GRAND HAVEN, Mich. - For 100 years skydivers have been falling from the sky and Skydive Grand Haven is showcasing an impressive canvas of the Lake Michigan shoreline while bringing the sport to new heights.
Our Brody Carter took the leap of faith from 10,000 feet to celebrate the centennial, revealing raw emotional reactions one experiences after jumping out of an airplane. David Vincent, Safety and Training Advisor at Skydive Grand Haven has jumped more than 1,000 times, saying it's a first-timers reaction that keeps him coming back.
"And that’s probably the beauty of it, everyone has their own unique experience," Vincent said. "You can explain your jump perfectly, and until someone makes their first skydive, they're not going to fully understand it."
2019 marks the 100th anniversary of the first intentional skydive, Leslie Irvin is credited with the world's first free-fall using a ripcord in 1919. Even though the technology has impressively evolved with time, jumping out of a perfectly good airplane is definitely classified as an emergency situation. Vincent's the first to explain things can go wrong.
"I've been in some hairy situations but everybody is very well trained and prepared to handle those situations," Vincent said. "We take emergency preparedness very seriously, and it's always great to have someone excited and ready to go."
Jumping out of an airplane is either absolutely insane or the experience of a lifetime, but those who've gone before say you'll never know true freedom until you take the leap of faith. Skydive Grand Have is open for the season from April to mid-October. Walk-ins are welcome and you can also sign up online.
Take the leap of faith with Brody Carter and 'Free Dave,' (Dave Vincent):
