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I was a pilot and flying hang gliders, paragliders, aerobatics airplanes, and then I discovered skydiving. Free fall. Free. With nothing around you, just a parachute on your back. And you go down. But you don't feel like you're going down. Total freedom.

I've jumped out of an airplane 34 times. I've dove 212 feet under water. I've done a lot of things that defied death.

I hate the feeling of falling - I'll never jump from a plane - but I love a good roller coaster. Go figure!

When you lift off, the pressure is supposed to be maximum. But actually, it was very benign. Very enjoyable. But as soon as the engines cut off and you get to zero gravity, you felt as if you were being pushed off your seat. You feel disoriented. You don't feel aligned with anything. I felt for a few good hours that I was falling.

The best advice I can give you about falling is to never land.

If I fall, I fall. I'll rise up like anybody else.

If you think you can fall, you're more likely to.

The first time I almost died was surfing: I got hit on the head with a board. I went under and started swimming until I hit the bottom of the ocean. I thought, 'Oh my God, I'm going the wrong way. Do I have enough air to get back up?' If you're a surfer, you know the feeling.

It's always mildly unnerving when you're hanging upside down 70 feet in the air.

If you fall then that's not all... if you wish to be down then stay down... if you wish to be up then get up.