What is safe skydiving?

[jigneshsoni 0]

I have wondered about this all the time. Is there even such a thing like "Safe Skydiving" I mean we are jumping out of the plane. This can never be safe.

Now, I am sure there is more to this. I am more interested in opinions on the degree of being safe. I am more interested in knowing what people think unsafe situation for a person in general. I understand downsizing canopy is unsafe, but what if you have 1000's of jumps. Do sky divers draw a line on what they will do and what they will not do in skydiving that will keep them safe?

I mean say if a person decided never to do any swooping, never to jump when wind is more then 14mph. Never to jump when there is turbulence more then certain degree. Stick to the same canopy size. Not involve in risky disciplines in freefall. Is this person any safer then most of the skydivers who do all the things mentioned above? Don't you think sky diving will become boring to such a person and that will actually make him unsafe?

What do you think?

[airtwardo 6]

I mean say if a person decided never to do any swooping, never to jump when wind is more then 14mph.
Never to jump when there is turbulence more then certain degree.
Stick to the same canopy size.
Not involve in risky disciplines in freefall.

Is this person any safer then most of the skydivers who do all the things mentioned above?

Don't you think sky diving will become boring to such a person and that will actually make him unsafe?

What do you think?

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I think you've pretty much described my skydiving career...Never been injured and no i hasn't become boring, though I do spice things up with a few demonstration jumps now & then.

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[phoenixlpr 0]

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I mean say if a person decided never to do any swooping, never to jump when wind is more then 14mph.
Never to jump when there is turbulence more then certain degree.
Stick to the same canopy size.
Not involve in risky disciplines in freefall.

Are you talking abut some doing Style and Accuracy only?

[Remster 24]

What do I think?

Its not a safe sport. If you want safety, stick to bowling.

You can mitigate risks, manage them, and be as safe as you can, but that does not make the sport safe.

Remster

[dzjnky 0]

Sorry about the long post, but it is raining today, and I am bored...

Skydiving safety is a frequently discussed issue, particularly among newer jumpers. I think there IS "Safer Skydiving", but whether or not that constitutes "Safe Skydiving" is all about an individual's tolerance for risk. You are exposed to risk every day. You may slip and fall and kill yourself in the bathroom. You may be in an auto accident today. You might even get struck by lightning! All of these are very real risks in your daily life.

However, most people don't worry about these things, as they are below their threshold of perceived personal risk that would make those things "dangerous". And the part about perceived risk is important - most people expose themselves to risks that they are totally unaware of, or at least unaware of the magnitude of the risk.

You cannot eliminate risk in your life. You CAN, however, reduce risk. This also applies to skydiving - you cannot eliminate the risk, but you can reduce it. All of the things that you mentioned are ways to reduce the risk. Other ways are: only introduce one new issue at a time (so if you are going to a new drop zone, try to do so with your own gear, or if you are going to jump out of a new type of aircraft, try to do it at a familiar drop zone on familiar gear, etc.) Don't start jumping on bigways until you have developed the right basic skills, both for freefall AND for canopy control. Don't downsize until you have mastered your current canopy. There are lots of ways to reduce risk.

In my opinion, it comes down to learn as much as you can about this sport, use common sense and good judgment at all times, and ask questions of people that you trust in the sport to learn where the risks really are, and what you can do to avoid them.

Is there such a thing as a "Safe Skydive"?? For me, yes, absolutely! But, my definition of "Safe" is probably different than yours. I also work hard at controlling the risks. And I am a very firm believer that (for me) the benefits of this sport far outweigh the risks that I expose myself to.

I do find that as I progress in this sport, I am doing more complex things on my skydives. As my skill level goes up, my ability to do these complex tasks safely improves. I do think that there is a normal tendency to "up the ante" as one matures in the sport - this is what tends to keep things interesting. The safest of skydives is probably a solo belly jump, and in my opinion, those do get boring after a while, although while I was on student status, those jumps were anything but boring! At my skill level now, however, I tend not to do solo belly jumps. There are "more interesting" things that I want to do, and have the skill to do relatively safely. In a sense, I am increasing my risk, but I prefer to look at it as I am maintaining a somewhat constant risk exposure, balancing my increasing skill (and the corresponding reduction of risk) with the difficulty of the skydives I participate in (with a corresponding increase in risk - more complex dives = somewhat increased risk).

An example of this is that I recently took up wingsuiting. Increased risk?? Absolutely. Do I still consider my skydives safe?? Absolutely. If I do not think I could do a jump safely, I do not go on the jump. Happens frequently when the winds pick up, and I choose to sit on the ground rather than get on the load. Also, I am still jumping the same canopy, however, 500 jumps after I got it. I have not downsized, and am very happy under this canopy. Basically, I am picking and choosing carefully the areas where I am willing to accept more risk as my skills increase.

Do I see other skydivers who take risks that I personally choose not to take?? Happens every day I am at the Drop Zone. Do skydivers expose themselves to risk? Yup - all the time... just read the incidents forum for the results. Do I take steps to minimize my personal risk? Yup, on every single jump that I make.

So, is there such a thing as "Safe Skydiving"? That is a very personal evaluation, and only you can answer that question for yourself. But, based on your profile, it appears that on at least 20 occasions, you have decided that skydiving was "safe enough" to make the jump

Learn your stuff, stay alert, and practice those emergency procedures - all these things are important to reducing your risk while you participate in this most amazing sport! I wish you many more successful, and safe skydives!

Blue Skies!

[airtwardo 6]

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I mean say if a person decided never to do any swooping, never to jump when wind is more then 14mph.
Never to jump when there is turbulence more then certain degree.
Stick to the same canopy size.
Not involve in risky disciplines in freefall.

Are you talking abut some doing Style and Accuracy only?

Actually I guess I did ding my head a little last month when I went rebounding off the air bag tuffet at an accuracy meet!

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[diverdriver 5]

Many of us sat in a class all day long to make one S/L or IAD jump. No freefall. No self deployment.

Then after graduation and on through the years of skydiving many engaged in new skydiving disciplines or activities without giving it 5 minutes thought. Some paid the ultimate price for failing to study what they were about to do. Some did think about things well often but then broke their own rule only to have it bite them.

Safe Skydiving is an approach and attitude. Not a certain activity over another.

Chris Schindler
www.diverdriver.com
ATP/D-19012
FB #4125

[JustChuteMeNow 0]

Safe skydiving is the wind tunnel

Think of how stupid the average person is and realize that statistically half of them are stupider than that.

[hukturn 0]

Safety is realitive. If you want to be safe, don't push your limits. If you want complete safety, good luck. You can die living your life or you can die running from risk. In either event, we all die.

[sartre 0]

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What do I think?

Its not a safe sport. If you want safety, stick to bowling.

You can mitigate risks, manage them, and be as safe as you can, but that does not make the sport safe.

What he said.

[phoenixlpr 0]

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Safe skydiving is the wind tunnel

So you think that you can not hurt yourself in the tunnel. You should ask tunnel instructors for possible incidents.

[Squeak 17]

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Safe skydiving is the wind tunnel

So you think that you can not hurt yourself in the tunnel. You should ask tunnel instructors for possible incidents.

you can hurt yourself bowling

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[sartre 0]

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Safe skydiving is the wind tunnel

Theres no sky in the tunnel.

So how is that safe skydiving?

[kelpdiver 2]

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Safe skydiving is the wind tunnel

So you think that you can not hurt yourself in the tunnel. You should ask tunnel instructors for possible incidents.

you can hurt yourself bowling

You have to try pretty hard...most of the bowling deaths were people who'd be just as likely to croak on the couch.

In the sky, you can get unstable and slide horizonally 100ft or change fall rate with no trouble. In a 12 or 14ft tunnel, you can break things. Certainly you could kill yourself.

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The the OP - there is a danger in only making 'safe' choices if you find yourself in a situation you've never been in before. You can't always be assured that the wind will stay below a threshold and the turbulence won't be present. Billvon has talked about it - you don't want to push the envelope, but if you're not near it, you may stagnate, and that's probably a safety negative.

[bob.dino 0]

Safe Skydiving.

[pkasdorf 0]

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What do I think?

Its not a safe sport. If you want safety, stick to bowling.

You can mitigate risks, manage them, and be as safe as you can, but that does not make the sport safe.

I do agree with you. Some years ago I started a poll on the concept "skydiving is risky but safe" and, after much criticism on the concept "skydiving is one of the "safest" risky sports" and it was definitely controversial. I certainly believe the latter.

You can mitigate risks, manage them, and be as safe as you can, but that does not make the sport safe absolutely true.

That there are sports that imply more risks than skydiving or risks that are less controlable, also.

That "safe" sports like jogging imply risks, also (my wife broke an elbow as she tripped jogging).

That there are sports that imply less lethal risks but more non lethal risks, also (even bowling has non lethal risks).

Whatever, back to your definition that for me, is perfect:

You can mitigate risks, manage them, and be as safe as you can, but that does not make the sport safe

HISPA # 18 POPS # 8757

[kallend 1,623]

Read the incident reports. If a pattern emerges (and it will) of actions or activities leading to injury and death, then avoid those things.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[ryoder 1,381]

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[you can hurt yourself bowling

Not bowling per se, but steer clear of Walter when he's waving his piece around, and watch out for the Nihilists when you're heading out to your car.

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[pcrt 0]

Do you walk to the drop zone? Over 40,000 people a year die in car accidents. How many people quit driving because of the danger?

And have you ever seen anyone practicing what they would do if an 18 wheeler ran a red light while they are talking on the phone?

This isn't helping at all is it

I guess the answer is, we are never truly safe in life. So what ever you do just be sure it's fun.

~Paul Creel SCS-5015

[tbrown 26]

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Safe skydiving is the wind tunnel

Ain't either, you can break your neck in a wind tunnel and be a quad for the rest of your life. Can't think of his name, but Olav Zipser, one of the world's best freeflyers, broke both his wrists in a tunnel last year.

I feel more comfortable after leaving the plane than I did on the ride up. The things that get us are not the kind of things the public imagines, at least very rarely anyway. It's amazing what kind of things do get us though. It's usually something that happens very suddenly and takes us by surprise, maybe because we became complacent and let our guard down. Or maybe because sometimes "shit just happens".

But I think Skydiving, like sex, can be "safer", if not actually "safe". If it were THAT dangerous I wouldn't do it. Which is why personally, I choose not to BASE jump. Or swoop. What I will do, which is RW and flying a pattern to a straight in approach, might get me someday just the same, but I work very hard at keeping the odds in my favor. The alternative is to not jump, or fuck, or drive a car, or go to work every day, or ever get out of bed. Life is a series of choices over what constitutes an acceptable risk, and in the end we all die anyway. Might as well have some big fun before that happens, ya' think ?

Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

[Squeak 17]

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[you can hurt yourself bowling

Not bowling per se, but steer clear of Walter when he's waving his piece around, and watch out for the Nihilists when you're heading out to your car.

DUDE

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[udder 0]

Squeak and phoenix, you guys really need to stop hating on the bowlers. I won the U10 Novice division in my first bowling comp and had an average of 155. This in ten-pin, and not lawn bowls. just to clarify.

"In one way or the other, I'm a bad brother. Word to the motherf**ker." Eazy-E

[Squeak 17]

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Squeak and phoenix, you guys really need to stop hating on the bowlers. I won the U10 Novice division in my first bowling comp and had an average of 155. This in ten-pin, and not lawn bowls. just to clarify.

I dont hate bowlers at all, the reference was meant to illustrate that you can hurt yourself in any sport. I've bowled 3 times in my life and score about 110 each time, I suck at bowling More power to them

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[DSE 3]

but have you ever bowled while skydiving?

I should add that my *one* painful skydiving-related injury was in the tunnel at Perris. I got too close to the side of the tunnel, lost my air, and went down headfirst. Put a nasty scratch in my helmet, glad it wasn't my skull. Saw stars for a second and needed to be helped out.
Tunnels may be safer but they're not "safe."

[JustChuteMeNow 0]

For all the people who said a wind tunnel is not safe skydiving. I now must agree. Even though it is billed as indoor skydiving and caters to kids and other whuffos, you guys and girls are absolutly right. It is not safe. Genuises, whiz kids, all those types of adjectives come to mind. Thanks for keeping me in check. I really don't know what I was thinking when I made that comment and put a wink symbol behind it.


Some of the responses really made me smile
I am using smily faces and not winky faces this time so hopefully this post will be clearer for the symbolically challenged

Think of how stupid the average person is and realize that statistically half of them are stupider than that.