So you’re thinking of making your first ever skydive. You’ve gone deep down the YouTube rabbit hole and watched everything from tandem skydives to wingsuits carving down mountain slopes inches above the terrain, and there are more than a few things that you’re not so sure about; so with that in mind, here’s answers to a few of the more common questions and comments we hear as professional skydivers.
“I really want to skydive, but I hate rollercoasters and don’t like the feeling of falling!”..
- Well, you’re in luck! As strange as it might seem, when you’re making a skydive, you either only briefly or simply never feel the sensation of falling. “But wait” you say, “How will I NOT feel like I’m falling during a skydive?”.
When you jump out of a plane, the sensation you feel is more like that of being suspended in a gas than of falling down in a liquid.
Funny enough, it’s a pretty simple answer.
It is the lack of any sensation of falling that encourages some, as after the initial sense of disorientation passes, it becomes an incredibly tranquil and relaxing experience.
Most of you will be somewhat familiar with the phrase “Terminal Velocity”, but you might not know exactly what it really means.
This is what gives you the sensation of freefalling, but when you are already going at 120mph, you don’t feel like you’re speeding up anymore, even though you are still accelerating due to gravity.
Terminal Velocity is the maximum speed you can reach in a given body position, which when falling belly to earth as you will on your first jump is around 120 miles per hour, give or take. Just prior to jumping, you’ll be in an aircraft traveling at roughly 85-95 miles-per-hour, which means that you’re simply transitioning from a forward speed of 95mph to a downward speed of 120mph.
That’s why there’s no falling sensation even though you’re accelerating, making it feel like you’re floating on the air.
Most of you accelerate more than that just punching it through the intersection on the way to work, and it’s actually acceleration that gives you that falling sensation.
When the camera person opens his parachute and accelerates downward at a slower rate than the skydivers, he or she momentarily appears to be below the skydivers, while they appear to be moving upward.
For most of your skydive you’ll simply feel as if you’re floating on a cushion of air.
“I watched a bunch of tandem skydives and wanted to know how far back up you go when you open the parachute”.
- We can’t lie, this one does make us giggle just a touch… So in the tandem videos or any skydiving video you’ve seen where you’re watching a parachute deploy, chances are that the camera person that shot the video has actually remained in freefall while the other skydiver or tandem pair have opened their canopy.
It’s a common mistake to assume that the camera person is also going up at that moment, as that is what our brain perceives the imagery to be.
It’s the camera person continuing in freefall that creates the optical illusion of the jumper or jumpers rocketing away from them apparently straight up when in reality they are simply slowing down as their parachute opens while the camera continues to fall.
“My good friend made a skydive a while back and said during the whole freefall they couldn’t breathe! How is that possible?”
- The mind is an incredible thing to be sure, but every once and a while it decides to play tricks on us.
Despite their immediate instinct, they can breathe just fine since freefall provides plenty of oxygen.
Occasionally, this is one of them.
It’s important not to let this fool you into thinking there is anything wrong, as simply breathing normally will take care of any concerns you may have.
The truth is, during a skydive you can breathe as normally as you can standing with both feet planted firmly on the ground, but when in freefall with the air rushing past your face more quickly than ever before it simply feels strange to some, and their brain tells them something is wrong… The easy fix? Let out that “YEEAAAHHH!!” waiting to get out! We promise you that as soon as your lungs are empty, they will fill up again!
Bottom line, especially in a sport as exciting as skydiving there is simply no such thing as a stupid question, so please never hesitate to ask us.
We are always happy to answer any questions you may have, no matter how insignificant they might seem, so don’t hesitate to contact us.
Give us a call, or better yet come check it out in person.
If you come and visit us in person, we can show you all about skydiving and share our passion for the sport with you.
One of the things skydivers like almost as much as jumping, is talking all about it!
So what are you waiting for? Book your first skydive today and experience it on your own!!
