Choose Your Own Adventure

From shark dives to skydives, Florida is the place for bucket-list must-do’s.

STORY BY MARY LOU JANSON

Is your personal bucket list packed with adrenaline-inducing adventures you’ve yet to try? Whether you’re looking for a one-and-done experience or a thrilling new hobby, Florida is fertile ground for realizing your dreams.

In Awe of Jaws

A 30-minute boat ride with Florida Shark Diving delivers divers to an idyllic setting just off the coast of Jupiter, where the waters are seeded with chum (fish matter) to attract a variety of sharks. Once their feeding frenzy is done, it’s time for their human visitors to don masks, snorkels and fins and slip below the surface for face-to-fin encounters. Observe from the safety of a shark cage built for two that is tethered to the boat, or opt to stick close to a floating platform while freely swimming near the surface. Species converging close to the boat can range from tiger and great hammerhead to blacktop and bull sharks. Outings last about three hours and can be booked mornings, midday and afternoons daily. Snorkeling gear is provided and no experience, or certification, is necessary. $195 per person, floridasharkdiving.com.

Kennedy Space Center

SPACE CADET: An astronaut “trainee” experiences zero gravity in a specially designed chair that floats on a thin layer of air.

Rocket Science

It’s out of this world. The half-day Astronaut Training Experience at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex incorporates authentic NASA science and engineering to offer interactive, hands-on tasks for those aspiring to interplanetary travel. Astronauts-in-training decipher data compiled by both flight control personnel and spacecraft crew. Crucial repairs to the spacecraft’s exterior must be accomplished in a zero-gravity atmosphere mimicked by immersive microgravity simulation technology. Climb aboard a capsule for a bumpy ride replicating the rocking and rolling of land rovers, or collect samples from the Mars surface with the help of virtual reality headgear and hand controls. $175 per person (plus tax), kennedyspacecenter.com.

Up, Up and Away

For a fun way to catch the first rays of the day, glide through the air in the gondola of a Big Red Balloon. Panoramic views of lush forests, peaceful lakes and local wildlife are in store for passengers soaking in the scenery of north Hillsborough and south Pasco counties from about 1,000 feet above ground. Inflating these big red balloons to their six-story height takes about 20 minutes, and passengers are welcome to give the ground crew a hand. $200 per person, bigredballoon.com.

Free Falling

Based at Zephyrhills Municipal Airport, Skydive City has been helping people from around the world jump out of planes for more than 30 years. On-the-ground training covers the basics before it’s time to board the plane for a 20-minute flight to the drop zone. The journey down to the ground typically begins from a height of nearly 13,500 feet. Initially you, plus your more experienced jumping partner, drop through the atmosphere as nature intended. That’s what’s known as free falling and it means moving at 110 mph for a minute. Wind and noise will be noticeable as you fall face down toward the earth at a rate of about 1,000 feet every six seconds. Once the descent logs the 5,000-foot level, the instructor releases the parachute and the next few minutes are spent maneuvering for the landing at a much more leisurely pace. Tandem package, $199, skydivecity.com.

Skydive City Photo by Chris Stubbs

DO LOOK DOWN: During the brief freefall portion of a dive, you fall toward the earth at a rate of 110 mph.

Fly High

Introductory training flights are offered by Tampa Bay Aviation as a means to teach first-timers the joys of flying. The hour-long, hands-on instruction at Clearwater Airpark offers students their choice of planes or helicopters. Airplane lessons begin with pre-takeoff ground training, followed by a 45-minute flight. With the instructor’s assistance, you control the plane and guide it through turns, climbs, descents and other basic maneuvers. And don’t worry: at any time you can hand over full control to the licensed pilot. For helicopters, the first 30 minutes feature simulator training, and the remaining halfhour of training takes place in the air. $99-$319, Tampabayaviation.com/discovery-flights.

Find links and other info at dupontregistrytampabaycom.

FLIGHT READY: Tampa Bay Aviation offers students their choice of plane or helicopter.

Tampa Bay Aviation

The Need for Speed

If watching racecars speed ’round Downtown St. Pete during the Firestone Grand Prix filled you with drive envy, you don’t have to stand on the sidelines anymore. Here are three opportunities to cross speed racing off your bucket list, all right here in Florida. Students of the single-day Skip Barber Racing School at the fabled Sebring International Raceway begin their training with a review of vehicle dynamics. Then it’s off to the track to take turns leading and following other drivers at the wheel of a high-powered, high-performing Roush Stage 3 Mustang. $2,000-$3,000 for single-day sessions and $5,000-$7,500 for three-day packages, skipbarber.com/courses/roush-intro. If NASCAR racing vehicles are more your speed, head to Daytona International Speedway, home to the Daytona 500 and the Richard Petty Driving Experience. Select from increments of five to 48 minutes of driving this renowned speedway or buckle up for a three-lap ridealong. Rates start at $150 for ridealongs and top off at nearly $4,000 for an “Advanced Experience” featuring the maximum track time. drivepetty.com/daytona-international-speedway. If it’s speed you need, then sign up for the IndyCar Experience and let a professional take you for an engine-gunning spin around any of the tracks on the IndyCar Series schedule — including the Firestone Grand Prix Streets of St. Pete course. One lap sets you back $650 but places you in the fast lane with an Indy Racing League driver at the wheel. Look into reserving a spot during next year’s Firestone Grand Prix by going to the IndyCar Experience site later this year or in early 2022. indyracingexperience.com.

TICKET TO RIDE: Road-ready at the IndyCar Experience.

Wish Come True

If you’d like to help someone else cross an item off their personal bucket list, consider Cloud 9 Living. Experiences can be individual — bull riding, anyone? — or enjoyed in socially distanced, small groups. Choose from more than 2,000 activities nationwide, purchase an E-Voucher and gift away. cloud9living.com.