ADVENTURE TRAVEL

How to Prepare Yourself for a Skydiving Jump

Some advice before you are going to jump out of a plane

I’m not going to stop you from jumping out of a plane. Neither am I going to convince you to do it. I’m happy to encourage you. But I also want to give you some advice along the way.

It can be scary. Yes. For some. And others don’t even get nervous. That’s probably the case when you’re an adrenaline junkie. And then you most likely will consider picking it up as a sport.

Skydiving is an activity where people’s opinions couldn’t be further apart from each other. The ones love it and can’t get enough of it. And others would never in their life consider doing it.

My background in the sport

I jump out of planes for a living. And I love it. I’ve done my first tandem jump about six years ago. My first solo one year later. Slowly building up experience I eventually did my coach and then instructor rating.

Because what I love doing in life is teaching. I’ve learned a lot in those years. On the ground and in the sky. I’ve worked at the reception talking with the worried mothers and the young adults asking if they were going to die.

Really? If you think you would die doing this why would you sign up for it? And no, you won’t. Or let’s say your car ride to the airport and back home again is more dangerous than the skydive itself.

I’ve also been spending quite some time on the packing mat. Packing tandem parachutes. Yes, the ones you will be hanging on. And no it’s not difficult to pack them. Not for me at least. Because I’ve done it a lot. Like you in your job. You also know what you’re doing.

I spent almost an entire year jumping out of planes filming the tandems. Capturing the scared, petrified, excited, happy, and incredibly motivated tandem guests on film.

This was my job. Filming and taking photographs. While falling at an estimated 220kph through the sky. Smiling back at the passengers. Because it’s fun! For me as well.

And then I started training those adrenaline junkies. Those who couldn’t get enough out of a tandem jump and wanted to fly by themselves. I feed them every little bit of knowledge I have about this sport.

Because I want to see them flying. By themselves. Also without me holding onto them. I like seeing people progressing. It’s such an awarding moment for a teacher. If your student succeeds in his sport.

But enough about me. During all those years I’ve spoken to many tandem passengers, those who would never consider it and those who come repeatedly again.

Here’s my bit of advice for you. To make your experience more relaxed. More fulfilling. And simply a jump you will never forget.

What to know and do to prepare yourself

1. Don’t tell your mom.

Or bring her with. It’s the worst you can do. She’ll hype you up. And everyone else. Eventually, she will freak out the instructor as well. She doesn’t need to know. Really. It’s enough if you tell her afterward.

I really don’t understand why people think it’s a great idea to involve their mom. You know the feelings parents have for their children. They don’t think rationally. They are just worried. So just leave your mom in peace.

At least until you landed. Then you can send her a photograph. She might still get a heart attack but she’ll get over it quick knowing you’re safe again.

2. Skydiving is weather-related.

We can’t jump when it rains. We can’t jump when clouds are hanging low above the ground. And we can’t jump either when the wind is too strong. Skydiving is an outdoor activity and therefore weather dependant.

Don’t call the office in May asking if on the 26th of August the sun will be shining when you booked your skydive. Use all your brain you use at work as well. Don’t make us start drinking alcohol at 10 in the morning. We prefer not to.

Yes, we live in the 21st century and have quite accurate weather predictions. This is kind of true. But those predictions aren’t that accurate when looking at a small location. It can rain 5 kilometers from the airport and we can still jump if there’s some blue sky above us.

Be patient and trust us in making the call. We do this for a living. We know when it is safe to jump and when it isn’t. Just bring some time with you. Sometimes we need to have a weather hold. To wait for the storm to pass. Or the wind to die down.

This brings me to the next point

3. Skydiving is a full-day activity.

Knowing there is a lot of planning involved to get enough people together to fill a plane there are also a lot of unknown factors we are dealing with. Which is the reason why the waiting time can be longer than expected.

Usually, you should be done within half a day. But don’t book other activities on the same day. Be flexible. This will make your stay more pleasant.

We try to accommodate you as soon as possible but sometimes things happen we can’t influence and therefore it can take longer as planned.

4. Eat something.

Eat something before you come to the dropzone. I am not saying to eat the extra-large burger. But you need something in your stomach. An empty stomach is the worst for your balance. You’ll get sick.

I am saying you will throw up if you don’t eat anything that day. Don’t do that to the tandem master. And yourself.

5. Don’t wear a dress.

You’re laughing? I’m not. I cannot recall how many times I’ve seen girls showing up for the jump in a dress. Why? In warm climates, we don’t give you a suit. You can jump in your clothes.

Unless you rock up in a dress…

6. You can’t pick your instructor.

You cannot pick who you are jumping with. You will not be able to choose your tandem instructor. They work on a rotation basis. So whoever’s turn it is will be assigned to you.

They are all highly qualified and have gone through years of training. They know what they are doing. Just do your part and don’t be a difficult customer.

7. Don’t forget to breathe.

A lot of people come to me afterward saying they couldn’t breathe while in freefall. That is because they were trying to hold their breath the entire time! Just breathe! It’s as easy as that.

So remember before jumping out of the plane that you should just breathe as normal. Or scream. Then you’ll automatically be breathing in the air!

8. Don’t ask about your goggles.

Do not ask your instructor about your goggles. Don’t. Everyone does. A thousand times. Nobody worries about the parachute, the plane, or the harness. It’s all about the goggles. Why? Goggles won’t help you survive. They really don’t.

I don’t understand this phenomenon. You can actually jump out of the plane without having goggles on. It might be a bit unpleasant in freefall but nothing will happen.

And if the worst-case in your eyes would happen and the instructor should forget about your goggles there’s always a spare pair of goggles in the plane. So you’ll be fine.

The reason why we’re not giving you the goggles earlier is that first of all you might misplace, lose, or damage them before the flight. Secondly, if you put them on before jumping they will fog up.

So just leave the worries about the goggles to the instructor. He knows exactly what he needs for the jump and also doesn’t forget more important items than the goggles.

Just let go of all your worries and enjoy the feeling of flying.

Everything else you need to know for the jump will be explained shortly before getting ready. You are going to get a briefing on the ground and your instructor is going to repeat the important things in the plane again for you.

But in case you should forget everything — it’s not the end of the world. Your instructor is still going to land you safely. He got trained to even land with a passed-out passenger. Not the best situation but it can be done as well.

And here’s the last part of my advice:

9. You can tip your instructor.

You can tip your tandem instructor if you feel an added sense of gratitude.

It is as much appreciated as in every other place offering a service. If you’ve landed safely and had a great time because someone was entertaining you for the last hour while preparing to jump out of a plane you’re welcome to buy him (or her) a beer too.

Final words

I hope you’re feeling more confident about your jumping day now. Well prepared and excited for what is going to come. This is all you need to know. Worry less and smile more is what I am going to give you along the way.

And remember :

The most dangerous part of skydiving is the addiction to it.

And with this last one, I am going to leave you. Go ahead and book your skydive. In your neighboring town or the next holiday destination. It doesn’t matter.

Just don’t forget to report about it afterward. I love getting feedback about skydiving experiences. To improve and learn for the future.

More about my skydiving stories…

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Anne Bonfert is a traveler. Photographer. Writer. Teacher. Skydiving instructor. Adventure enthusiast. Nature lover. And fell in love with the African continent.

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