Some people mark a seventieth birthday with a party. Jim Robinson of Fairhope marked his by jumping out of an airplane over the Gulf of Mexico.
Robinson — husband of a well-traveled Fairhope writer, which is how the secret stayed a secret — booked a tandem skydive with the crew at Skydive the Gulf in Elberta while his wife was away visiting family. The confession came afterward, in the safest possible format. “I knew she’d worry about me if I told her ahead of time, so I made the jump and then texted her the video and photos,” he says. “I think she was in shock, but since I had such a great experience, she was still talking to me.”
How a Tandem Jump Works
Skydive the Gulf operates out of the small airport in Elberta, in south Baldwin County, offering jumps over some of the most scenic coastline in the country. The experience begins with a short flight of roughly twenty minutes, climbing from the Elberta airstrip toward the jump point while the aircraft passes over sweeping views of the Gulf of Mexico, Perdido Bay and the Florida-Alabama coastline.
Jumpers can choose among several landing spots, weather permitting: on the beach, back at the airport, or — for the full Gulf Coast experience — a landing at the Flora-Bama, the storied beach bar straddling the state line. On a calm day, landing options narrow; jumpers may come down seated rather than feet-first, which veterans describe as smooth.
The jump itself unfolds in stages. Tethered to an instructor, a first-timer exits the plane belly-first and free-falls for about forty-five seconds, reaching roughly 5,000 feet before the parachute deploys — a moment that gently pulls both jumpers upward and turns the rest of the descent into what one participant described as “the most amazing experience of my life.”
Steering Under Canopy
Once the canopy is open, the ride becomes interactive. “My instructor, Charles Price, suggested I might want to steer, so I grabbed the left and right-hand controls,” Robinson says. “I was able to guide my descent, turning us to the left, then right, and turning in complete circles.”
Price, a United States Parachute Association coach, tandem instructor and videographer, mentioned that he had 6,000 jumps to his name. Robinson’s reply became the joke of the day: “I just pray you have 6,001.”
The Safety Picture
For anyone hesitating on the ground, the reassurance is worth stating plainly. Tandem skydiving is the entry point for virtually all first-time jumpers: the student is harnessed to a USPA-certified instructor who controls the entire jump, from exit to landing. Skydive the Gulf’s website publishes statistics on the safety of tandem skydiving as documented by the USPA, along with the standards for its Cessna 182 aircraft and the credentials of its pilots — information the company encourages prospective jumpers to review before booking.
After his jump, Robinson watched the riggers repack the parachutes for the next group waiting to board. “I felt safe at all times,” he says. “It’s been on my bucket list for a long time, and I could not have asked for a more amazing experience. I was most nervous making the initial leap, but I was instantly in thrill mode once I took the plunge.”
Grass Stains and Memories
The landing was smooth enough to leave only one souvenir: grass stains on a pair of shorts that Robinson’s wife has been unable to fully remove. He considers that a feature, not a flaw. “If it never comes out, it’ll be my reminder of the awesome experience.”
For thrill-seekers along the coast — the same people who dream of faraway travel, swimming with manatees or competing on game shows — Skydive the Gulf offers something closer to home: a few minutes above the Gulf, a controlled fall through open sky, and a story that outlasts the grass stains. Reservations and jump details are available through the company’s website, which serves both the Pensacola and Gulf Shores areas from its home base in Elberta.