Kirkk0herra

A quick update. The problem still persists. Bear in mind I had no head cold or anything when this happened. I can equalize but the trapped pressure won't escape. At times it seems to go away and then it comes back. GP or ENT both give the same answer, on the surface eveything is ok and that's the thing, they simply have no means to dig any deeper. And a lot of doctors simply don't seem to understand anything about scuba/skydiving or issues associated with them. I'll get a prescription for pseudoefedrine tomorrow and we'll see if that works or not. I've tried everything after that. We're on a landing pattern that is about to turn the most anticipated holiday ever into the most horrible holiday ever. And there won't be a new one anytime soon and the next one will include taking photos of old churches with my GF to make up for this 'wild-just-with-boys-skydiving-party' Next it's 12 pints of Guinness since I got fuck all better to do. Sorry for the rant, I'm furious.

Short update, I stayed on the ground whole day, the pressure feeling comes and goes. I went to swimming pool and I was able to equalize normally on the way down and my ears equalized on the way up with snap, crackle and pop but without pain. I even tried Nasolin directly into my ear as one instructor said it does it for him. Clearly my ears do work with slight discomfort. I'm starting to lean towards a jump tomorrow and if for some odd reason there would be pain or I'd be unable to equalize on the plane I just abort.

I got a green bottle called Disne mar...

Thanks for the replies, yes I told the Dr. what happened. I bought some nose spray from a farmacy which I doubt will work. the pressure is clearly between my ear and my right temple. I know it might sound radical but de-compressing it could work, going back up, opening high and equalizing all the way down. For now on I equalize every 2000ft or so just like in scuba diving.

Hello, On my third AFF jump this morning I felt a sharp pain in my right ear. I went to a doctor and he said everything is fine (no busted ear drum) but I can feel something quite clearly isn't right. The sensation is like having an ear muff over my ear or water in my ear. I didn't have cold or anything. I feel a little pressure on my forehead, right side so that clearly points to sinuses. Any tips or advice if I should just let it pass (god knows how long it takes and my holiday is just 2 more weeks) or attempt a re-pressurization via another jump? Meds? What kind? Man if this 40 jumps turns into 3.....

Have I understood correctly that if -for example- one becomes entangled with the main skyhook will not allow cutaway and clearing the main before deploying reserve from a stable position?

Thanks guys, I already feel more relaxed :)

Hello, In two weeks I'll be in Empuriabrava for my AFF with Nigel Holland. I've been reading this forum and other sources of information like a man possessed. I'm a professional dive instructor and maybe this is the contributing fear factor because I know all the errors/miscalculations newbies are prone of doing. I just want to become rock solid and safe performer fast. I'm mentally well past 'doing crazy stuff' and I take my newbie role seriously. I'm not going to get cocky with 30 jumps under my belt. My biggest fears are injuring myself during landing and variety of mals, midair collisions and reserve not working. Two outs and spinning mals are particularly scary looking. Skydiving is something I have been dreaming about for years and now that I'm about take on the sport I don't remember feeling this insecure about my abilities. I did well in wind tunnel, solid controlled turns, back and forth, sideway slides. It was a bit like in water only not that dense :) I'm not overly worried over the freefall bit but the canopy flight and my abilities to fly and land safely. And of course what will come out of that container. With my luck Micky Mouse undies on a washing line. How frequent line twists are? Is downwind landing a sure leg breaker? Is there anyway to practice canopy flying on dry land? Simulators or anything? Thanks for reading.

Don't worry I'm not buying anything before we get this AFF and the rest of jumps done. After that I should have 50 jumps and maybe a little more perspective into this sport :)

Thanks for clearing that! I'm a beginner about to do my AFF in couple of weeks + consolidating jumps + 30 fun jumps. Everyone keeps saying that I should buy a rig early on or I'll spend the money renting one. A good fitting helmet and goggles are obviously among the things to have. I have pair of these that I've used on jobs and shooting range, I guess they are suitable for skydiving as well but I'd need a separate helmet. http://www.revisionmilitary.com/product/exoshield-extreme-low-profile-eyewear/

Thanks for clearing that up. I was not aware of such system. I do wonder is it widely used since I see all kinds of helmets being used in skydiving / BASE and I have spotted only a few of these, which at the time just looked like a weird chin strap.

Audible? As of audible altimeter? I think I'll do just fine with a traditional one. Cutaway system for GoPro? I'm afraid I'm not familiar with such thing. Care to elaborate?

Hello, I came across with these. I think both are a rather good looking setups with integrated goggles so you don't risk losing them. I'm yet to buy any skydiving gear, do you think these would do the job? Bolle Osmoz (~$150) http://www.bolle.com/products/osmoz OSBE United http://craft-helme.maedl.de/osbe-skihelmet-united-blackred-p-8915.html?language=en&noHeaderNavCat=0

Thanks buddy. The sport does seem to have almost two sides. I was told that after 200 jumps -if one is a solid performer- one can move onto BASE. And now one needs 200 jumps for a GoPro. Like I stated previously I understand the reasons behind restrictions. I just thought 200 times anything is plenty.

That's a good point and I don't have an answer, maybe by keeping adequate space between us?. Both diving and skydiving are inherently dangerous sports. The presence of a camera as a contributing factor can be debated. Usually -at least underwater- it's seldom the rookies who do stupid stuff and get into trouble, 9 times out of ten it's the seasoned veterans who push the envelope and run out of luck. But like I said previously, I'm ok with the rules. I'm a rookie. I'm not here to come up with new rules. I do as I am told. Period.

I was more like referring to the fact that while jumping you don't operate the camera and it doesn't hinder your ability to perform. It's stuck on your helmet and that's it. While diving you have to operate the camera, compensate for buoyancy etc. In general pay a lot of attention to the camera and that creates a safety hazard among inexperienced divers.

Thanks for the replies, once again. We'll sort out the rest once we're actually there. As for the camera I totally understand the limitations. Being a dive instructor we have same kind of rules. But 200 seems a bit harsh for a thing that's mounted on top of your helmet and doesn't tie your hands operating it nor make you focus on the thing. In scuba diving amateur with a camera can get into trouble by entanglement or losing buoyancy while trying to take a shot, dropping it and by making a foolish recovery attempt etc. Still cameras are widely ok on fun dives if you're certified diver even with just 10 dives. But I'm not going to fight over it, just saying.

Thank you for all the replies. I'm gonna do CH2 instead of FS1. When do you need FS1? Is it needed for simultaneous exit or is it needed if there's other people up in the sky? And for that helmet, are there skydiving specific helmets or can I use my brand new BMX helmet after the course [gopro in mind]? Maybe remove the visor from it. Maybe I'm just cheap and out of cupboard space but I don't want to buy several helmets and mounts if I switch between snowboarding / mountain biking / other sports. Unless it doesn't work because of aerodynamics or for other reasons.

That's a good point! I'll keep that in mind. I'm still a bit confused if the AFF + 30 jumps gets me an A-licence or not. What's involved in getting a FS1 Pixie mentioned? If I can catch a ride up in the sky am I allowed to jump only solo without FS1? If someone has a clear chart of all of these stages with them explained, I'd appreciate one. And thanks for all the answers!

English is my second language so forgive me if something is lost in translation. I got the helmet for mountain biking, I just thought maybe it can be used for skydiving as well. By stopping I meant a pause in skydiving. If I gotta work very hard for -say- 4 months I might not be able to jump at all during that time. And if a person has only done the bare bone basic stuff once and has that 4 month gap and then goes back to do 'a real' solo jump, chances are a lot of stuff has been forgotten. We're looking at 2-3 weeks in Spain. So time might not be the problem, money might.

Hello, I'm a new member of this forum. I'm a 34 years old dive instructor from Finland and it's been my dream for sometime now to change the depths for blue skies. It does scare me a bit, though. Maybe it's being a dive instructor that immediately brings all the horror scenarios with a student to my mind. Except this time I'm the student in an unfamiliar environment. My plan is to do the AFF + 30 or so jumps in Spain in early June. Before going there I'll do 10 x 1min in a local wind tunnel just to get feeling of things. I know it's not required or same thing as an actual jump but I figured it might boost my survival odds by having at least some experience about freefall, body positions and how to move in mid air. I figured I'll do the 30 or so additional jumps on top of the course just to get a little more experience. I feel doing a course of anything and then returning to it, to do it 'for real' after a pause is a recipe for a disaster. Feel free to comment my plan. Then couple of questions, if I may. Does anyone know anything about this place http://www.skydivespain.com/ ? That's the place I have in mind. Can I use this kind of helmet for skydiving? I just got one for Christmas. http://www.dalescycles.com/components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/661_comp_black_helmet.jpg Anything else I should know about at this stage? Thanks in advance.