Skydiving over Empuriabrava

For my 30th birthday present, Lisa Garrett invited me on my first skydive over Monterey Bay, California.

For my 40th birthday present, Natalia Berger (a friend of mine who works at Europe's leading skydiving location, Empuriabrava, Spain) invited me (at a discounted rate) to skydive next to the Pyrenees and the Mediterranean Sea.

I hope to keep up this once-per-decade skydiving tradition until I reach 100, at which point I'll be skydiving without a parachute.

Natalia was just learning to film people while skydiving, so she didn't always have the video camera focused on us, but it's still fun. Michael did a perfect still-photography job. Most importantly, Carlos (whom I was attached to) remembered to pull the rip-cord.

Skydiving video

Just 2.5 minutes, it's shows Nati's perspective.

Skydiving over Empuriabrava, Spain (Slideshow) from Francis Tapon on Vimeo.

Skydiving slideshow

It's just 90 seconds, featuring 40 photos. There are two music soundtracks. I like the YouTube version's song because it's called, appropriately, the "Bodies Hit the Floor."

Skydiving video in Empuriabrava, Spain from Francis Tapon on Vimeo.

Skydiving photos

My hairstyle looks like I've already skydived 8 times that day.

I love this pic because it looks like Nati is a spider on the plane. It's not everyday you open a plane's took at 4,000 meters and see someone clinging to the plane. It's as if we opened the door and said, "Hey! Looks who's hitching a free ride! It's a bird, it's a spider, no it's Nati, the Skydiving Goddess!"

This right when I was yelling, "Wait! I forgot my peanuts on the plane!"

I was having fun, but for Carlos, it was just another day at the office.

Well, look who dropped in to say hi.

Pardon me, but do you know how to work this parachute?

Normally tandem skydivers don't get drop-in visitors, so having Nati join in was special.

With a flawless landing, we had returned to the Earth.