Extreme sports like skydiving are not as popular in Taiwan compared to many other countries. But the tide may be starting to change now that the country is in the middle of hosting a series of skydiving performances.
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A group of skydivers leap out of their plane and plummet down towards the beautiful plains of Taitung. This is one of a number of professional skydiving shows that started off on Tuesday, just a day after the Taitung International Balloon Festival ended.
Just like the balloon festival, this skydiving event is also held in the Luye Highlands, and is scheduled to continue until August 24. The skydiving instructors come from all over the world, and will lead three rounds of performances every day.
Skydiving is rare in Taiwan, causing this event to attract quite a crowd. One of the instructors says he’s happy to have this special opportunity to skydive in his own country. He says skydiving is fairly common around the world, and Taiwan needs to catch up in embracing this exhilarating sport.
Another instructor says he’s not afraid of encountering any problems mid-fall because they go through extensive training to deal with all sorts of problems.
Since this was Taiwan’s first time hosting skydiving performances, some lucky spectators were allowed to board a small plane and watch the divers from up in the air. From the excited reactions, it seems like many people will soon jump at the chance to go skydiving in Taiwan themselves.