Any skydivers here?

[Pamdiv]

When I complained to my co-workers about my son jumping out of perfectly good airplanes, their reply was "Sounds right, his mom swims with sharks!"

 

[scuba_moron]

i am a parachute rigger. that is my "job". i jumped once, i've scuba dived (dove?)....well i can't remember how many times, not all are logged (of course i now even log my boat cleaning dives, hey it's a dive!). diving is WAY more fun! i can fix your parachutes and scuba gear

dano

Then I take it you pack reseve chutes?

 

[scuba_moron]

i see no reason to jump out of a perfectly good plane

My boss says two things that fall out of skies: Bird doddle and fools !

 

[scuba_moron]

Swooping and hook turns is the cause of most skydiver deaths, and they're usually very experience skydivers that screwed up.

Skydiving is all about the act itself, not so much about scenery and the environment. There are great sunsets to watch etc, but primarily you're looking horizontally. It's the jumps you're after.

Weekend after weekend you jump over the same plot of land. Usually near some farm. The scenery below you is pretty bland.

Scuba diving you get vacations along with your dive. So if you add the cost of a few trips a year it might be as expensive as skydiving.

Skydiving is expensive. Make no qualms about it. You will spend over $1000-1500 to get certified. Then you'll spend $20-25 for each jump the rest of your skydiving career.

Your gear will cost you about $4500-5000. You will go through multiple sets. I've gone through 3.

Like scuba diving, skydiving is as safe as YOU make it. It's personal responsibility.

You will know someone that has died skydiving or skydiving related. I am in the double digits. 5-I have personally witnessed. Many more serious injuries.

On average there are about 50 deaths a year due to skydiving. Most of them are experience jumpers doing high speed turns, too low to the ground. The rest are typically equipment failures due to poor personal maintenance of some sort.

You hang out at the DZ on the weekends, drink, bbq over a bonfire at night. You will make some of the closest friends you can imagine.

In the end it's the most fun you can have with your clothes on.

Skyjunky, You summed it up beautifully. Some of the most down to earth people I've met are from the drop zones. However, sooner or later you will know someone that has died or seriously injured. My AFF instructor was recently paralized from the waist down after his main malfunctioned at 200'. I still can't get over it. It pains me to see that he's in a wheel chair.

 

[nubain1]

I stopped jumping at 354 jumps after I got into a wreck and messed up my back. One day I'll be back in the sky. I wonder if there will be any crew dogs left by then of if the ff's will have completely taken over. I was getting ready to try a birdman before the wreck.

 

[Skyjunky]

I had my neck fused earlier this year. I'm grounded for a while.

Don't seem to be too many crew dogs anymore. It's a shame cause I love to see downplanes. Even belly flyers are getting slim. Mostly freeflyers now.

 

[Tigerman]

I did hold a skydiving cert for a brief period of time, but simply didnt have the time and money to keep jumping out of perfectly good planes while I studied, so its expired and I need to take the course all over again.. I hope to get it done one day, but its not fitting into my schedule atm..

Skydiving is a shorter, more intense rush than scubadiving imo

 

[Skyjunky]

Skydiving certs do not expire in the US. How long in Norway?

 

[Tigerman]

Skydiving certs do not expire in the US. How long in Norway?

It was based on number of jumps per year I think.. I have had 0 jumps the past 3 years so mines expired long ago

 

[Red_5]

:happywave USPA D licensed since '91