Skydiving - Worried

Kidchameleon

Hi All,

Your thoughts would be greatly appriceated on this. Im due to do a skydive next month with a friend and have been looking forward to it. However as it comes nearer the time to do it, I find myself starting to brick it! I have a 9 year old daughter and im starting to think if something happens, how would she feel? Id kind of be afraid to tell her im doing it in case she starts worrying allthough im not sure she fully knows what a skydive entails. Perhaps my fears are just manifesting themselves in my worries about my daughter? My friend has done a dive before so I know all is safe and it would go grand on the day, but im really starting to worry now for some reason!!

Thanks for reading.

zxcvbnm1

Kidchameleon wrote: »

Hi All,

Your thoughts would be greatly appriceated on this. Im due to do a skydive next month with a friend and have been looking forward to it. However as it comes nearer the time to do it, I find myself starting to brick it! I have a 9 year old daughter and im starting to think if something happens, how would she feel? Id kind of be afraid to tell her im doing it in case she starts worrying allthough im not sure she fully knows what a skydive entails. Perhaps my fears are just manifesting themselves in my worries about my daughter? My friend has done a dive before so I know all is safe and it would go grand on the day, but im really starting to worry now for some reason!!

Thanks for reading.

To be honest i'd never do one. I'm sure statistically speaking it is very safe and all that.
But for me i know i would also be stressing out for weeks in advance.
Would be great satisfaction to do it - but the satisfaction gained has to be weighed against the stress beforehand.

For me it wouldn't be worth the trade off.

peasant

Not everybody has to have done a skydive at least once in their life ...not if they don't want to.

I used to do paragliding ...you know, flying off mountains with a canopy very similar to a parachute and I used to enjoy that very much.

But would I jump out of a plane and go into freefall? Not in my life I wouldn't.

Scared stiff at the thought of it.

Taltos

OP

I did one - a solo years ago in the US. Was talked into it by my partner. I too was terrified. But it was all arranged within a few days so there was no time to dwell on it or let fear get the better of me.
On the day though - I was shaking like a leaf - all the way through the training. Up until I got into the plane - then I just felt really calm - figured there was only one way out...

However,
while it is very safe - there are risks. Yes you could get injured or die. It is a risk - but only one you can answer. The way I balanced it - there is a risk I could get hit by a bus just walking down the road.

However - the thrill you get from it is amazing. Unlike anything I have felt except from a bungee jump (that scared me more).
If you are doing a tandem then the risks are much lower - you will be in the hands of an expert here.

While I understand you have to make a call based on having a child - you also have to balance becoming risk averse. Just breathing carries risk. I suggest that maybe you contact the group doing the jumps and ask to talk to someone about how you feel, it is totally natural.

Taltos

Taltos wrote: »

there is a risk I could get hit by a bus just walking down the road.

Just breathing carries risk.

I don't get arguments like this. You HAVE to breathe. You HAVE to walk down the road unless you're a recluse. You don't have to jump out of a plane. The risk is small but it's there. It is totally different than the everyday risks we all take. Personally, it wouldn't be worth it to me if I had a child, I wouldn't enjoy the skydive because of worrying about the child but it's up to the OP. Nobody here can decide.

Oryx

I did a solo static line jump years ago. I loved it and wanted to go again. But time moved on and I ended up having kids and now I wouldnt consider it, for the same reasons you feel. Kids make you feel more mortal and you think more about the consequences of kicking the bucket!

Even having said that, I think everyone should do things that challenge them, and scare them. Its character building to be frightened and to face it, and beat it. These jumps do go wrong, but generally safety is a big concern and accidents are rare. If you do go ahead, you will get so much from doing it. But youve got to balance up all considerations and also decide if your fear now is just your brain having a little panic (which is normal) or if you should actually quit. Noone can decide but you, only you know if youll be relieved if you quit, or regretful and kicking yourself.

rustynutz

Kidchameleon wrote: »

Hi All,

Your thoughts would be greatly appriceated on this. Im due to do a skydive next month with a friend and have been looking forward to it. However as it comes nearer the time to do it, I find myself starting to brick it! I have a 9 year old daughter and im starting to think if something happens, how would she feel? Id kind of be afraid to tell her im doing it in case she starts worrying allthough im not sure she fully knows what a skydive entails. Perhaps my fears are just manifesting themselves in my worries about my daughter? My friend has done a dive before so I know all is safe and it would go grand on the day, but im really starting to worry now for some reason!!

Thanks for reading.

I felt just like this when I did my first tandem jump, I was also talked into it. I didn't sleep for weeks coming up to it, got butterflies everytime I thought about it, I was afraid of heights at the best of times. But on the day I didn't feel as bad and the ride up in the plane wasn't as bad as I expected, when the door opened I just put my faith in the tandem instructor.......what happened next was the most exhilerating experience of my life, it cannot be described.

I loved the experience so much I got my skydiving license not long after, and I now have over 100 solo jumps under me belt:), I see tandem passengers everytime I jump at the club, a lot are like you before the jump, nervous, pale face etc. but all have large smiles on their faces when the touch down after. Good luck with your decision OP!

McCrack

Yes you are going to be nervous (and that's an understatement) but that's all part of the experience of doing a sky-jump. I don't know what I or anybody else can say to you really. Only you can overcome your fear and do it.

InReality

Why are you doing it ?
I think some people do it as a "life experience" type to thing to beat fears etc.
That was why I did one.
Had no lasting positive effect on me anyway , I think its way over hyped and a bit silly.

And there is a real, if very very small risk of getting killed, so I'd have a re-think on it if I was you.

spank_inferno

OP if you are doing a "tandem" jump, there is really nothing to worry about. Its just a great ride and you wont regret.

Static line jumps take a bit more prep because you are on your own.

I did one with my wife only last month and I thought I was going to pull out last minute. However I went through with it and have no regrets.

But the risks are very real. The sensation of jumping out of a plane on your own is hard to describe.

If your already so nervous now, that feeling wont abate, I would consider withdrawing now rather than on the day and losing the money paid.
There is no dishonour in it.

gimme5minutes

Cons:
Risk of death
Risk of serious injury such as paralysis
Experiencing serious stress for the several weeks leading up to the jump

Pros:
You get a bit of a buzz from it

There is no getting a few minutes worth of a buzz would outweigh the negatives for me.

kjl

Listen, there is a chance you can die or get hurt from it, but 99.99999% you will be safe. You could be hit by a car too, does that stop you from crossing the street?

Go for it, these are just nerves.

Lorrs33

I hope to do a skydive someday, just for the experience. I was looking at ways to do it for charity, as I feel it would stop me from backing out. Try not to let your fears get the best of you, you can do this!

Denimgirl

Don't be silly go for it!My brothers friend first did it for charity years ago and now he does it every year for charity he was just like you at first bricken it!! but now he gets a adrenaline rush from it.Once you pay attention to the skill of it when your trained in.you'll be fine!but if you truely don;t think your up to it then don't!

rantyface

You could not pay me enough to do it. I would just refuse. Statistically it's safe but it goes against all my instincts. No way.

piby

[quote=[Deleted User];66538870]I don't get arguments like this. You HAVE to breathe. You HAVE to walk down the road unless you're a recluse. You don't have to jump out of a plane. The risk is small but it's there. It is totally different than the everyday risks we all take.[/QUOTE]

But I think the point is that the risk is the same even if you don't have to do it. Yes you choose whether or not you jump out of a plane but that doesn't change the odds of whether of not you'll get hit by a car. How angry and annoyed would you be if in say five years you got hit by a car anyway and were paralysed (Touch wood!). Would you be sitting there thinking to yourself 'Well at least I didn't do that skydive'?

OP I think you're right to be thinking of your kids but at the same time I think it could be a great experience. You only get one crack at this life so why not do things out of the ordinary?

piby

piby wrote: »

But I think the point is that the risk is the same even if you don't have to do it. Yes you choose whether or not you jump out of a plane but that doesn't change the odds of whether of not you'll get hit by a car. How angry and annoyed would you be if in say five years you got hit by a car anyway and were paralysed (Touch wood!). Would you be sitting there thinking to yourself 'Well at least I didn't do that skydive'?

OP I think you're right to be thinking of your kids but at the same time I think it could be a great experience. You only get one crack at this life so why not do things out of the ordinary?

No, the point is you don't have to take unnecessary risks. We all face risks like being hit by a car but we can't help those - why add onto the risk of something happening by voluntarily doing a dangerous activity? As for your example, well no, I don't see it like that at all. You could also say that if you did one skydive and ended up paralysed, you'd think 'what did I do that for? Ruined my life for a 5 minute thrill.' I'm simply saying what I'd do in the same situation as OP. I like some extreme sports, but I don't have a child to worry about. If I did, I think the risk of leaving them orphaned would outweigh any thrill I'd get from jumping out of a plane. The worry alone would ruin it for me.

LegacyUser

I'd just like to add my recommendation to do it.

It was the most amazing experience I've ever had and I would do one again tomorrow.

Tackling these kinds of fears makes you stronger and braver in all aspects of life, so don't back out of it.

You want your children to be brave and strong too I would imagine?

LegacyUser

gimme5minutes wrote: »

Cons:
Risk of death
Risk of serious injury such as paralysis
Experiencing serious stress for the several weeks leading up to the jump

Pros:
You get a bit of a buzz from it

There is no getting a few minutes worth of a buzz would outweigh the negatives for me.

A 'bit' of a buzz? Seriously?! You'll remember it and talk about it for years. You'll have a smile on your face for days afterwards, you'll (depending on the height you jump from) have the exhileration of freefall combined with the stillness and grace of the decent under the chute.

You'll never forget it. Ever.

Unneccessary risk? Technically yes and if you're happy to live your life avoiding any uneccessary risks I guess you can read about it in a book and think about what might have been.

gimme5minutes

Banger moon wrote: »

A 'bit' of a buzz? Seriously?! You'll remember it and talk about it for years. You'll have a smile on your face for days afterwards, you'll (depending on the height you jump from) have the exhileration of freefall combined with the stillness and grace of the decent under the chute.

You'll never forget it. Ever.

I'm sure the guys who are left paraplegic/quadraplegic from a bad skydive would agree with that. Combined with the risk of death I just don't see the point in skydiving.

Firetrap

Are you doing it for charity? Or just for yourself. I'm just asking so that you can work out an escape plan. I get the feeling that if you backed out of it in the morning, you'd be happy with yourself for having done that. Sometimes we do or agree to do things that seem like a good idea at the time but when you think about them, you think differently.

Blisterman

The whole reason we're on this planet is to enjoy life, not spend all out time fearing death.

So, go for it OP.

2manyconditions

I think you should wait until the day itself see how you feel then, nerves are part of the experience. Take a third person along in the event you will definately decide not to do it and the experience won't be completely wasted. Its not worth the wasting.

Its a fantastic experience and eventhough this was something I really really wanted to do, I was v nervous and put it off for a while, I only booked it a few days in advance so I didn't have much time to think about it. But I don't have children so I can't fully appreciate your fear.

When I did my dive, a guy I would say in this 60s maybe older was doing a solo - my point is if you decide its not for you now, its not forever. If its on your to do list wait till your daughter is older but don't say never, you'd be missing out if its something you'd like to do.

All the best.

piby

Ok some quick research gives me the following number:

Irish Road Fatalities per 100,000 inhabitants per year: 7.8 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_traffic-related_death_rate)

Skydiving Fatalities per 100,000 inhabitants (technically jumps) per year: 1 (http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/skydiving8.htm)

The Skydiving figures are for the US but I don't imagine they'd vary too much with regard Ireland. I understand why you don't want unnecessary risk but it's nearly eight times more dangerous to drive and yet I bet you don't give that a second thought.

LegacyUser

Hi OP!
Honestly I know how you feel, I always contemplated doing a skydive and never knew if I'd pluck up the courage to do it. I was having a really exhausting and rough few days, I felt really down in the dumps and oddly enough the chance came up and I thought FÚCK it I'll just do it.
Now to be perfectly honest I'm terrified of heights, and I tried to talk my friends into doing it with me but none of them would, even that that I was still like fúck it just go for it.
I know I'll prob get killed for saying this but I had a few drinks the night before it to calm the nerves, actually did me the world of good and it put me in great humour the night before, I woke up the next day and like that, fear sunk in and I was like fúck it, just do it!
The place I went to did the training, etc (it's easy once you just listen, but I was so scared I overanalysed the whole thing to make sure I did it perfectly) and I was up in that plane on my own with the instructor and the pilot, the plane was a rickety one but even then I just thought to myself I'd get down a hell of a lot faster jumping out than going back down, wasting my money and the pilot and instructor's time.
The instructor was great, he/she will put you at ease completely and nothing will ever compare to the feeling of that freefall, it's exhilarating and better than sex and you actually can't control the adrenaline!!!!
Try to get a video of it too, I still haven't watched mine (I think I'd actually be disgraced watching my reactions hahaha) but it can be your proof!
Once I did it I honestly wanted to go back up and do it again, most peole say the scariest bit is when that plane door opens, for me it was actually after the parachute and my legs were dangling thousands of feet up.
It's human nature to feel scared, but you have a friend doing it with you who will be equally as terrified so really don't worry it'll be an incredible experience for the two of ye together.

toadfly

I was petrified doing it but it was amazing! I got a DVD done as well so all you can see when I am about to go is me saying NNNOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Was on the way out then so was no going back. Its unreal, you cannot explain it. I am so glad I done it. Wouldnt do it again but so glad I had the balls to go ahead with it, amazing.

Kidchameleon

Thanks all for the replies they have been very helpful in my decision. Well, im going to go ahead with it! Im actually really looking forward to it now, Ive gotten over the fear part (for now) im sure ill be bricking it on the day! Its at the end of July, ill youtube the video and post a link here if any of ye are interested.

Again thanks,

Kid.

WhatWillBee

gimme5minutes wrote: »

I'm sure the guys who are left paraplegic/quadraplegic from a bad skydive would agree with that. Combined with the risk of death I just don't see the point in skydiving.

gimme5minutes wrote: »

I'm sure the guys who are left paraplegic/quadraplegic from a bad skydive would agree with that. Combined with the risk of death I just don't see the point in skydiving.

So I take it you walk everywhere, and dont drive? Because if you are talking about paraplegics I think being in a car is one of the most dangerous things you could do. Or go on holidays by plane? Thats similar risk at least. But we do it, why? Because if you worried about everything that might possibly have any risk associated with it, you would never do anything!

Yes there is a serious risk doing a sky dive, but its either acceptable or its not. Its not inherently dangerous, people dont do it to see if they get hurt or not. There are safety measures in place, so its only dangerous if something goes wrong, same as driving, walking, flying, doing exericise, or even drinking.

if you sit and think about the risk involved in everything you do, youll never do anything. So stop your scaremongering with quadraplegics etc and go back to your padded room! lol Only joking. OP, youre fears are well founded, things can go wrong. Ive done 3skydives and i wont be the first to tell you how great it was!

On my first dive there was a girl really scared and even after she landed she hated it. But at least she tried it so fair play to her. You have to do whats right for you and dont let anyone judge you either way. Best of luck!

EDIT: Sorry op just saw your reply saying you are going for it! Thats great, I really hope you enjoy it, theres only one way to find out after all

Kidchameleon

Hi all,

Just to let you all know that I did the jump from 13,000 feet yesterday. It was totally worth it. I wasn't worried too much in the weeks coming up to the jump. I think when I made the OP was the worst of it. Going up in the plane was very very scary but after that it was just a total rush. Ill never forget it! Just want to thank you guys for your opinions, you really helped me in my time of need. My daughter is chuffed with me, she's telling everyone what her dad did! I'm chuffed with myself and also very proud of my friends who did it with me, we had an all night session after! We raised a few quid for charity too!

Cheers People

Kid.

kraggy

Well done OP, glad you did it.

Did one myself and some of the ridiculous comments by people who haven't done it maddened me and I was afraid you wouldn't do it.

But you did. And I bet you're glad you did. A tale for the grandkids!

Kidchameleon

kraggy wrote: »

And I bet you're glad you did.

I certainly am, ill probably do it again

rustynutz

Well done, I'm delighted for ya....Takes balls to do it the first time