Swooping - Skydiving on Steroids

Swooping or Canopy piloting as it's technically called involves a new form of skydiving. The canopy pilot deploying their canopy at 5000 ft, piloting their canopy to an "execution" point over the swoop course, then turning into a rotating dive dramatically increasing the canopy's speed. The canopy pilot stops the canopy's rotation on the proper course heading, while at the correct altitude allowing their canopy to recover from the dive and level out with maximum speed before entering the course, Maximum speeds regularly reaching in excess of 90 mph. Essentially, swooping is using a much smaller parachute to increase the speed of the descent so that you can skim at speeds of 90 mph over a prepared course on water.

This new skydiving discipline now has a Pro Swooping Tour for hardcore enthusiasts to test their swooping skills against other competitors. I saw this on TV the other day and saw them swoop over tree canopies, glaciers and rocky terrain at high speed. I am sure that swooping will be in the Philippines very soon and I can suggest a swooping course for them - CAMSUR. You heard it here first.

Skeleton Coast - Air Safari's

Conjure up visions of mist shrouded windswept beaches bordered by wild seas strewn with bleached whalebones and rusted shipwrecks, rolling sand dunes, vast desert plains, fossil beds and unique rock formations. Now imagine traversing this wild and haunting landscape by plane and you have Skeleton Coast Safari's in Namibia.

Operated by the pioneering Schoemann Family, they have set out to redefine African safari's by using a plane as a safari vehicle and exploring the forbidding coastline of the skeleton coast. Highlights of the trip include desert coastlines with roaring dunes ; ancient rock drawings ; living fossil trees ; ugab rock formations ; red lava and yellow sandstone environs ; nomadic Himba tribes and panoramic vistas of the Hartmann Valley. Because of the unique landscape and remoteness of the area, these trips are a photographers paradise and it is recommended that you bring extra photo equipment. Accommodations are comfortable & well equipped in exclusive fully tented camps and are located in spots selected for their unique beauty.

Queenstown, NZ - ADVENTURE TOWN

Queenstown in New Zealand's South Island can lay claim as one of the top adventure destinations in the world. It is blessed with glacial rivers and lakes set against the backdrop of the Remarkables Mountain Range. It has been argued that adventure tourism started in Queenstown in the early 70's. A farmer named Bill Hamilton invented a jet powered boat that can maneuver in just a few inches of water. The Shotover Jetboat ride was born and all kinds of daredevil activities like bungee jumping , base jumping and whitewater rafting followed.

30 years on and Queenstown is firmly established on the must go list of all adventure seekers worldwide. Take to the skies over Lake Wakatipu by helicopter, hang-glider and parachute; descend river canyons by raft, kayak and jetboat; experience bungy jump off the 440 foot Nevis Highwire; abseil into gorges and swing across them on the 360 foot Shotover Canyon Swing. The list goes on with 4 WD safari, canyoning, rock climbing, heli- skiing, tramping, fly fishing, horseback riding and fly in an aerobatic plane. It is also a wine growing region and has been used as locations for the Lord of the Rings Trilogy and XMen films. This place is at the top of my TO DO list.