A once in a lifetime experience…
Photo by Bruno Brokken
Let’s give it a quick thought…
Why should someone put himself in the following situation: long flights with masks on in the middle of a pandemic, a number of PCR tests, delays, lots of paperwork, security checks and a considerable amount of money deducted from your bank account just for 7 jumps?…
The answer is simple and thrilling at the same time: a once in a lifetime experience! Well, for most of us it was a… twice in a lifetime experience and for some the third time!
Photo by Ewan Cowie
Jump Like a Pharoah
Skydive Egypt and the General Administration of Sports Tourism, under the supervision of the Egyptian Air Force and the Egyptian Air Sports Federation organized the third in a row skydive event called “Jump like a Pharaoh vol. 3”, from 6 to 11 November 2020.
Pyramids
The organizers, Mustafa Saeed and Mahmoud Sharaf invited and managed to gather 29 Egyptian skydivers in addition to 86 from USA, UK, Belgium, Netherlands, France, Germany, Italy, Brazil, Switzerland, Russia, UAE, Greece, Morocco, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, and China!
Photo by Ioannis Vlachiotis
Two hardworking people who worked endless hours, were daring enough to undertake the risk in Covid-19 times and made it happen.
For those who don’t know the details, it is worth mentioning that all parachute jumps were made from a Hercules C-130 aircraft from a height of 15,000 feet, above Giza pyramids!
Photo by Ewan Cowie
The Crew
Experienced load organizers, like World Team captain Herman Landsman, French freefly world champion team Airwax, Greg Crozier and Karine Joly, and extreme sport athlete and world champion Omar Alhegelan were there to offer their expertise and make sure that everyone would be safe and enjoy every single jump.
Three great camera flyers, Bruno Brokken, Ewan Cowie and Ioannis Vlachiotis, made sure to capture the best way possible the stunning view of the pyramids as well as the groups of skydivers flying over them.
Egyptian Authorities
A special thank you goes to the Egyptian authorities who supervised the security of the jumpers, guarded the landing area and the hotel and of course to the Minister of Youth and Sports, Dr. Ashraf Sobhy, who witnessed the third edition of the activities. Among the experienced skydivers, 26 lucky people had the chance to live the experience of flying over the Pyramids as tandem passengers.
Firsts
Numerous new interesting things happened this year, like the 1st XRW jump in the country ever (Flavio Peres de Almeida, Maria Julia Pascon, Henrique Cortezwith), and when Lara Ahmed, a 10 years old girl, jumped as the youngest tandem passenger in Egypt ever (there are no restrictions on age).
Photo by Ioannis Vlachiotis
The Big First
BUT, the big surprise was another ‘first’! This year, for the first time in Egypt’s history, a parachute jump was made at night!
33 lucky skydivers participated and had the privilege to enjoy the unique view of the beautifully illuminated Pyramids and the city of Cairo during a jump from 15k feet!
Photo by Ewan Cowie
There are no words to describe jumping out of a C-130 at night, in total darkness, especially over Cairo and the Pyramids …
Everyone landed safely, happy, relieved, and proud; feelings that one could clearly see in their eyes. A unique night jump that we will keep in our heart forever!
Photo by Ioannis Vlachiotis
Summary
To sum up, 5 days full of unforgettable experiences, skydiving jumps over the Pyramids, a Nile cruise, 5 star hotel accommodation, and a unique night jump that we will keep in our heart forever!
It was definitely an experience that left indelible imprint in our memories, an amazing story to share, a great event at a special place. And that is the answer to the question I first raised…
Be there next time!
- Skydive Egypt Facebook page
- More gorgeous photos here
Video compilation by Bruno Brokken
