Tandem Jump/Motion Sickness

[Irish_Spark 0]

I had my first Tandem Jump yesterday, and have to say it was by far the most amazing feeling in the world. I was the first one out so I was able to sit by the door the whole time and take in the amazing view. Definitely a sport I see myself getting immersed in.

Now my true question is I didn't feel sick until we got under the canopy and spiraled around a couple times. Is there really anything I can do to defeat the motion sickness? It didn't help that I hadn't ate or drank much that day but I've been known to have the same issue with rollercoasters.

[normiss 622]

Most likely the fitment of the tandem student harness and/or the spinning under canopy.
With proper adjustment, and not getting the leg straps too tight I can usually ensure you won't get motion sickness. Not always though!
Sometimes looking out at the horizon as opposed as focusing on the ground helps too.

I'm glad you had a safe and exciting experience.
Now sign up for AFF class and start jumping on your own.
It gets BETTER!!!

[oldwomanc6 38]

I never get motion sickness even in a plane doing acrobatics, so this comes from observing my daughter. My daughter gets motion sickness whenever she is in a car while riding. When she learned to drive, that went away, but only while driving. The same may be true when you are the one controlling the canopy.

This also could be a reaction of relief, sort of a letdown of the anxiety of the "actual" jump--meaning the ride up and the freefall--once you were under canopy, you felt safe and all the stuff you didn't let yourself succumb to earlier rushed in and ...

Take heart, and stick it out if it something you enjoy!

lisa
WSCR 594
FB 1023
CBDB 9

[Irish_Spark 0]

Thanks, I plan to continue and sign up for the AFF class coming up in September when I get off of Leave. Everyone I talked to at the DZ said the same thing it only gets better from here, you've gotten over the initial shock and curiosity of what its like, now time to take it to the next level. I couldn't believe how light the opening was, I was expecting to be jerked up and before I knew it we had opened and gliding down.

[Irish_Spark 0]

Quote

I never get motion sickness even in a plane doing acrobatics, so this comes from observing my daughter. My daughter gets motion sickness whenever she is in a car while riding. When she learned to drive, that went away, but only while driving. The same may be true when you are the one controlling the canopy.

This also could be a reaction of relief, sort of a letdown of the anxiety of the "actual" jump--meaning the ride up and the freefall--once you were under canopy, you felt safe and all the stuff you didn't let yourself succumb to earlier rushed in and ...

Take heart, and stick it out if it something you enjoy!

I use to get really sea sick when out on a boat in lake michigan, and like you said it seemed to go away after I was allowed to steer the boat. Put my mind in another place.

[oldwomanc6 38]

Something else that may be useful are the motion sickness bands you wear around your wrist. No drugs. Some people swear by them. The science behind them is fairly solid--Acupressure/puncture based. Worth a try anyway.

lisa
WSCR 594
FB 1023
CBDB 9

[nitro_fever 0]

Hey i had the same feeling under canopy when i did my tandem jump. Now i have become a student the canopy ride is unreal with no sickness feeling, even when i was doing spirals yesterday was all good. Give it another chance im sure it will be fine when you are under the canopy by yourself.

Blue Skies
JEZZA

[antibac 0]

I also felt sort of nauseous after my tandem jump, like you this was while under the canopy. I felt better pretty quick though. It wasn't a big issue at my AFF-course, but I felt dizzy after a few of my jumps. This was when I jumped on an empty stomach. Apparently it's normal to feel dizzy or nauseous if you jump on an empty stomach. Maybe that was the issue for you?

[almeister112 0]

I'm a total wuss when it comes to motion sickness (a little turbulence and I don't do so great), but like an idiot I said "OK!" when my tandem instructor asked if I wanted to do spirals on my first jump. I felt sick for the rest of the day, but went ahead and did AFF anyway (after checking that I could pay for the package deal only after making sure I didn't get sick on every jump).

Flying your own canopy should, I think, get rid of the motion sickness for 2 reasons: 1, like people said, it's different when you're in control. But more importantly, your being in control means you can stop it if it gets to be too much--I still can't do more than about 540 degrees burying a toggle before I start to feel it, so I just stop the turn before it's a problem. I think you should be fine.

[Fast 0]

I find that my passengers for tandems do better when I have their hands in the toggles as well. With thousands of skydives, I have a hard time riding on the front of a tandem w/o getting a bit queasy, I think it has to do with not being able to anticipate the motions.

~D
Where troubles melt like lemon drops Away above the chimney tops That's where you'll find me.
Swooping is taking one last poke at the bear before escaping it's cave - davelepka

[Irish_Spark 0]

Thanks for everyones responses and help. I will plan to continue on into AFF and hopefully getting under my own canopy can help with the motion sickness.

I now understand what everyone meant when they said its an addictive sport. The day I scheduled my tandem jump all I could think about before going to sleep at night was doing it. Now that I've made that first jump I still find myself wanting to keep jumping. It was such a rush and find myself wanting to do it over and over again.