“I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.”
Frank Herbert, “Dune”

So much gets in the way of the “I” that remains after you’ve done something that truly, deeply scares you.

If you don’t grapple with actual-factual fear very often, there’s a chance that you’ve lost the knack for it. We all used to be little badasses, after all; in youth, we tackled the scary stuff head-on all the time. We stood up on the weird stilts attached to the bottoms of our torsos and figured out how to use them to get to mom, crouched several feet away with an encouraging look on her face. We showed up to the first day of school. We sat next to the grumpy old guy from the DMV and parallel-parked. We went for the kiss. We earned bar after bar; stripe after stripe in the war against No-You-Can’t.

But it was hard. Fighting that war is tough, tiring stuff. So when we got to adulthood and could build a little fortress to hide from fear, we damn well did it. Right? You control the variables. You rest.

Resting ain’t good for you. Not for long.

A lot of people, when they frame up the idea of skydiving, bubble up with a nervous laugh and talk about how “they could never do that.” When you press a little to see what they’re afraid of, they’ll usually tell you that they’re afraid of dying…but in a world where making a skydive is a heck of a lot less risky than driving to work in the morning, that statement doesn’t really hold up.

Dig deeper. “Fear is the mind-killer,” after all, and this is a spiritual problem that leans on the intellectual side. Why are you afraid? Keep tapping away at the question, and you start to get it out of your system: you’re afraid of unfulfilled potential; you’re afraid of trashing your reputation if people find out about it and think you’re reckless; you’re afraid you won’t be able to get yourself to leave the plane. You’re not afraid of death. You’re afraid of failure.

This might spoil the surprise, but here it is: You’re not going to fail. If you get on that plane, you’re going to, unequivocally, win.

Skydiving is such a powerful tool for personal development that we meet therapists all the time who would love to prescribe it. Tandem skydiving, after all, mixes two elements that almost nothing else on the planet does: it’s scary, but it’s also–from the statistical point of view—very safe. Making a skydive reaps all the benefits of pushing practically pretty much every fear button in your body without the much-more-significant danger presented by other activities.

Doing things you’re afraid of–like skydiving–will pull you from that comfortable rut you’ve built for yourself and inspire you to keep moving. You’ll start making plans to do other things that leave you vulnerable but present a reward for their risk. Over time and repetition, your comfort zone will grow. It won’t be long before you’re regularly doing things you never thought yourself capable of doing.

So, to go back to the original question: Why should you do things you’re afraid of? Well: When you “turn your inner eye to see its path,” as Frank Herbert sagely notes, you’ll see that the path your fear leaves behind leads straight to your best self.

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Many people don’t think they can skydive because they’re afraid of heights. We’re here to tell you that–as weird as it may sound–fear of heights doesn’t matter a bit on a skydive.

If you’re, like, that’s impossible, then calm down, Wiggum. It’s true! It might surprise you that being on a ladder will always feel more precarious than being in the door of a plane. It might also surprise you that skydiving will do nothing to directly cure your fear of heights–though it will help you address all kinds of fears, albeit in a systemic sense. If you’re ready to enter the weird and wonderful mystery house of skydiving and fear, we’re happy to take you on that journey. Just follow our lead.

1. Confirmed: It’s Not Maybelline. You Were Born With It

Snakes? Circus clowns? Zombies? Presidential candidates? Make no mistake, my friend: those are after-market fears. However, literally, every healthy human being was born with a fear of heights. It’s basic to our makeup. Whereas every other fear (except, interestingly, the dark) was added on afterward, we come out of the womb freaked out about high places. It’s called acrophobia, and the struggle is as natural as breathing. Evolution decided that dark and heights are the two things that humans need to be careful around from day one, hour one of our lives.

How do we know? Because of this classic acrophobia study. In it, scientists perched brand-new crawlers on top of one of two tables. These tables were set up a couple of feet from each other, with a sheet of crystal-clear plexiglass to form a table-wide bridge between them.

The baby’s mom was standing on the other side of the opposite table, encouraging baby to make his/her way across into her waiting arms. Even though the plexi was more than thick and wide enough crawl across, none of the babies were into it. Even that early on in their lives, with no previous experience of the feeling, their little brains already ordered them to stop. Baby ducks, however, didn’t even compute the difference between walking across an opaque solid object and a clear solid object. (Wings, therefore, are apparently the only scientific cure for a fear of heights.)

2. Making A Skydive Is A Lot Like Making That Crawl

Here’s the thing: jumping out of a plane is a lot like taking your place on one table and making your way across the plexiglass. Statistically speaking, even though it doesn’t feel like it when you’re standing in the door, you’re going to be just fine. With that first hesitant step, you’ll literally feel the support under you. And when you land, you’ll look back and think: Wow. That was way easier than I thought it would be. …I wonder what else in my life I’ve been unnecessarily hesitant about?

3. The Fear Isn’t What You Think It’s Going To Be

Think you’re going to freak out and freeze up? If you’re like most folks, no matter how scared you think you’re going to be, you’re not.

You see: From the open door of an aircraft cruising along at 12,500’ above the Southern California skies, the landscape below looks pivotally different than it does from that aforementioned bridge or cliff or building. In actual fact, it looks much like a Google Earth map. Since it’s the sense of depth that triggers acrophobia, and depth doesn’t exist from that angle, your fear of heights is going to remain essentially untriggered.

Make no mistake, however: you’re going to have feels. The sounds and sensations of putting on gear and going to altitude are very powerful!

4. It’s Going To Stay With You–As A Help Rather Than A Hindrance

Guess what? That fear of heights, which was carefully built into the structure of your brain, isn’t going anywhere. And that’s a good thing!

If you start talking to skydivers, you’ll notice that many of them are very keenly “afraid of heights.” These are the guys who can’t comfortably stand at a low bridge railing, who hesitate (or refrain) from walking close to the edge of any cliff, who even think twice before venturing up to the observation deck.

The difference is that the height-spooked skydiver is using their fear as a tool for personal optimization. Every time they walk to the aircraft door, they know that they’re up-leveling their confidence, optimizing their physical response to fear and building healthier perspectives on life’s daily challenges. Add all that up, and you’ll see the massive proportional benefits they’re reaping from their fear of heights.

So–how does all that strike you? Are you ready to strengthen your fear muscle and use it to move your personal mountains? We’re standing by to help! Book a tandem skydive near Los Angeles with the experienced team at Skydive Perris.

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If you have booked your first skydive, or are thinking about making one, the fear factor is probably playing on your mind. We get asked “Is skydiving scary?” all of the time. The answer is yes… and no. Here, we take you through the process from booking your first skydive to landing and some of the fears you’ll face during the process. We also offer some tips to help overcome your fears. 

Booking Your Skydive

The moment you hit the ‘book now’ button is when things start to get real and you experience that first rush of butterflies. You’re going skydiving! You’ll be thinking about it every day until you arrive at the drop zone, which only exacerbates your feelings of apprehension. 

Arriving at the Dropzone

Once you pull into the parking lot, the reality of what you’re about to do hits you. It’s really happening! Your ambition to be a skydiver is about to be fulfilled. Feeling excited and nervous, you approach registration with your heart rate more elevated than it’s been since you made your booking. 

Seeing People Land

As you await your jump, you will see people landing their parachutes. They are on the other side of their skydives. Soon, you will be under canopy as well navigating back to the landing area. There go those butterflies again!

Gearing Up

Now it’s feeling VERY real. Your tandem skydiving instructor is adjusting your harness and giving a final talk through of the jump. Your mind is racing. You get on the plane and it takes off.

Moving Towards the Plane Door

This is it. The moment has arrived. In a matter of seconds, you will be outside that door, and there will be no floor beneath your feet. As you approach the door, your fight-or-flight instincts are on full tilt. You’ve been trained and you know this is part of the challenge, but this will be the most nerve-racking moment of the entire experience. Deep breath… it’s time to skydive! 

Is Skydiving Scary?

As you leave that plane, something magical happens. Your fear stays in the plane and you are free of it. In fact, you feel the most freedom you have ever felt in your life.

You are totally in the moment and it feels amazing.

Your instructor deploys the parachute and it all slows down. You come into land and all your friends and family are cheering you on. With so much build up to the jump, you realize that the scariest part of skydiving was anticipating it rather than actually doing it. 

You defeated your fear of skydiving and you are exuberant because you know what it feels like to fly.

Tips for Reducing Your Fear

Here are some top tips, from a regular skydiver, for managing your fear of skydiving:

Knowledge is Power

Peruse our FAQs page. These are the most common questions we receive. They are a great source of information to better educate yourself about the experience and to allay your fears.

Arrive Early

Your first skydive is not an experience you want to rush. Make a day of it. Chat to locals about why they love skydiving. Enjoy the atmosphere. Watch who is jumping. You’ll see that those who jump regularly are just like you and you’ll see them loving the experience! It will build your confidence! 

Accept Your Nervousness

Skydiving will induce fear, it’s natural, so embrace it. We all feel it, even after thousands of jumps. Accepting that you will be nervous gives you one less thing to worry about.

So, is skydiving scary? In the end you’ll have to be the judge, but if all the smiles are any indication, our guests tell us the same thing… everything that leads up to it can be scary, but the skydive itself is amazing!

Still have questions? Give us a call! We’d be more than happy to share what you can expect in greater detail. You can reach us at +1 (951) 657-1664.

If you are looking to make your first skydive near Los Angeles, Skydive Perris is the premier destination for LA skydiving and Southern California. 

With the best coaches and staff, best planes, onsite bar, and our own indoor skydiving facilities, we are the dropzone of choice for Hollywood movies and production and skydiving champions alike.

We hope to see you soon!

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