A 79-year-old Chinese visitor has shown that age is no obstacle to adventure after completing a skydiving experience over Fiji’s Malolo Lailai island.
Chuan Yi Zheng had been scheduled to make the jump earlier, but unfavourable weather forced Fly Fiji to postpone the flight. When conditions improved the following day, Zheng finally took to the skies.
The experience proved particularly memorable for Zheng, who thanked Fly Fiji chief executive Tim Joyce for personally accompanying her on the jump.
Zheng said she felt fortunate to have completed the experience and to have shared the moment with members of her team.
Joyce said the company had encountered several inspiring stories involving older women who continued to pursue adventure activities despite their age.
Among them was Canadian visitor Rhoda Eves, who reportedly made skydiving jumps with Fly Fiji at 95, 96 and 97.
Eves, now 103, remains interested in the activity, Joyce said, although she currently lives in Canada.
Her connection to Fiji comes through her son, John Eves, who owns a home on Malolo. The younger Eves is a former Olympic skier and has also worked as a stunt double in James Bond films.
Joyce said Eves would visit Fiji regularly and combine her trips with skydiving, making her one of the company’s most memorable adventure travellers.
Zheng’s jump adds another chapter to Fly Fiji’s history of hosting older visitors seeking unique experiences and highlights the growing appeal of adventure tourism among travellers of different generations.
