At 37, Divya Surepalli stepped into a category that barely exists on the civilian sporting map of India. In 2024, she became the first licensed civilian woman skydiver from Andhra Pradesh, joining fewer than 20 women nationwide who have pursued the sport beyond a one-time tandem jump. The turning point arrived when she travelled with Shweta Parmar, among the earliest civilian women skydivers in India, to Moscow for an Accelerated Freefall (AFF) course. “She asked me to video call her before and after every jump,” Divya says. Divya describes herself as shy, quiet and ambiverted, traits that seem at odds with the image commonly associated with skydivers.