Tarina: PASA B (FS), jumps 121, jumping from Des 2017 (life happens)
Etienne: PASA B (FS & AE), USAP A, Class A TI (Tunnel Instructor), jumps:100 first jump on 19/6/2018
Tarina: I’m an Anaesthesiologist in private practice (Klaasvakie, making people sleep for a living while they’re being chopped up), don’t think I’ll give that up to become a professional skydiver, but skydiving is a fantastic distraction for the meaning of life.
Etienne: Self-employed within the Food & Beverage industry, I am currently working toward obtaining and earning the ratings to become an outside cameraman in skydiving.
Tarina: My first skydive was after working a 30-hour shift in the hospital and a friend asked me to come along as she (a sport skydiver) is going jumping and she can arrange me a tandem, what can go wrong? Well, I was not a great tandem passenger, after what felt like the gazillionth 360 in the same direction I vomited and on landing declared that that is not how I’m going remember skydiving, went back the next week for AFF training.
Etienne: Imagine this… First jump ever, I find myself hanging from the wing of a plane ready to go, one last look at the instructor .. look up and let go… in that moment the striking image of the entire plane in full-frame, flying away from me, just before the static line deployed and realigned my spine, that image I’ll keep with me till the end of days.
Tarina: The fact that I skydive surprises most of my medical colleagues… other fun facts: I visited all 7 continents in 12 months… love to travel and some of my favorite sites included Antarctica where I kayaked between the icebergs, I had polar plunges at both polar regions, Antarctica as well as the Arctic (Greenland).
Etienne: I studied agriculture in the USA… and never used it!
Tarina: The biggest disruption the COVID-19 had on my life: Work life: all the rearrangements and meetings to get the hospital COVID ready, training people to do some of the basic things we as Anaesthesiologist do on a daily basis…. The new regimen to strip butt naked when entering the house and taking hot/cold/hot/cold showers before any interaction with anybody or anything in the house. Personal life: nothing fun to plan or look forward to… no skydiving, no walks in the forest or beach, no travel plans…. At least my 2 crazy dogs make life exciting.
Etienne: The biggest disruption from COVID-19 is not being able to travel and explore. Pre-lockdown I usually found myself everywhere but home, either abroad or locally. I have travelled 37 deferent countries and truly miss that form of adventure.
Tarina: I’m looking forward to making new travel plans…. All those plans might include some tunnel time, I sooo want to be a better flyer, but I’m a slow learner so I need all the help I can get.
Etienne: In the next few years, who knows?? Not knowing is the most exciting part… but surely traveling, and working on broadening my skill set.
Tarina: The one thing I want that I can’t afford is more travel time…
Etienne: I wish I could afford a ticket on Elon Musk’s Starship to Mars.
Tarina: I do have an irrational fear of heights (I know right, I don’t think I’ll ever consider base jumping)
Etienne: Believe it or not but I’m afraid of frogs.. there is no way I will take on a frog without a hazmat suit and a tank.
Tarina: The best thing about jumping out of the King Air is the ability to form big formations (more people to play, the better, the higher the stakes) and reaching altitude faster (no falling asleep on the way up)
Etienne: Most definitely the higher Altitude gives the King Air an edge.
Tarina: I will never do a proper polar plunge again….not enough Vodka in the world to make that mistake AGAIN.
Etienne: I will never talk back to my mom again, I still have flashbacks of that flip-flop flying my way!
Mossel Bay Airfield, Aalwyndal, Mossel
Bay, South Africa, 6500
