Skydiving 101:

Everything You Need to Know


Throughout man's history there have been countless attempts to push the envelope of danger in the incessant quest of discovering the unknown. Although most of us mere mortals are quite content with taking the back seat, there are some special individuals who wouldn't think twice about flirting with death and staring fear right in the eye, so to speak. Some people would view their actions as foolhardy but in actually testing the limits of possibilities and conquering terror, people with such personalities do not only discover great things but they also have the chance to get to know their own strengths and capabilities.

One the most exhilarating and precarious sport ever known to man is skydiving. The idea of jumping out of a plane and hurling the body into the great space can prove to be too daunting for a lot of people. However, for individuals to have a penchant for thrills, skydiving is a perfect chance to test their mettle thousands of feet up in the air. If you think you can summon up the guts to try skydiving for the sheer fun of it, you will not be sorely disappointed since it is known to provide the adrenaline rush unlike any other. For the certified thrill-seekers, skydiving can be quite addictive, provided of course that you will be able to land in one piece. So before you actually plunge yourself into the vast chasm, better take time to know about that you are getting yourself into.

This article will provide you comprehensive information about what you need to know about the skydiving sport. So read on and try to remember the facts and tidbits along the way. Between the lessons you will learn from a short skydiving course and what you will be able to gather from this article, you will hopefully be better equipped for your first dive.


A Brief History of Skydiving


The very first concept on the use of parachutes can be directly credited to the great Leonardo da Vinci and the ancient people of China. This ushered the creation of parachutes way back in the 18th Century. However, it was a Frenchman by the name of Andre Jacques Garnerin who made the very first parachute drop from a gas filled balloon in 1797. Since then a number of people have followed suit and made some modifications to the rather primitive form of parachutes and made countless of jumps that seem to have been that seem to hold a certain attraction for some people.

Over the years, parachutes have become an important tool in many military operations, especially during the World War II where the military used some paratroopers. One of the most famous uses of the parachute was during the D-day, or what was known to be the invasion of Normandy. The paratroopers landed in the area right before sunrise and secured the place to make it easier for the soldiers who came by boats to penetrate the specific region and catch the enemy off guard. The excess of nylon parachutes after the World War have helped ordinary civilian to take advantage of the highly exciting and breathtaking sport.
Discounting the Myths

Before actually getting into the important information about skydiving, it would be best to write off some of the most common myths concerning the skydiving sport. This will squash down some of the preconceived notions and common misconceptions from people who never get to try the said sport. Hopefully, some of your questions that have been niggling in your mind can be answered here.


Myth: A person will not be able to breathe during freefall

Fact: In contrast to this unfounded belief, a skydiver will still be able to breathe during the freefall. Otherwise, all of the skydivers would have been unconscious right be fore they could ever get the chance to open up their parachutes!

Myth: A person will be able to have a conversation during freefall

Fact: Even though many of us must have seen Wesley Snipes have exactly done that one of his movies entitled Drop Zone, in reality this is not possible. During freefall, the sound of the wind screaming through your ears would be loud enough for you to be able to hear anything, much less hold a conversation. What does this tells us? Nothing, except for the fact that it would be best not to entirely rely your facts on a movie. However, you have still be able to make some hand signals, the most possible form of conversation you will be able to make up in the air.

Myth: You can jump of a plane without a parachute and just grab someone who is equipped with one. This will enable you to float down to the ground safely by sharing a parachute with another person.

Fact: This is yet another of the typical Wesley Snipes move that can only be seen in Drop Zone that can be safely disregarded as one of the Hollywood miracle stunts. Again, in real life such feat is quite impossible to achieve mainly because when the parachute opens, the human body is actually subjected to a tremendous force. This means that there is a 99.9% chance that anyone holding on to that body will be flung off unceremoniously. This gives you rather clear warning not to test the possibilities of the remaining .1%, unless of course if your quite suicidal enough to try it.

Myth: A typical freefall usually lasts up to five minutes.

Fact: In general, a skydiving plane would cruise roughly about 10, 000 to 12, 000 feet, which means that this can give you about 35 seconds of freefalling experience before you open up your parachute. To be able to freefall for a full five minytes, the plane has to climb up to 60, 00 feet up.

General Tips for First-Timers

The idea of jumping of a plane thousands of feet off the ground can sound too reckless and imprudent, to say the least. This is certainly not for the faint of heart. However, if you belong to the chosen few who are quite eager to test your own pluck up in the air, the best thing to do is enroll in a short skydiving course in any of the reputable skydiving school in your locality. Most of these courses cover all the basics that are involved in jumping and the necessary preparations needed before every jump. For the neophytes, you can be comforted with the fact that you will be literally strapped with an experienced skydiver during the first few dives. This is called tandem jumps, so newbies can simply take off their minds from making the right maneuvers and concentrate on enjoying the unimpeded view from the top.

Since skydiving is one of the more expensive sports around, it is important to invest on the best skydiving school around, in order to ensure that you are given all the proper training and provided with excellent equipments. There are actually three types of training methods that is usually employed:


§ Tandem – this is the easiest and fastest way to get into the air. The ground training would usually just take about 30 minutes or so before you will actually be given the chance to jump off the plane strapped to the chest of a professional skydiver. After completing three to four tandem jumps, a student will further be trained for solo skydiving.

§ Static Line – this method was actually adapted from the military as a safety measure for their paratroopers. This includes an instant deployment of their parachutes upon reaching 2,000- 3,000 feet. This would free to from having to worry about your chute and when would you need to deploy it.

§ Accelerated Free Fall (AFF) – this course is especially designed for the adrenaline junkie who would want to have the most thrilling experience. This is because you are actually given the chance to freefall jump alone right from your very first jump! However, this method can be a little more expensive than the other two mainly because you will be given two instructors to jump with you and maintaining hand contact all throughout the freefall.


Skydiving is considered an extreme sport, so before really getting involved make a quick assessment on your health condition. Jumping off from an aircraft and freefalling at a speed of 250 feet/second is certainly not recommended for people with unregulated high blood pressure, extreme fear of heights, and any other health ailments that can be an impediment during a skydiving session. It also important to keep in mind that even expert divers suffer from a bad landing every so often, so make sure you are up to the possibility of hitting the ground a little hard you would normally expect. This means people with bad knees should actually seek the advise of their doctor first. Do not be embarrassed to discuss health-related concerns to your instructors. They should be adequately informed in order to give an expert assessment if you are truly qualified to take up the skydiving course or not.


Getting a License

You might wonder what else is in store for you after making the momentous jump. In order to actually qualify for a license, you need to make at least 25 jumps and complete 500 jumps to be on your way to a D license. However, if you are just keen on getting a few minutes of thrills and have no serious desire to get a license, then there's no need to keep tabs on how many jumps you have actually made.


Skydiving Techniques

Everyone would readily concede that skydiving is one of the most sports or activities ever introduced to man. Ironically, people are incessantly drawn to the exhilarating experience mainly because of the high risks involved. There are certainly a number of people out there that consider skydiving a great sport where they can be able to push their limits and be able to cheat death. But of course everyone would naturally want to have a safe and uneventful landing.

It is surprising to note that one of the most common skydiving fatalities do not occur during freefall or in the malfunctioning of the parachutes. Statistics show that a number of errors are actually made by serious miscalculation of the jumper. There are some people who make the mistake of waiting too long before deploying they parachutes, never giving the parachute to inflate before impact. Although there are some incidents when the main parachute will malfunction, modern parachutes are now equipped with a reserve to ensure a safe landing.

Another common human blunders that can result to skydiving fatalities are the daring maneuvers usually made by individuals who are quite too confident with their abilities. Maneuvers such as ‘swoops' and ‘hook turns' are considered too risky and can only be considered a foolhardy way to impress onlookers and the extreme need to show off.


Know the Stats

Before you ever commit yourself a skydiving course, you would naturally want to know that you are getting yourself into. A quick look at the stats would clue you in to the probabilities and possibilities of actually landing in one piece, alive and kicking. A global research has shown that there are about 1 fatality for every 65, 513 skydiving jumps and a ratio of 1:500 on the probability of having to use the reserve parachute for emergency purposes. This means that with proper precaution and guidelines, skydiving is a relatively safe sport. 92 percent of the fatalities can be directly attributed to human errors.


Preparing For The First Dive

Now that you have more or less the general idea about the intricacies of skydiving, you would naturally be eager to make your very first time, right? So what are the last minute preparations that you should keep in mind then?

First of all, try not to wear clothes that could potentially hamper your movements. Scrap your sandals for the good old running shoes, which is of course the most sensible footwear. If you have poor eyesight that would require you to wear contact lenses of glasses, bring them along with you. You will be provided with safety goggles that will fit over the glasses without any problem at all.

It is also highly recommended not to drink any alcoholic beverages before a skydiving course. Imbibing alcoholic will somehow cloud your judgment and slow down your reflexes, which is certainly the last thing you would want if you are falling fast towards the ground. It is important to maintain all body faculties, both mentally and physically to avoid making grave errors that can place your life in danger. Get enough sleep and make sure you are properly rested before you take the dive.

If you have some skydiving footages that you could borrow, try to watch it so that you will somehow have a general idea. As established earlier, do not entirely place your bet on the Hollywood movies you have probably seen in the past. Chances are, they are probably off based in comparison to what will really happen in reality.

And the most important thing is keep focused. It is important to mentally for the task ahead. The first few jumps can be quite stressful, along with a healthy dose of apprehension. This is all too natural, and even experts had their share of forebodings. The best thing to conquer your fear is to go right ahead and take the plunge. You can even record your very first dive on video that you can share to your friends and families. Some people claim that the thrill and excitement for skydiving can never be compared to any other sport. So go ahead and try it, and live to tell the tale!