Top 5 Reasons For Doing a Skydive

Are you thinking about skydiving? If so and you're not sure if you should make the move or not, it is good to know that the reasons to skydive outweigh the reasons not to take the plunge. As a matter of fact, the risk is a lot lower than you may think. Out of every 2 million jumps annually around the world, there are approximately 35 fatalities. These fatalities are usually due to not following procedure. Know that when you learn to skydive, instructors will teach you everything you need to know until you know it well. That way you reduce your risk of accident significantly. Only a small percentage of accidents and fatalities are not due to failure to follow protocol.

So why should you assume the risk and jump?

Here are 5 reasons why:

1. You are given an opportunity to face your fears. Sky diving is both frightening and exciting. Once you make the first jump, usually a tandem skydive (harnessed to your instructor), you'll get a taste for it to do it again and again. There are a number of safety precautions that are taken to ensure your jump is as safe as it can possibly be. You have a reserve parachute, you're harnessed to your instructor, a drogue chute that slows you down when in tandem with your instructor, and your auto release device can initiate the chute in the case you approach a certain altitude and you are in free fall mode.

2. You do obtain bragging rights when you take on this risky activity. You can tell your friends and family about the experience. Considering many people are nervous about such activities, they are fascinated by the stories you tell about your jumps. You may even decide to add video to your skydiving package so that your experience can be documented. Showing a recording to your friends and family allows them to see the experience you had.

3. Parachuting is a fascinating sport in that you are able to literally fly through the air. You can satisfy any fascination you ever had about skydiving, such as whether or not you are able to breathe when you dive (yes, you can) and the sensation of free falling at over 100 mph. You are also able to control yourself while falling. You can make turns, move around, and have a great time.

4. Skydiving produces an adrenaline rush unlike any you've ever had in your life. Some individuals become addicted to parachuting and actually make it their preferred sport. They enjoy the freedom that skydiving provides. There is no freer feeling than the feeling of jumping out of a plane and looking at the vast sky around you, knowing that it goes on and on and you are just a small part of it.

5. Some people skydive because they must for their jobs. Military personnel, policeman, firefighters, and many others do it for their jobs. There are some, however, who do it for a special occasion. There have been many individuals who have gotten married while skydiving or a group of people will do it as a part of a party. Of course, those doing so for a special occasion will receive the necessary training in preparation for the event.

You don't have to worry about skydiving being an activity just for the insane. Many individuals find that this is an activity that they want to try at least once in their lifetime. Since many of us live in fear of some events, parachuting is a prime way to overcome a lot of fears and to have a true feeling of freedom.

Stewart Watson is seriously into skydiving. From beginners through to advanced, he can provide you with tips and advice to get you ready for your next skydiving adventure. Stewart Watson is also a keen writer and enjoys sharing his skydiving experiences with the world. To find out more about skydiving visit his website today.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4876132

Sky Diving Training - The Initial Process

Except for people who are afraid of heights, sky diving is a very pleasurable experience that would literally let you soar towards your highest sensations.

Man has always been fascinated with the prospects of flying. And while he doesn't have yet the technology to physically fly, meaning he would actually fly without any technical assistance, he however found good ways to get the flying experience. As for the free spirited and adventurous souls, sky diving, among with other extreme sports, could be a very rewarding experience to test your will to seek great adventurous.

So if you consider yourself as an adventure freak, it is best it have yourself booked with a chance to sky dive. There are, however, some things you should consider when deciding to experience sky diving. These include the following:

Training-You can never get off a plane and jump from a certain height if you don't have at least some sort of training. This is especially true with the more complicated aspects of it.

Tandem sky diving, which is considered to the simplest type of handling the sport, is done by jumping from a plane together with professional tandem instructor. the jump maybe scary at first due to your body's adjustment to the heights and the experience but you will soon get over the scary feeling of jumping into the thin air.

Ground training is usually done for around 30 minutes with some guidelines on how to efficiently get yours elf grounded in the sports. The tandem is typically considered as the first phase of the jump course. After your completion of this requirement, will now be bale to move into the higher levels.

Meanwhile, the other more complicated side of it is the static line sky diving. This is basically started as a technique used by paratroopers in the military during sky dives with an easy deployment of paratroopers in a relatively low attitude of 200 to 3000 feet.

As you might now remember from the films, this technique is conceived by attaching a special cord on both the plane and the parachute of the sky diver. Once you jump off the plane, your cord will easily deploy the whole parachute for you. Nothing so much complicated right?

This, however, must be demonstrated for a series of times-usually around three times starting from pulling mock pulls from a dummy ripcord. Once you have perfectly done this routine, you can now move into another higher level of sky diving.

The accelerated free fall is actually where all the thrills could be experienced. But this offers the prospect of investing a lot since you will need two instructors that will be sky diving with you during your course. During the training, your instructors will keep close contact or hand-to-hand contact as to assist you better. After several jumps, you will only be left with one instructor which will help you perfect the jump. The source then, when finished, will give you a license for it.

Sky diving, as a sport, requires thorough learning of the processes that you will be encountering during your jumps. So it is only important to avail the various trainings that will help you explore the techniques needed to help you jump in safety.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/864657

Skydiving Safety

How dangerous is skydiving?

The sport of skydiving has continued to improve its safety record every year. Skydiving accidents are most often caused not by random equipment failure but mainly by human errors in judgement and mistakes in procedure. While skydiving poses a very real risk of injury and even fatalities, those who undergo good training, keeping their knowledge of the sport up-to-date and who know their own limits are unlikely to suffer any injuries or be involved in any accidents while skydiving. There will always be an element of risk and danger but this is something to be weighed against the enjoyment that many people get from the sport. Most skydiving centres will require participants to sign a risk agreement that is legally binding to show that the jumper is prepared to willingly take on an element of risk. If you are completely risk-adverse, this is not the sport for you.

What types of jumps are there?

There are different ways to perform a parachute jump.

* Tandem Jumps

Rather than go it alone, a first time participant may like to begin with a tandem jump, where the experienced instructor controls the jump, meaning the jumper needs to undergo a minimal amount of training. The beginner will be fitted with a harness which is attached to the instructor's parachute system. They share an extra large square parachute. Together they will freefall for up to around 45 seconds before the parachute is deployed and the pair will land after about five minutes. A tandem jump is an ideal way to begin the sport with a lower risk and less training required. * Static Line Training (also known as Category System or 'RAPS')

Static Line Training is a method often used by the army and a training course for this kind of jump can last from four to six hours. Jumpers fall from 3000 feet above ground level and the parachute is opened using a line which is joined from the aircraft to the parachute. The ride itself lasts about 3 minutes, and the jumper will be guided to the ground using radio contact or by someone on the ground. Static Line Training requires significant training and has a higher rate of injury than a tandem jump. It is ideal for those who want to become skydivers as it requires self-confidence and self-discipline. It is not the right method for those who want to perform only a single, one-off jump.

* Accelerated Free Fall Training

Accelerated Free Fall (AFF) Training is used by those who are serious about becoming a trained skydiver. Requiring a full day of training before undergoing a jump, two instructors will hold you as you fall from 10,000 feet for about 40 seconds before the beginner opens their own parachute at about 4500 feet. The ride lasts about 4 minutes in total. This method provides accelerated learning, and so fewer jumps are needed to get to a competent level. It is more expensive to train using this method and better suited to those who wish to become skydivers.

What does it feel like to fall?

It is not the "heart in mouth" sensation that many people expect. Rather than a sensation like a rollercoaster, it is more of a comfortable feeling of floating with support, and is really the closest a person can come to human flight. It's possible to move around in the sky while falling as there is a constant air flow which makes manoeuvring possible. On opening the parachute jumpers experience a sensation not unlike jumping feet first into water for a few seconds. Parachutes are usually easy to move and steer by using simple hand controls. Modern parachutes make landing as easy as stepping off the pavement.

Assessing the risks

The British Parachute Association is the National Governing Body for the sport of skydiving and can provide information to help you assess your own personal risk. Depending on which method of skydiving you choose and on your own personal profile (gender, age, fitness level and weight) the risks can vary greatly. Rates of injuries rise in line with an increase in age, weight and a decrease in physical fitness. Risk is calculated in terms of injuries per thousand jumps and deaths in every 100,000 jumps. An injury can range from a minor cut or bruise through to a more serious fracture. Deaths are few and far between. In a tandem jump, the injury rate is about 1 injury in every 800 jumps, with a slightly higher risk for women. Only about 1 in 380,000 tandem jumps results in a fatality. Static Line jumps have an injury rate of 1 per 170 jumps. The fatality rate is about 1 in 40,000.

Accelerated free-fall jumps have a novice injury rate of 1 in 170 jumps with women again having a higher injury rate than men. There is not enough data to produce a reliable fatality rate for this type of skydiving.

Risks for experienced skydivers

When fully trained, the risk of injury falls to around 0.4 injuries per 1000 jumps. The risk increases at public displays and events to about 2 in 1000 jumps and 8 deaths in every 100,000 jumps.

What sort of jump is best for me?

If you are a novice who is prepared to accept an injury rate of up to 1 in 900 (male) or 1 in 700 (female), and are not very fit or self confident, and do not want to commit to regular skydiving, you would probably be best with a tandem jump. If you are fit, have lots of self-confidence and are willing to commit time to training you may prefer the challenge of a solo jump. For this you would accept an injury rate of up to 1 in 200 (male) or up to 1 in 100 (female).

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7639166