Rope swing into water

“Confident I was positioned correctly to take the leap, I took one last look at the water and took a deep breath. Then, in one fluid movement I kicked off of the side of the tree and let the rope carry me outward. A split second after leaving the tree I felt my speed increasing under the weight of gravity. The arc of the rope led me through a trough before I could recognize what was happening, which introduced a noticeable feeling of lift into the air. The rush was undeniable, and I had yet to free my grip. Still accelerating, I held onto the rope a moment longer until I noticed the water’s distance increasing steadily. In turn, I eased my grip on the rope and let the momentum of the swing carry me outward. The rope quickly fell away from my body, leaving me airborne over the water for a brief moment. With my body suddenly descending at the speed of gravity, I tucked me legs and burst through the surface of the water. Completely submerged, I quickly found my way to the surface and let out a loud celebratory call.”

“Although the clear water was beautiful, it was also a bit unnerving, because we couldn’t tell how far we would have to swing out for it to be “deep.” After some investigating, we found that the water was quite deep and quite safe, but not very soft for the feet. [...] Since we had decided the whole situation was OK, there was nothing left to do but jump! Which scared the crap out of me. I stood on the ledge for a full 30 seconds staring off into the deep blue, wondering why this was so hard to do. [...] I laughed, took a deep breath, and jumped. I flew through the air, swinging out and over the water, up to the peak of the rope’s swing, pausing for a moment in midair before the rope began it’s backward journey, and let go. Then I plummeted towards the water, and crashed through it’s serene surface, into the chilly depths below.”

“When my turn came, I was handed the heavy, taut rope. I stood, gazing out into the water. My hands, clutching the rope, froze up. I stood motionless. For years I had aspired to this moment, and even now truly I wanted it; knowing that the aquatic endorphin bliss would follow. Yet, fear, like I had never experienced in all my twelve years, gripped me. I knew that all I needed to do was lift my feet, and the force of the rope would carry me over the water. The family had all pledged to yell when it was time to let go, but my bare feet felt as if glued to the ground. For twenty long minutes fear overpowered my will.”