Honest level of risk with skydiving?

[skiskyrock 0]

This question comes up constantly, and there is no good answer. Skydiving is a sport where inscrutable people take incalculable risks for incomprehensible rewards. Some die. Some get broke, some get bored.

But here's the thing... the rewards are real. Waiting for a dock while sit flying at Richland and seeing the Columbia river valley spread out in front of me. Doing no-contact CRW at Snohomish above the clouds with only another skydiver and Mt Rainier for company. Waiting for the spot on my graduation dive while hanging onto the floater bars of the 207 with the wheat fields of Davenport rolling by miles below. Doing a water jump into the Susquehanna at Maytown. Cutting away over the Ranch and finding out that the reserve does work. Doing a horny gorilla over Lost Prarie.

Golf probably has moments like these, I just haven't personally experienced them.

[matthias 0]

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Sounds a whole lot safer then driving.

the "safer then driving a car" saying is actually true than?

If you live in a major city like Houston, TX, and have to battle traffic both ways to commute to work, with other drivers who either have lost the will to live or simply can't drive wortha shit....that saying could possibly hold some truth.

Smaller cities and towns, with lesser traffic...driving is much safer...if your a safe driver.

Personally I'd say the risks balance out. The city driving I do and the jumps have about an equal risk... but as others have said, its driver/pilot error rather than gear failure.

0.02

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[Gawain 0]

This is going to be a rough answer but look at it this way: We've basically made a sport out of an emergency procedure.

Having said that, I've seen some lists that don't even put skydiving on the top ten of "most dangerous things to do".

The level of risk is almost purely subjective in nature. We've all seen students that are either "on their game" or "dumb as dirt". It's the same in the experienced jumpers as well, but it could be measured in terms of complacency.

Don't fall into "paralysis of analysis"...go jump and decide if you want to keep doing it!

So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh
Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright
'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life
Make light!

[Philly215 0]

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Sounds a whole lot safer then driving.

the "safer then driving a car" saying is actually true than?

If you live in a major city like Houston, TX, and have to battle traffic both ways to commute to work, with other drivers who either have lost the will to live or simply can't drive wortha shit....that saying could possibly hold some truth.

Smaller cities and towns, with lesser traffic...driving is much safer...if your a safe driver.

Personally I'd say the risks balance out. The city driving I do and the jumps have about an equal risk... but as others have said, its driver/pilot error rather than gear failure.

0.02

So basically, me living in the city with the highest murder rate and going back and forth between philly and newjersey, a city and state with high accident rates, my odds are actually better jumping, lol niceee

[DougH 270]

I thought Camden still had that honor?

"The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall"
=P

[Philly215 0]

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I thought Camden still had that honor?

Nah apparently they moved over the bridge because they figured they'd leave the crime behind them, but just brought more to Philly.

[stratostar 5]

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The score now stands at 14 dead skydiving, 3 dead driving.

Yea, mine is 26 skydiving, 4 flying, all dead & only 3 in cars real bad, but they lived.

you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

[MarkM 0]

If you're pretty safe and don't do a lot of the more dangerous stuff(swooping) and are in the sport for awhile...

The odds of dying are pretty small. But stay around long enough and you'll have friends or people you know that go in.

The odds of a multiple day hospital injury are low, but you need to plan your life around it possibly happening.

The odds of an injury requiring a hospital visit are sort of high. Have insurance.

You will definitely get minor annoyance injuries here and there.

All of the above IMO, naturally.

[Kiki32 1]

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The odds of an injury requiring a hospital visit are sort of high. Have insurance.

But I wouldnt recommend telling them you skydive unless its absolutely necessary. When I broke my hand, I told the ER that I just smacked it on a pole but I didnt tell them it was because I was skydiving. Im too paranoid that my insurance company will try to say Im not covered because of that.

Poetry don't work on whores.

[scottjaco 0]

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Sits fine with me. Sounds a whole lot safer then driving. So basically the fatalities in skydiving are on your decisions, unlike I guess say...driving where you can be 100% defensive and still get hurt from someone else?

I don’t mean to sound condescending but it really seems like you are trying awfully hard to justify the safety of skydiving to yourself.

Quite honestly, this is the most dangerous legal sport you could ever partake in. Don’t kid yourself with statistics. If you stay in the sport long enough, it will kill you.

Have a nice day.

[Philly215 0]

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Sits fine with me. Sounds a whole lot safer then driving. So basically the fatalities in skydiving are on your decisions, unlike I guess say...driving where you can be 100% defensive and still get hurt from someone else?

I don’t mean to sound condescending but it really seems like you are trying awfully hard to justify the safety of skydiving to yourself.

Quite honestly, this is the most dangerous legal sport you could ever partake in. Don’t kid yourself with statistics. If you stay in the sport long enough, it will kill you.

Have a nice day.

lol nah i've been trying to show him replies that sound good without showing him the threads were started by me so he doesn't know its me trying to make it look good. this one might have um, set me back a little lol

[cocheese 0]

Sometimes the biggest risks are the ones you don't take.

edit: I mean, not taking a risk can have riskier results.

[Philly215 0]

Yeah I'm done with all the questions and trying to persuade him. Soons I'm 18 my car goes into my name that I pay for myself anyway, then I can go right to the DZ.

I'm just trying to find someone on here from freefall adventures in nj, try and learn how to pack ahead of time to learn around the dz and some $ down the road.

[airtwardo 6]

If you stay in the sport long enough, it will kill you.

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

[squirrel 0]

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. Don’t kid yourself with statistics. If you stay in the sport long enough, it will kill you.

that would mean a 100% fatality rate....hmm, i dont think so. this is really an inaccutate statement. I have known skydivers who have died in a varitey of other ways...cars, murdered, cancer, old age...etc. It is a dangerous sport, but lately I have heard about more people getting hurt or dying on motorcycles. But then again, I ride too.

________________________________
Where is Darwin when you need him?

[mnskydiver688 0]

Well maybe what he meant was it sucks the life out of you. Money, time, outside commitments, all gone. If you want to get technical just living has a 100% fatality rate. Sooner or later just laying on the couch will kill you. As a wise man once said, "It is better to burn in at 120mph than die in some senseless tragedy."

Sky Canyon Wingsuiters

[Andy_Copland 0]

Free diving and climbing are a couple of things that come to mind.

Dont sound so dramatic, its not really that hardcore and people realise that when they see the pure mix of people you get from suits to brick layers, atheists to bible bashers and so forth.

Your statement is false

1338

People aint made of nothin' but water and shit.

Until morale improves, the beatings will continue.

[firstime 0]

If you stay in the sport long enough, it will kill you.


dumb statement

[cloudseeker2001 0]

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>Yes Skydiving is dangerous....
>But it is probably not as dangerous as Joe Public think it is.

Very true. It is less dangerous than most whuffos think it is; it is more dangerous than tandem factories make it out to be.

good point!

"Some call it heavenly in it's brilliance,
others mean and rueful of the western dream"

[Glitch 0]

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Quite honestly, this is the most dangerous legal sport you could ever partake in. Don’t kid yourself with statistics. If you stay in the sport long enough, it will kill you.

What a crock of shit! If you really feel this way, may I suggest re-educating yourself to the realities of the sport/lifestyle and by all means tell us why you have a suicidal deathwish? Rationally, if you know an activity will kill you, then why do it unless you have a desire for the inevitable results?

Yes, skydiving is dangerous; a quick peak at the incident reports tell us this. In addition, there's an unknown number of 'minor' incidents that never make it to the official incident reports (bruises, sprains, compound fractures, etc, etc, etc...). This being said, there are a lot of 'legal' sports (some mainstream, some not) that are just as capable of injuring/killing you with or without any help from the participant.

As far as 'justifing the safety of skydiving to ourselves'... well, we ALL do that! (...even you my friend, and if you haven't then you had better get on it!). Do the risks and consequences of participation in this sport justify the benefits and rewards? Everyone has their own answer. Skydiving never has been, and never will be for everyone.

Can skydiving kill you? Of course it can. Will it if you stay in the sport long enough? No. I will, however, admit that the likelyhood of injury (of some flavor) at some point in your skydiving career is pretty high. But personally, I refuse to sit on my ass watching TV while others experience what makes life worth living. YMMV

Have a nice day.

[JohnMitchell 14]

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Quite honestly, this is the most dangerous legal sport you could ever partake in. Don’t kid yourself with statistics. If you stay in the sport long enough, it will kill you.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but from the actuarial tables I've seen, mountain climbing is way deadlier than skydiving. Hang gliding had 3 times the deaths, but this was back in the early 80s before reserves were as commonplace for those pilots. Heck, my last life insurance policy didn't even charge more for being a skydiver, even though I instruct and do tandems.

In the 70s, when I started, students were about 1/2 of all the fatalities each year. Now, due to better training, equipment, and especially universal usage of AADs, student fatalities are very rare. There's never been a safer time to learn to skydive. Experienced jumpers used to get killed by botched EPs, usually too little, too late. Now we just use our main canopies to kill ourselves.

You can pick a middle path in skydiving that minimizes, but never eliminates, the risks. Jump a safe wingloading, learn to fly your canopy, and patronize DZs that keep their swoopers under control. Learn to freefall in control before going out on bigways, whether belly or freeflying.

I've made it 33 years in this sport, expect to go another 20 or so years. I'm pretty confident I'm going to make it out the other side alive, or I'd leave the sport right now.

And don't tell me stuff happens. I know that already.

[flyangel2 2]

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The odds of an injury requiring a hospital visit are sort of high. Have insurance.

But I wouldnt recommend telling them you skydive unless its absolutely necessary. When I broke my hand, I told the ER that I just smacked it on a pole but I didnt tell them it was because I was skydiving. Im too paranoid that my insurance company will try to say Im not covered because of that.

Not a good idea to commit fraud with an insurance company. Why not read your policy and see if skydiving is included?

Mutal of Omaha offers an insurance just for Accidents, and Skydiving is included.

May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. - Edward Abbey

[squirrel 0]

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Well maybe what he meant was it sucks the life out of you. Money, time, outside commitments, all gone. If you want to get technical just living has a 100% fatality rate. Sooner or later just laying on the couch will kill you. As a wise man once said, "It is better to burn in at 120mph than die in some senseless tragedy."

i hear what you are saying...but, that type of "high" for me lasted until jump 150 or so. i still jump with my wife, but not as much. we jump to expand our lives, as in take a breather from stress...not to loose ourselves in the sport, like some have. we both find that skydiving, scuba, and flying...make doing the boring tasks of daily work...well, worth while.

________________________________
Where is Darwin when you need him?

[critrgitr 0]

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Quite honestly, this is the most dangerous legal sport you could ever partake in. Don’t kid yourself with statistics. If you stay in the sport long enough, it will kill you.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but from the actuarial tables I've seen, mountain climbing is way deadlier than skydiving. Hang gliding had 3 times the deaths, but this was back in the early 80s before reserves were as commonplace for those pilots. Heck, my last life insurance policy didn't even charge more for being a skydiver, even though I instruct and do tandems.

In the 70s, when I started, students were about 1/2 of all the fatalities each year. Now, due to better training, equipment, and especially universal usage of AADs, student fatalities are very rare. There's never been a safer time to learn to skydive. Experienced jumpers used to get killed by botched EPs, usually too little, too late. Now we just use our main canopies to kill ourselves.

You can pick a middle path in skydiving that minimizes, but never eliminates, the risks. Jump a safe wingloading, learn to fly your canopy, and patronize DZs that keep their swoopers under control. Learn to freefall in control before going out on bigways, whether belly or freeflying.

I've made it 33 years in this sport, expect to go another 20 or so years. I'm pretty confident I'm going to make it out the other side alive, or I'd leave the sport right now.

And don't tell me stuff happens. I know that already.

Great post....