110 degrees magazine - Index

110 degrees magazine - magazine_08 - Index

BLOOM I PERSONA
Sporting a Jerry Rice jersey, a pair of “studly” white
jeans, with an arm in a cast from an earlier injury,
Clay jumped with his team into the stadium from
3,500 feet, carefully maneuvering around the
labyrinth of smoke, footballs, flags, and jerseys that
were thrown into the air in celebration of the event.
Clay has never been known to shy away from a challenge
and this occasion proved just that.
OPPORTUNITY COMES
KNOCKING
The original owners founded Byron’s Bay Area
Skydiving in 1991. Just three years later Clay entered
the picture and began working with the company
as their videographer — filming skydiving videos
and photographing skydivers during their jumps.
Clay provided his video and photography services
under the company name, Spy in the Sky. Over the
years Spy in the Sky’s success enabled Clay to
consider a new venture. That is when he bought
Bay Area Skydiving, blending two of his biggest
passions in life; skydiving and videography.
In 2006 he became the proud new owner of Bay
Area Skydiving. His favorite thing about his newly
acquired company is the location. The size of the
property is expansive with a medium sized drop
zone, which is ideal for skydiving, and Clay says the
aura of the land emanates such positive energy
that he feels invigorated by it.
Clay’s enthusiasm is an asset for managing his
business. With over 10,000 jumps under his belt, his
love for the sport has helped him achieve a D
License — the highest rating with the United States
Parachute Association (USPA). Holding a D license
is an honor that only a handful of people in
California have been fortunate enough to attain.
This makes Clay one of the most qualified instructors
in the country.
Clay has been grateful for the generosity that
Mother Nature has bestowed upon his business.
The weather turned out to be quite permissive of
70 www.110mag.com January/February 2008
“WE WERE GETTING READY TO JUMP INTO A
49ERS VERSUS RAIDERS EXHIBITION GAME AT
STANFORD STADIUM. EVERYONE WAS REALLY
EXCITED AND SOMEWHAT APPREHENSIVE.”
skydiving for most weekends last year, which is a
rarity in the Byron area where winds thrashing
about in the skies sometimes ground skydivers.
THE BAY AREA SKYDIVING
EXPERIENCE
Any location must meet certain requirements in
order to allow for safe skydiving. Ideally, there
should be at least two miles of horizontal visibility,
skydivers should have full view of the ground
when leaving the airplane, plus winds should be no
faster than 30 miles per hour.
Clay says jumpers in most other areas don’t
jump in winds above 20-25 miles per hour; however,
at Bay Area Skydiving they can jump in winds in
excess of 30 miles per hour because their highly
experienced ground crew has the ability to collapse
the main parachutes quickly so that the divers
don’t get dragged along the ground as they land.
As an added safety bonus, Bay Area Skydiving
uses a system that will release the main chute in
the event that a diver lands off target.
Each skydiver has his or her own philosophy
about the sport. Clay’s philosophy is to listen to
experience, pay close attention, and to always look
out for himself and others. This has aided him well
over the years and has contributed to his success.
Admittedly, when Clay was younger he didn’t
believe everything his colleagues and teachers
taught him about safety. However, experience
began to speak for itself as Clay learned first-hand
what his mentors were talking about. Suddenly,
their nonsense advice seemed reasonable, even
critical. This is part of what motivates Clay as an
instructor today.
As the owner and head instructor of Bay Area
Skydiving, it is Clay’s job to keep his customers safe
while ensuring that they have a great time. This
means adhering to guidelines, managing a knowledgeable
staff, and listening to his gut instinct.
The majority of the jumpers that Clay interacts
with are first time skydivers. For this reason his
philosophy remains very important.
First time jumps are typically tandem, which
means the diver is connected to the front of an
instructor who wears the parachute. Tandem
jumping is so easy in comparison to other types
of diving that one can sometimes dive on an
extended lunch break.
A word to the wise — a good combing of the hair
may be in order before returning to the office. Either
that or you might find yourself explaining your new
’do to the boss.
According to Clay, weekend jumpers are the
real thrill seekers. They typically have a variety
of experiences that can create a fun environment
for organized dives. Staff organizers often
split these divers into groups by abilities and
design dives for them. For some, this adds a fun
challenge to skydiving.
All skydivers are taken up in one of two
airplanes at Bay Area Skydiving. Clay has a
Cessna 206 that seats six skydivers and a Beach
Craft King Air that seats 14, which, therefore, is
the maximum number of people that can jump
at one time at Bay Area Skydiving.
Most jumps take place between 10,000 and
14,000 feet, which is the maximum height
skydivers can jump without oxygen equipment.
Oxygen equipment adds an entirely new dimension
to the skydiving experience and requires more
training, safety precautions, etcetera.
A freefall from 14,000 feet is exhilarating — the
wind whips past your face and through your hair at
nearly 120 miles per hour. Gravity beckons your
body to surrender to its forces like an iron filing
drawn to a magnet. Your exhilaration is suddenly
replaced by an overwhelming sense of serenity as
you glide gently beneath the canopy to a soft landing
on the ground.
Clay says that skydiving is the only activity
that can supply an experience like this. The