NZNik

That was a really really cool video, the song fits perfectly. Well done :D

Also, could you look at it this way? : I've personally lost mates to car crashes or other accidents, and most of you probably have too. The likelyhood of being killed in a car crash, or knowing someone who has is probably significantly higher than skydiving. I think it's just our perception, and the fact we're so used to driving that we assume it's safer. Could you use this theory as a comparison? The frequency of deaths with skydiving VS deaths with driving, on a percentage/per capita basis (Obviously there are FAR more drivers in the world than sky divers)

Wow, thanks guys. I didn't expect the level of advice I have received, I really appreciate it. At this stage, I plan only to do AFF and become a regular jumper. I have no real intention of BASE, Wingsuit or other forms of jumping that isn't vanilla Sky Diving. Not that it doesn't interest me, Wing suits sound like a bloody great idea - but i'm not going to jump to gun. I guess like a few of you have said, I can take comfort in knowing that a lot of accidents happen due to human error, or pushing the boundaries or other rather controllable factors. If anyone has any more advice/soothing statistics to provide, please do :D As pathetic as it sounds, it feels like a big step and I guess arming myself with knowledge dissipates the fear to a certain extent. Thanks again.

Wow that's quite incredible, thanks for the info Glideangle. It seems though within the industry, everyone knows someone who has lost someone, or who has lost someone themselves. I noticed in the Blue Skies sub forum, without upsetting anyone, there have been a few loved ones lost. Without upsetting anyone or asking questions, are they not all sky diving related. I guess i'm paranoid, or have a ridiculously over-the-top self preservation mechanism... Perhaps some therapy could cure it :D

Hi guys. Not one month ago I got to experience the most amazing thing I've ever done in my life. My first jump. This happened in Wanaka, New Zealand. I've done and seen some great stuff in my short time, but probably the only thing that comes close to that skydive is a long steep hard powder run on a snowboard. I'm sure you can all remember your first jump - the apprehension before hand, the smell of the burning Jet A1, the butterflies, the hyperventilation seconds before jumping out and then the rush before hitting terminal velocity - just awesome. The main reason I signed up today was to ask a couple of questions. I've decided to to my AFF and take Sky diving up as a sport/hobby or whatever you want to call it. The problem is, i'm torn between the awesomeness of it, and the terrifying thoughts of "What if it all goes wrong?" I'm mainly thinking chute failure, as most newbies probably do - but all jokes aside, how real are the risks? I'm really packing myself about things like chute failure or other conditions out of my control. How often does this stuff actually happen? I understand all this fear mainly comes down to not understanding, lack of knowledge etc. So if you don't mind guys, could you offer me some honest advice so I can put my mind at ease? Nik.