Is skydiving dangerous?

One of the biggest myths that prevents people from trying the fantastically enjoyable sport of skydiving is that it is perceived to be dangerous. Whilst it would be untrue to say that accidents don’t ever happen, the sport is incredibly safe as all aspects of equipment, facilities and tuition is tightly monitored by the USPA.

Will my landing be hard after skydiving?

Many people think that landing a parachute will be a hard and fast experience but modern parachute designs mean that you can apply ‘brakes’ upon landing and land very, very softly.

Will skydiving hurt?

Many people think that when they open a parachute that the sudden ‘jolt’ from falling at 180kph to just 8kph will cause some kind of injury. However, modern parachute designs mean that the canopy opens gradually and the fall in speed is also gradual meaning you experience little or no jolt at all.

Will I land in a tree or in a lake after skydiving?

All drop zones are chosen for their location and are well away from any natural or manmade obstacles to landing skydivers. Drop zones will always be flat and away from areas of trees, buildings, electricity pylons, major roads, rivers and lakes.

Will I get blown into the next county when skydiving?

No! Very strict wind speed limits are set for student skydivers to be able to jump so that you will easily be able to land in the drop zone. All modern parachutes can be easily manoeuvred with the use of steering toggles and after just a few jumps you will be competent at steering your rig and choosing exactly where you land.

Can you talk whilst skydiving?

Unlike in some of the movies, you cannot actually talk whilst you are in freefall. All communication is carried out by a series of hand signals. Once you have opened your canopy, drop zone staff can talk to you via a radio attached to your harness in order to guide you through your first few landings.

Can you breathe whilst skydiving?

Yes! Some people think that they will not be able to breathe while they are skydiving but this is not the case and breathing is no problem. The majority of skydives are made from around 4,000m or 12,500ft where there is plenty of oxygen in the atmosphere to breath comfortably.

Will my parachute open during skydiving?

Many people have a natural fear that their parachute will fail to open, but all modern parachute rigs are now fitted with a device called a Automatic Activation Device (or AAD) that will automatically deploy your reserve parachute should you fail to do so yourself.

How many minutes will I freefall for?

A common misconception is that a single skydive will last for five minutes or more. Sadly this isn’t the case; most skydives are carried out at around 4,000m or 12,500ft giving 40 to 45 seconds typical freefall time. For longer freefall times higher altitudes are required but this requires the use of supplementary oxygen.

Skydivers are a little crazy

Ok … so maybe there is a little truth in one of the myths about skydiving! But many skydivers would say that you’d be more than a little crazy not to have a go at one of the most enjoyable, adrenalin packed sports on the planet.

Will my parachute open during skydiving?

Many people have a natural fear that their parachute will fail to open, but all modern parachute rigs are now fitted with a device called a Automatic Activation Device (or AAD) that will automatically deploy your reserve parachute should you fail to do so yourself.

How many minutes will I freefall for?

A common misconception is that a single skydive will last for five minutes or more. Sadly this isn’t the case; most skydives are carried out at around 4,000m or 12,500ft giving 40 to 45 seconds typical freefall time. For longer freefall times higher altitudes are required but this requires the use of supplementary oxygen.