Ouch!

[Sas]

Jeepers guys, there's a lot of patronizing flung around here. Can someone explain to me please what makes wingsuit diving any more "stupid" than any other extreme sport, scuba diving included?

Actually I think BASE jumping is considered a lot more dangerous than Scuba... I think it has one of the highest fatality rates out of any sport, based on how many people do it. Also the guy screwed up, it appears he opened his chute too late given how the jump progressed. I am sure if someone had ascended too late given how much gas they had left scuba diving and suffered an accident, they would also get the "stupid" label... both involve poor planning and screwups.

Anyway, Deefstes, the guy himself admits he screwed up :
"It all comes down to better planning"
"I was too nonchalant and there is no room for mistakes in the sport"

But yea, to each their own, if that is how he likes to get his kicks, and is prepared to take on that risk, doesn't bother me.

 

[Tigerman]

Actually I think BASE jumping is considered a lot more dangerous than Scuba... I think it has one of the highest fatality rates out of any sport, based on how many people do it. Also the guy screwed up, it appears he opened his chute too late given how the jump progressed. I am sure if someone had ascended too late given how much gas they had left scuba diving and suffered an accident, they would also get the "stupid" label... both involve poor planning and screwups.

Anyway, Deefstes, the guy himself admits he screwed up :
"It all comes down to better planning"
"I was too nonchalant and there is no room for mistakes in the sport"

But yea, to each their own, if that is how he likes to get his kicks, and is prepared to take on that risk, doesn't bother me.

It actually seems to be a malfunctioning shute and base jumpers dont have reserves simply because there wont be any time to deploy them all the same..

 

[Sas]

It actually seems to be a malfunctioning shute and base jumpers dont have reserves simply because there wont be any time to deploy them all the same..

Ahh, what I read had him state the trajectory of the jump was wrong and had him end up on the cliffs too soon. I didn't read anything about a malfunctioning chute, do you have a link?

 

[Deefstes]

I am sure if someone had ascended too late given how much gas they had left scuba diving and suffered an accident, they would also get the "stupid" label... both involve poor planning and screwups.

Agreed.

 

[Tigerman]

Ahh, what I read had him state the trajectory of the jump was wrong and had him end up on the cliffs too soon. I didn't read anything about a malfunctioning chute, do you have a link?

After closer reviewing the video It seems his chute does function properly in the begining, however when it opens the front of the chute points in the wrong direction and he either dont really give it a good go or hes unable to get away from the mountain. It might even seem he attempt to land on a cliff instead of get back out over the fjord..
When he takes the first hit the chute does malfunction and hes basically screwed and get lucky..

 

[Sas]

After closer reviewing the video It seems his chute does function properly in the begining, however when it opens the front of the chute points in the wrong direction and he either dont really give it a good go or hes unable to get away from the mountain. It might even seem he attempt to land on a cliff instead of get back out over the fjord..
When he takes the first hit the chute does malfunction and hes basically screwed and get lucky..

Ok, I was just going off what he said in interviews about how it was his screw up. I don't know enough about BASE jumping to come to a conclusion from just watching the video about chute failure, etc

 

[Tigerman]

Ok, I was just going off what he said in interviews about how it was his screw up. I don't know enough about BASE jumping to come to a conclusion from just watching the video about chute failure, etc

In the end its his bad regardless what happened. Wether its because the chute deployed at the wrong heading or if it caught fire and went down like a fireball
Skydiving is quite individual (and a great rush) and the rules for maintenance is quite strict. Also, base diving is the solo diving of the skydivers - It gets much of the same attention within the skydiving community as solo diving does within the diving community

 

[Sas]

In the end its his bad regardless what happened. Wether its because the chute deployed at the wrong heading or if it caught fire and went down like a fireball
Skydiving is quite individual (and a great rush) and the rules for maintenance is quite strict. Also, base diving is the solo diving of the skydivers - It gets much of the same attention within the skydiving community as solo diving does within the diving community

Yea I gathered the rules of maintenance were quite strict, I did a jump a while back and afterwards offered to help my instructor pack up the chute Anyway, he knocked back my help. I was just planning on stuffing it back in his backpack. He told me when he has had to use the reserve, he has to send it away to be packed specially by another company. I never realised there was no reserve in BASE jumping though, interesting. Dunno if I could bring myself to ever try it one day based on that, sky diving is enough of a rush for me I think. And probably one expensive hobby is enough

 

[Kim]

...its not throwing yourself off a cliff at the sound of speed with the possability of hitting a very hard surface if your chute doesnt open

Not much different to sky-diving.

i also dont consider scuba a "extreme sport". done safely and with care it is safe and relaxing.

Scuba is only like that if nothing goes wrong. It is actually pretty extreme, in that it doesn't take much in the way of something happening to produce a world of trouble.

Normal sport is something more like football IMO. Not many people get killed playing that.

Fatality rates in scuba are reasonably high I would think (I haven't checked actual figures) - we certainly see a fair number posted about on SB.

 

[Sas]

Not much different to sky-diving.

Scuba is only like that if nothing goes wrong. It is actually pretty extreme, in that it doesn't take much in the way of something happening to produce a world of trouble.

Normal sport is something more like football IMO. Not many people get killed playing that.

Fatality rates in scuba are reasonably high I would think (I haven't checked actual figures) - we certainly see a fair number posted about on SB.

Actually, as far as I know, scuba diving deaths are quite low given how many dives take place. I have seen a figure of 90 deaths a year since the 1980s, which has remained steady despite more people diving now. A DAN study quoted 11-18 deaths per 100,000 divers, which was extrapolated from DAN members, so you could argue against those figures though... A HSE study puts the risk at 1 death per 200,000 dives Risk Education Statistics. Driving a car is a great deal more risky than diving, for a comparison.

I do agree, though, that it doesn't take much for scuba diving to go very wrong. But then again, it doesn't take much for one to die in a car accident, which is something that concerns me a lot more than scuba diving! Especially as you have a lot less control driving than you do diving, as there are plenty of idiots on the roads.