My friend Gary Edwards from Marbellas.com wrote a feature on winning the world championships in Abu Dhabi 2011.

Here is a link to the article:

Original Article

Today we (Gary Edwards, Sandra Mole and Babak Alimoradian) have been interviewed by Hannah Murray on Talk Radio Europe about our Canyoning trip to Rio Lentegi the day before. Hannah, Gary and Sandra have been on their first canyoning experience and share their thoughts on the event during this interview.

Here you can listen to it:

There are some experiences in life which are never forgotten. Your first kiss, your wedding day, the birth of your first child and for some, your first sky dive.

Autumn 2010
08.00 hrs – Hotel Palacio Sevilla
10 friends from Marbella meet in the hotel restaurant for breakfast. Each one staring at their plate with similar thoughts, “Should I be eating? Is this wise? Will I feel sick? But I need the food to give me strength, I need to feed the butterflies in my stomach…” After half a slice of toast, some second rate tea and a spoonful of fruit the transport awaits and it’s time to leave.

08.45 hrs
Cloudy day, fog in fact. Perhaps the whole day will be canceled? The car continues on it’s way to the airstrip without hesitation. There is an eerie silence compared with the alcohol induced banter of the previous evening.

09.10 hrs – Aerodromo de Juliana
The morning mists seem to be lifting, and as the vehicle pulls into the car park it seems like there has already been some activity in the the skies above Sevilla. The 10 friends make their way to the registration office lead by Team Xtreme leader Babak Albordian. Shakily holding the sky diving branded biro the required details are filled in and signed… Name, date of birth, insurance details, emergency telephone number…. next of kin?

09.30 hrs
Suddenly a call comes across from Ainoa, the jump controller. There is a space in the next jump leaving in 16 minutes, “Who’s ready for the briefing? We need one more”. Ana, an unsuspecting pretty young Spanish girl from the group is selected and marched away with her dive partner to be given her instructions, jump suit, goggles and leather skull cap hat. The team feel their throats go dry as she disappears into the aircraft hanger.

10.05 hrs
Ana and a batch of sky divers and photographers file across the runway to the awaiting plane with the rather disconcerting registration HAV-OC. Within seconds the aircraft is lifting towards the sky.

10.10 hrs
The remaining nine members of Team Xtreme sit, eyes to the sky on a well worn wooden bench at the landing zone. Somewhere above the scattered clouds the distant hum of the planes motors can be heard. No sign of parachutes. As the minutes tick by the feeling of anticipation grows stronger. Suddenly there is a shout, “There they are!” Gradually the same people who had only minutes before disappeared into the sky were coming back to Earth. As they appeared larger and larger the next group were selected to go for their briefing.

10.28 hrs
Ana and her tandem professional sky diving partner land safely and Ana runs towards the awaiting team, arms aloft with a huge smile. Emotion kicks in, tears are in her eyes as she realises the magnitude of what she has just achieved. She can’t find the words to express how it felt and what it was like.

10.40 hrs
The briefing is short but precise. There seems to be a lot to remember and the worries turn to being able to remember all that is required by the tandem partner. Pulling the harness tight at the right time, moving along the bench, crossing the arms before the jump, lifting the legs off the floor of the plane and hanging in the harness, putting the goggles on correctly, uncrossing the arms after leaving the plane, crossing them again before the parachute is pulled ….

11.05 hrs
The next four are ready. In the same way as before the adrenalin seekers troop across the runway protecting their eyes from the dust kicked up by the propellers. One by one they get in the winged machine. Professionals, virgin divers, photographer/ film men. Packed like sardines there is no comfort here, there are two benches, the ceiling is low and space is minimal.

11.10 hrs
The Earth is left behind and through the small scratched window the Spanish fincas, trees and fields get smaller. Dan the camera man removes his crash helmet with stills and video camera attached. Over the noise of the engines and wind, pointing the video camera back he gives the thumbs up and shouts something like “are you ready?”. Not really… Passing through the clouds and still climbing there is far too much time to reflect. “What are we doing here? Why am I doing this?”. Pete, the instructor in his pink jumpsuit and Star Wars style helmet taps his altimeter and shows it to his companion. 5,000 ft and the plane is far above the clouds… only another 10,000 ft to climb.

11.25 hrs – 15,000 ft
The door is opened. Wind enters the carcass of the plane but there seems to be little air to breath. Is this nerves, an adrenalin release or a lack of oxygen? The photographer is perched on a ledge outside the aircraft as the first tandem positions themselves to go. The three people suddenly disappear. The line of people are rapidly shifted along the bench nearer and nearer to the gaping hole of the side of the plane and the next group are ready. Gone. Wind rushes around, eyes look down towards the emptiness, the clouds and the Earth five kilometers below. Dan is ready, the feet are off the ground, the harness takes the weight and arms are crossed as per the briefing.

11.27 hrs
The tandem flips over in mid air and faces the plane as it seems to disappear rapidly into the sky. The duo is rights itself and faces earthwards. Flying through the air at 125 miles an hour it is difficult to smile for the camera, the skin flaps around the mouth and neck. Dan flies with ease up and down and around the tandem sky divers. Adrenalin kicks in as the clouds get ever closer. 60 seconds and 10,000 feet pass before Pete gives the signal to cross the arms again, although it only seems like only ten seconds since leaving the plane. This is the moment of truth … There is a welcome tug and the parachute has opened, legs and feet swing to a vertical position..

The goggles are are pushed back and the ground below becomes clear like never seen before. Passing between the clouds this is as close as it gets to being a bird… to really flying. The panic feels like it’s over and the rest is like a ride in a pram. Six minutes of gliding through the air, seeing at the fincas, the cars, the fields getting slowly bigger again.

11.32 hrs

With feet raised in the air the tandem makes a soft landing and the euphoria is immense. Cheers from the awaiting spectators, hugs all round…. What an experience… Sky dive achieved.

Enjoy The Sky Dive Jump Film for yourself:-

Team Xtreme Sky Diving group were:-

Babak Alimoradian (Dir. TeamXtreme),
Gary Edwards (Photographer)
Andy Chapell (Proprietor Molino del Santo Hotel, Ronda)
Gary Garcia (Real Estate)
Ana Alonso (Photographer)
Carol Mailer
Hannah Murray (Radio Presenter TRE)
Sandra Mole
Robert Sánchez Saavedra (Lawyer – Lawyers of Spain)

Gary Edwards personally raised Over 800 Euros for charity, 790 Euros of which was donated to help the much needed Cancer Hospice, Cudeca on the Costa del Sol, and £64 to the Marie Curie Hospice in Newcastle Upon Tyne. Gary would like to thank all those who so generously donated, knowing he was helping people in need, made the whole experience that much more enjoyable for him.

Here is a link to the original article :

http://www.marbellas.com/marbella-what/sky-diving-in-sevilla

A group of 9 local residents of the Costa del Sol had an overnight stay in Seville and the following day, climbed to over 15,000 feet (almost 5,000 metres) in an aircraft, ready to take their sponsored skydive.

Babak Alimoradian, Founder and Director of Team Xtreme commented, “Gary Edwards has rallied friends and colleagues together for this charity event in aid of Cudeca. His skydiving event, delivered by Team Xtreme, has introduced some high profile residents of the Costa del Sol to what I believe is one of the ultimate adrenalin-rush activities! It includes a minute’s freefall before the parachute deploys, so each jumper will have a truly exhilarating experience.”

The charity event is ideal for beginners as the skydives are done in tandem jumps with a fully qualified, experienced instructors near Seville, one of the best locations in Europe for Skydiving due to the ideal weather conditions.

Here are a few pictures taken / edited by professional photographer Gary Edwards:

Team Xtreme’s Costa del Sol Skydiving event on September 18 Seville (In aid of The Cudeca Foundation)

In conjunction Gary Edwards, professional photographer – www.garyedwards.es

Marbella, Málaga, SPAIN – August 25th, 2010 – Team Xtreme, the adventure activities company, today announced that it is organising a charity skydiving event in Seville, in aid of The Cudeca Foundation with Gary Edwards, professional photographer and co-founder of Marbellas.com

A group of 20 local residents of the Costa del Sol will have an overnight stay in Seville and the next day, climb to over 15,000 feet (almost 5,000 metres) in an aircraft, ready to take their sponsored skydive.

Babak Alimoradian, Founder and Director of Team Xtreme commented, “Gary Edwards is has rallied friends and colleagues together for this charity event in aid of Cudeca. His skydiving event, delivered by Team Xtreme, will introduce some high profile residents of the Costa del Sol to what I believe this is one of the ultimate adrenalin-rush activities! It includes a minute’s freefall before the parachute deploys, so each jumper will have a truly exhilarating experience.”

The charity event is ideal for beginners as the skydives will be tandem jumps with a fully qualified, experienced instructors near Seville, one of the best locations in Europe for Skydiving due to ideal weather conditions.

All the funds raised are going to The Cudeca Foundation.