So, this is your first time skydiving? Congratulations! You’re in for a real treat. Even though it can be scary and intimidating to jump out of a perfectly good airplane, it’s also thrilling, exciting, memorable, and so much more than we can explain in words! One of our jobs at Skydive the Gulf is to make sure that everyone who walks through our doors has an experience that is smooth and comfortable. We are with you from the first step into the plane to the final landing at the airport or the Flora-Bama beach! Another job of ours is educate each tandem student that signs up for a tandem skydive. That’s what this blog is all about, giving you the information you need to know to make a safe jump. So let’s get started!
Get Your Body Ready
First, understand that you don’t need to hire a personal trainer or get physically fit before making a jump. However, it does help to warm up your body with some exercises and stretches to loosen up your muscles. Some quick jumping jacks and a couple simple stretches can help keep your body relaxed while free-falling. Along with relaxing your body, take a minute and relax your mind! The less stress you have before the jump, the more you will be able to enjoy the experience from beginning to end. Keep in mind, if you have any medical conditions or limitations consult with a doctor before making the leap.
Don’t Forget to Breathe!
Breathing is vital to being alive, obviously. The act of breathing typically takes zero thought — except maybe when you’re about to jump out of a plane. But don’t let this happen! Some tandem students will express that it was “hard to breathe up there”! Truth be told, they simply just forgot to take a breathe after we jumped! Breathing is actually very easy and normal during free-fall and under parachute. Sometimes, you just have to be voluntary VS involuntary about taking your first breathe during a skydive. If reading this is making you feel worried about being able to breathe, don’t be. It’s not difficult and your instructor will ensure that you are fully prepared!
Body Position
Good body position is important during any skydive. However, when tandem skydiving, the instructor is highly trained to help our students with body position in free-fall (even if they totally forget what to do!).We will brief every tandem student on good VS bad body position before we board the aircraft, so there will be plenty of opportunities to ask us any questions. For extra credit, the best body position while skydiving is much like the shape of a banana. It is called the “Arch” position. To do this, keep your head tilted back, eyes on the horizon, while arching your back and keeping your arms out to the side at 90 degree angles. Your legs can be relaxed and bottoms of your feet will be pointing towards the sky. Again, we’ll go over this before you jump. Don’t Worry!
Make the Most of Your Time in the Air
After the initial free-fall, your parachute will open and you have a chance to sit back and enjoy the amazing views of the Gulf Coast! Whether you came from Florida or Alabama, you can get a Bird’s eye view of both states and the ocean right below you! Your skydiving instructor will give you the controls and you can direct your way across the skies! Take it all in, ask questions (yes, you can have a conversation while you’re under the parachute), smile for the camera, and make sure to give a huge shout out to your friends on the ground. No, they won’t be able to hear you, but it’s still fun! The whole descent (after the free fall) lasts about five to seven minutes so keep your eyes open and love every second!
After you schedule your jump, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to give us call. And know that we’ll go over everything you need to know in person before you get into the plane. We can’t wait to help you experience the adventure of a lifetime!
