Blind adrenalin junkie jumps from plane

By Angela Thompson
Updated November 5 2012 - 11:51pm, first published January 10 2010 - 10:10am
Sam Taylor, who is blind, on his way down from the dive offered by Skydive the Beach as part of its 10-year celebrations.
Sam Taylor, who is blind, on his way down from the dive offered by Skydive the Beach as part of its 10-year celebrations.
Sam Taylor makes it back to North Wollongong Beach after his exciting skydive  with instructor Kip Frost. Pictures: SYLVIA LIBER
Sam Taylor makes it back to North Wollongong Beach after his exciting skydive with instructor Kip Frost. Pictures: SYLVIA LIBER

Sam Taylor will never see for himself the splendour of Wollongong's coast from 4270m, but all his other senses went into overdrive when he hit the giddy height yesterday. The 27-year-old Baulkham Hills adrenalin junkie, who is totally blind, was all ears at his first skydive yesterday."That was just one of the best things I've ever done," Mr Taylor told the Mercury within moments of his picture-perfect landing with tandem master Kip Frost on the sand bordering North Wollongong's Stuart Park."The wind is just going insane, and then there was a point there where I couldn't hear anything that was going on. Nothing audible."I actually felt pretty safe."Mr Taylor, who was born with the rare degenerative eye disease Leber's Congenital Amauros, relies on a cane and sonar technology to get around, but says it hasn't stopped him from doing much, including parasailing."There are a lot of other adrenaline sports I'd like to do," the technology sales consultant for Humanware International said. "It's what I do on weekends." Top of his list of adrenaline sports to try in future is bungie jumping and paragliding ... or perhaps a second skydive, this time with brother Adam. "It was a sensation I would very much like to repeat," Mr Taylor said."I'd totally recommend it for anyone with a sense of adventure, whether they're blind or sighted." Yesterday's skydive was organised by Trike Trips tour operator Ian Bosler, whose legally blind daughter, Mandy, befriended Mr Taylor at a Royal Blind Society event. The jump was courtesy of Skydive the Beach as part of its 10th birthday celebrations.

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