|
|
So now what do I do?
Your first skydive is amazing, here you are being taken to altitude in an aircraft, and then you're going to jump out of it! That is a lot for your senses to grasp. Your first skydiving experience will be the biggest thrill of your life. You're nervous, you're excited, you're psyched to brag to all your friends that didn't have the guts to come with you.
A vast majority of Skydivers do a Tandem for their first skydives. This excitement and rush of new experiences comes at you fast. It is far more relaxing to just sit back and go for the ride. A tandem skydive allows you to do this. You get a chance to experience all the excitement and sensations of skydiving, and you don't have to worry about preserving you're own life at the same time. You get to leave that to the experts.
Another option is called Accelerated Freefall (a.k.a. AFF). This type of skydive option allows you to put on you're own parachute and leave the plane with 2 instructors at your sides. These instructors are there in case of emergency, to help you remain in stable free fall throughout the skydive, and ensure you deploy your parachute at a safe altitude.
Due to the rush of sensations that accompany your first skydiving jump, in my humble opinion, you should strongly consider making your first jump a Tandem Skydive. A tandem skydive gives you the full experience of a skydive, while taking advantage of the training and experience of the experts.
Both Tandem and Assisted Free Fall skydives lead into the United States Parachute Association (USPA) Skydiving license program, and both types of skydives count towards the 25 required jumps for your A license.
Tandem
A tandem Skydive entails the 1st Timer being harnessed to an instructor. You will go through a brief ground school, explaining the basics of body position and safety. Many instructors will demonstrate to you the basics of canopy flight as well, and let you "try it out" at high altitude where you are still safely a long way up from the ground.
You're instructor will be wearing an oversized parachute that is designed to carry the weight of 2 individuals. The 1st timer will be wearing a harness which makes 4 points of contact with the instructor.
Your experience is INTENSE, and all the while you are in the safety of an extremely experienced skydiver. Your instructor will almost always have made thousands of jumps, so you can be assured your in safe hands.
Most drop zones will require the 1st timer to weigh under 225lbs for a tandem skydive. This is due to the fact that there will be 2 people under canopy, and so weight has to be managed accordingly.
Assisted Freefall (AFF)
An AFF skydive allows you to leave the plane wearing your own parachute, and you are in freefall on your own, with no connection to anyone else. You will be getting out of the airplane with 2 instructors at your side. However, once you reach pull altitude and your chute is open, the instructors drop off and you will fly your own parachute.
There will be an instructor on the ground on radio, and this instructor will coach you on the toggle inputs to safely fly your parachute back to the drop zone, and in for a safe landing.
Leading up the AFF jump you will have to take the "First Jump Course". This is several hours long and teaches you the basics of skydiving, and canopy (parachute) control.
At many drop zones this is the only 1st jump option for participants weighing over 225lbs.
|
|
Gotta try Scuba Diving!
