A grandmother from Byron Bay is proving it’s never too late for adventure, after she discovered her love for skydiving in her 70s.
Kuatarina Mount, now aged 81, said she never imagined she would be jumping out of planes later in life, after first discovering a love for paragliding during her travels.
“We drove to the top of a mountain – I was the edge with a handsome pilot of course and we jumped,” she said in an interview with news.com.au.
“I remember the air being so fresh and lovely. We were up there for about an hour – it was just amazing.”
Her early experiences with paragliding in Nepal, Chile and Turkey sparked her interest, but it wasn’t until a friend’s 50th birthday in 2017 that she tried skydiving.
“I never felt scared, it was really weird,” she said.
She enjoyed it so much she went again the same year, this time with her granddaughter for her 18th birthday.
Years later, she repeated the experience with her grandson, surprising him with a skydive for his 18th.
“My grandson was 10 year old at the time and he was so disappointed he couldn’t come with us, so when he turned 18 in March this year, I surprised him,” she said.
“I pretended we were going to a waterpark, although we did leave at 5.30am. But he was chatting away with his friend in the back seat and didn’t ask anything until he saw the building with the big ‘skydiving’ sign.”
The grandmother said the experience was just as memorable the third time around.
“It’s such an exhilarating feeling. It’s amazing and of course I had a tall Maori instructor strapped to my back,” she said.
She described the moment of the jump as happening quickly, with little time to think.
“The plane has two little benches and the doors are at the back. You don’t have much time to think.
“You’re strapped really tight and just move down the bench as everyone jumps out.
“I didn’t even have time to gasp.”
She said the freefall lasts about a minute.
“The instructor had a video of me the whole time and all you can see is my face flapping away,” she laughed.
“I don’t find there anything to be fearful about and to be quite honest, I didn’t even think about it.”
Her instructor, Tahi Munroe, said her enthusiasm was “infectious”.
“I could tell she was enjoying every moment but I think she enjoyed skydiving alongside her grandson the most,” he told the publication.
“She was cool, calm and collected and I’m pretty sure she even gave two thumbs up during free fall.”
The skydiving instructor said many older Australians are embracing new experiences later in life.
“The older generation seem to be more emotional once we land and the common reaction is – ‘why did it take me so long to experience human flight? That was amazing!’.”
Data from SkyDive Australia suggests more seniors are prioritising travel and experiences, with many valuing memories over financial inheritance.
Munroe said the 81-year-old had a frangipani flower tucked behind her ear, which he managed to keep secure under her goggles during the freefall.
“Once we had landed safely on the ground I gave it back to her as a gift,” he said.
Image: news.com.au
