Flying on water

22 February 2018

Written by: Dan Crawford: Senior Instructor - iFLY Basingstoke

In 2013, a new milestone in the history of indoor skydiving was created when the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Quantum of the Seas, took to the water with a new attraction on board. Yes, cruise ship fans could now enjoy onboard indoor skydiving. Not only was this great for the customer, but it opened up new opportunities for the iFLY instructor. Dan Crawford, senior instructor at iFLY Basingstoke, recently experienced 'flying on water'. Here's what he had to report:

Which boat did you go on, where did it sail and how long were you away for?
Anthem of the Seas. Cape Liberty, Cape Carnaveral, Coco Cay, Nassau, back to Cape Liberty x 3 cruises.

What was the the most different thing about working in a tunnel on a boat?
Everything from the gear up, to the Declaration of Risk process, to allocated tunnel times, the de-gear, the size of the tunnel. Most impressive is the panoramic views of the ocean and the city skylines.

What was your happiest memory of the trip?
Snorkelling with sea turtles in the Bahamas. Yes, we did get some downtime!

What did you miss the most?
Open space, the ship can feel a little claustrophobic after 4 weeks. I'm a big lad and I need a bit of room!

What would your advice be to any iFLY instructor given the opportunity to work on a boat?
Be humble, and don't be lazy. We are given a great opportunity and even in paradise we still need to work hard.

What was it like to return to your home tunnel and dry land?
Refreshing, and spacious! Two of my colleagues came to pick me up from the airport, so it felt great to be back! (Ant and Izzie. Was lovely to see their beaming smiles again, after so many months away).