Freefly Couple: Eduardo Coelho and Natalia Horikawa

It’s Spring!  Flowers blooming, birds chirping, love is in the air and whether you’ll admit it or not, everyone adores a good love story. 

The spring season reminds us of love and romance making even the happiest of singles imagine every inch of their perfect partner, couples fondly reminisce about how they fell in love and most importantly, it gives us hope and reminds us that maybe we don’t live in such a bad world after all. 

The best love stories (in my opinion) are the ones seemingly mapped out by fate like Eduardo and Natalia’s. 

We obviously had to know more about this adrenaline activity loving couple and they graciously answered all of our questions! 

So thank you Freefly Couple Eduardo Coelho and Natalia Horikawa for letting us interview you and making us feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Plus, a big shoutout to their sponsors Cookie Helmets!

How did you meet?

We met at university back in 2000.  We were both studying Tourism Management and at that time we were just friends.  After finishing university, we took different paths, Natalia went to live in New York and I went to live in Europe.

As the years went by, the contact between us was less and less.  Then in 2009, I unexpectedly saw her at a shopping mall in Brazil.  It was a huge surprise for the both of us because that last we talked we were in completely different countries.  We instantly became good friends again and saw a lot of each other over the next two years.  She had mentioned that she would love to try skydiving so in 2012 I invited Natalia to do a tandem jump while I was doing my AFF course in Boituva Brazil. She fell in love with skydiving so she did started the AFF course as well. 

We kept jumping together and with that comes sharing thrilling moments together, we fell in love with skydiving and with each other. 

Who was the instigator for the other to really get into skydiving or were you both mutually involved in it?

I was definitely the instigator and got really excited when I realized that Natalia liked her tandem jump so much. 

When she told me that she wanted to do another tandem jump, I took advantage of the opportunity by telling her not do a second tandem jump, but to start her AFF course instead.

In the beginning she did not like the idea, because she was concerned about flying by herself, but I insisted a lot and convinced her to do it.  She completed the course quickly and we have been sharing the sky ever since.

Why skydiving?  What makes you so passionate about the sport?

It's hard to explain why, once you experience the feeling of flying you easily get addicted to it.  Being able to share these moments with my friends and especially my love has become something super special that I want to do it all the time. 

The sport of skydiving is so intense that we have the feeling that each second in free fall becomes frozen in your memories forever. It is a peaceful moment in a super extreme environment. 

From what I’ve seen not too many couples are interested in the same adrenaline activities.  What is the hardest thing about being together as a skydiving couple?

It is true, not many couples share a passion for the same adrenaline activities. The hardest part for us is the inherent dangers of the sport.  We are always very worried about each other’s safety.  It is really difficult to see your loved one landing far away in a dangerous environment because of a bad spot or a malfunction.  

On the other hand, it’s awesome to be with someone who understands your passions, so what’s the best thing about being a skydiving couple?

We can share moments that make sense for us.  I know I am not boring her when I talk about skydiving because she is just as excited to talk about it too.  We rarely argue about where to go on vacation and we always have a fun activity to do together.

What was your favorite skydiving moment together?

It was an epic jump from a UH-1 Helicopter at a military event in the Dominican Republic. What made it so special were two things; the first one was the helicopter by itself and the second one was the adrenaline of doing a 2-way jump when we were supposed to do solo jumps, but we could not resist the opportunity. ''You jump, I jump, right?'' 

Are you two into other adrenaline activities and if so how do they rank against skydiving?

We are also into snowboarding, but as we live in Brazil we don't have the chance to do it a lot. Right now skydiving is our top adrenaline activity and snowboarding is our second favorite.

Personal favorite DZ and why?

It is in Puerto Escondido, Mexico. This DZ is not open all year, basically they are open for the New Year's boogie and the Easter boogie. We guarantee that it is a special place to fly, to land in the beach, to drink mojitos, to watch sunsets and to make new friends.  

Do you have any advice you’d give to other couples?  Both ones who share the love of an extreme sport and ones who aren’t so adventurous?

Stick together doing what you love, share the moments, don't push each other too much and most important of all, have fun living a life at the fullest.

Last question.  We’re all about crushing goals so what are some of your future goals?  Have any upcoming jumps or boogies planned?

• Boogie Lençóis Maranhenses which we are the organizers for. 
• Brave Heart FreeFly Camp 3
• Voss Freefly Festival 2016
• Vector Festival 2016
• Summer Fest 2016 at Skydive Chicago
• FLY4LIFE November 2016 Flight Camp at Skydive Deland # New Year's Beach Boogie 2016-2017

Thank you both again for letting us interview you!  Stay Epic!