18 Jan 09 Skydiving tips from a skydiving noob
I’ve found a new passion lately and no Scott, this doesn’t involve video games, Mac mods, or poker. Skydiving has caught my fancy ever since I saw my college buddy’s home-made video of him (along with some friends) taking a dive in California. However it took me around 5 years to actually convince myself to go try it. It’s not because I haven’t had the balls to do it years back, it’s just that work along with my other personal responsibilities have been pushing these plans further and further down my list of priorities. It’s not until some months ago when a coworker went asking around for people willing to join him in his sky diving trip did I get an actual opportunity to do it. To cut the long story short, I opted to join my officemate Matt and some of his buddies from London to a skydiving trip, and the rest is history.
Ever since then I’ve made around 10 or so jumps and each one was more exciting than the last. Despite the hoopla around skydiving being dangerous and all, I have yet to actually witness anything outside “fun”. Of course it may be because I’m still new to this sport but as it stands, I can’t see how you could get yourself in trouble AS LONG as you follow the safety SOPs. Basically there are three things you should do before you actually jump: 1. Check if your gear’s all set up; 2. Have your jump partner check it again for you, and; 3. Give it one final check.
There are various things to consider first when planning for a skydiving trip. Of course you’ve got to hook yourself up with a seasoned sky diver so you could learn all about its do’s and don’ts. After that make sure you have the best (not necessarily most expensive) skydiving gear. Common sense also dictates that you shouldn’t be under alcohol/substance influence on the day of the jump. Finally, just to avoid getting overwhelmed by the sheer adrenaline rush of plunging towards Earth on near soundspeed, it’s advisable to visit wind tunnels. Wind tunnels offer an awesome opportunity to rapidly advance your skydiving skills and are a great environment in which to learn.
Not all these preparations would rid you of that heart-gripping fear the moment you step near the plane’s door to dive though. It’s a frightening (and sometimes vomit-inducing) sensation that’s guaranteed to knock you feeling cold and dizzy. The key to overcoming this is to NOT try to overcome it. Really, don’t think about jumping, just jump. The more you think about how you should jump the higher the probablity of you chickening out. It’s best to just let adrenaline take over and enjoy the ride. Here’s a guarantee though - the more fightenened you are before you dive, the wilder and more exhilarating the sky diving experience will be!
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