71-year-old Kerala woman skydives from 13,000 feet in Dubai

Thiruvananthapuram: A 71-year-old Malayali woman has fulfilled her life-long wish to do skydiving.

Leela Jose, a native of Konnathady in Idukki district of Kerala, has accomplished her dream by carrying out parasailing in Dubai last month. She is considered to be the eldest Malayali woman to skydive.

Her son who is working in Dubai helped her accomplish her wish.

Leela used to share her wish to do sky diving with her family members. During a visit to her son in Dubai, he asked if she was serious. He made the arrangements subsequently and Leela, accompanied by a trainer, jumped from a plane at an altitude of 13,000 feet.

"The experience was really exciting. Initially it was sky above and below me and I couldn't see anyone and was flying weightlessly. Later when it reached an altitude of around 6,000 feet and the parachutes were on I started enjoying the sights over Palm Jumeirah. At one point I even thought I would be landing in the sea," she said.

The confidence has now made her add scuba diving too in her wish list apart from trying skydiving from higher altitudes.

Leela, who is a homemaker, began to dream of skydiving after watching planes in the sky. Her husband P J Jose, who was a cooperative bank employee, died a few years back.