There’s a scene in the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory film, where Charlie Bucket and Grandpa Joe steal Willy Wonka’s Fizzy Lifting Drink and fly higher and higher in a chamber until they realise they can’t get down again. Spacewalk, the indoor skydiving tunnel at Abu Dhabi Country Club, looks exactly like that chamber – minus, of course, the creepy Gene Wilder skulking about in an unsettling purple velvet number.
We were there to take our life into our hands and try out Abu Dhabi’s only indoor skydiving facility. The huge 12ft wind tunnel structure seemed daunting to say the least, particularly as the roaring high-speed winds were deafening. The speeds are adjusted according to your weight, but are set at around the 160kph mark. We watched with a little trepidation as the instructor, Steve Smuts – a man who obviously loves his job – demonstrated all the tricks you could master with practise and training, soaring effortlessly around the tunnel to perform somersaults, head spins and flips mid-air, like a gravity-free acrobat.
After getting kitted out with a flying suit, goggles and ear plugs, we watched a brief video with instructions on four key communication hand signals and various safety techniques. It looked, to be honest, like a piece of cake – after all, there was even a small child on the video flying about as though it was the easiest thing in the world. So, feeling confident, we took a deep breath, strode into the tunnel with fists balled and, helped by a quick hoist from Steve, dived forwards into nothing.
And there we were, flying. We stayed afloat for a few seconds with a dribbly grin literally stuck to our faces (because if you’re silly enough to open your mouth the wind makes it practically impossible to close it again). But, in the exhilaration and strangeness of flying, we’d completely forgotten to keep our body straight and promptly belly flopped onto the grid at the bottom of the chamber. Steve hauled us up, and helped adjust our arms and legs, but not being particularly quick learners, we did the same thing a few more times before overcorrecting ourselves and spinning off into the walls like a frenzied bee in a jam jar.
When you’re in the air, tiny movements radically affect your position, so a slight arch of your back sends you plummeting, and a tilt of the arms sends you spinning in circles – elegantly if you judge it right. Due to the fact this was our first four minutes of skydiving and we were more than a little overexcited, we didn’t really master the art by any stretch of the imagination. So Steve wisely gave up on the possibility we might manage a solo flight, and, taking hold of our flying suit sponge handles, spun us in circles and whisked us around the chamber at top speed. If you’ll forgive a second cheesy ’70s movie reference, it was not entirely unlike the Lois and Superman flying scene, except much faster and significantly less romantic. Four minutes felt more like 20, and we emerged from the tunnel, arms and legs burning from the wind pressure, to high-fives and congratulations all round.
Professional skydivers use wind tunnels like this to hone their techniques, so, although we’ve never tried the real thing, the sensation of jumping out of an aeroplane and freefalling is apparently pretty similar. Whether you just want to try out skydiving in safety or test your mettle ahead of the real thing, this is a tremendous experience, and one we won’t forget for a while.
Spacewalk Indoor Skydiving, Abu Dhabi Country Club, Al-Sada Street (02 657 7777). Introduction course including instruction and a two-minute flight Dhs180. Frequent flyer, family and party packages also available at discount rates. Weight limit is 90kg
Sky’s the limit
Fancy trying out the real thing? Here’s where to try skydiving in the UAE
Skydive Dubai
First timers can do a tandem skydive with an instructor from 13,000 feet. You’ll be able to check out the whole Palm
Jumeriah on the way down!
Skydive Dubai (050 153 3222)
Umm-Al-Quwain Aeroclub
This was the first aviation club in the UAE, and remains a popular place to try out accelerated
freefall or tandem skydiving in beautiful surrounds.
Umm-Al-Quwain Aeroclub (06 768 1447)
