for Coastal Carolinas. After scoping out the planes for a minute, we headed over to the check-in to begin the safety spiel. This is when we found out there was only room in the plane for two jumpers, so Austin would unfortunately have to jump before us with a random guy. He, of course, was not phased by this in the slightest.
After getting geared up and watching the few jumpers ahead of us (Austin included), we were squeezed in the small Cessna and began the ride up to 10,000 feet. The plane was very small and the ascent was by far the most nerve-wracking part of the experience. Once in the jump zone, the door was whipped open and we were immediately met with a blast of wind. I somehow managed to put my two feet on the pedestal outside the plane, and with that we were outta there. The freefall was short lived but the experience was nuts. The sensation of speed was incredible. We came out upside down as well so that definitely added to the craziness. After falling for about 40 seconds, the chute was pulled and we were safely under canopy. The ride down was super enjoyable and the views were stunning. A few minutes later, I was relieved to be safely on the ground.
We had to celebrate our momentous occasion, and we did so with lunch and drinks in downtown Wilmington on the return trip home. We landed on Copper Penny for our meal as I had heard nothing but great things, specifically about their wings. Thankfully, they did not disappoint. After cruising around downtown for a bit, we checked out one last bar called Pour–a spot I had heard about but never actually been to myself. It is a self-serve beer & wine bar that ended up being a ton of fun. I was able to sample some new local beers and enjoy some old favorites in a super cool environment. With that, we headed back to the beach house to conclude our exciting afternoon.
I am so happy with my decision to do this for Olivia’s birthday. It turned out to be even better that Austin was able to join, and I’m grateful we were able to experience something (together) that we will truly never forget. A one of a kind thing for sure, I can’t say I’m jumping to do it again but am glad I did. Until the next adventure, stay tuned!
– Walker
Check out some more images of our jump below:
Texas-Ranger Travels 