How safe is skydiving? How dangerous is skydiving?

Skydiving is put on many people’s bucket for a reason. It is a chance to overcome fear and put your life on the line, or is it? One question that might come to your mind when it comes to skydiving is one I get asked often as a licensed skydiver. That is, how dangerous is skydiving? There’s a misconception when it comes to the safety of skydiving. I want to address the misconception in this post and hopefully make you feel more comfortable crossing the activity off your bucket list.

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This post will cover …

• How safe is skydiving?

• How dangerous is skydiving?

• Chances of dying skydiving?

• Skydiving deaths?

• Skydiving death rate?

• Why you shouldn’t be afraid to skydive?

Is skydiving safe?

When it comes to skydiving, it’s easy to assume a lot could go wrong. And it can. However, skydiving is safer than most people make it out to be. Is there a risk? Of course. But that risk is very, very small. We’ll cover that in the following sections.

**But for insight, you’re more likely to win the jackpot in a lottery than you are to die while skydiving!! **

How safe is skydiving?

Although Skydiving is considered an extreme sport, it can also be extremely safe.

Skydiving equipment and requirements have come a long way. The United States Parachute Association has set certain guidelines as far as what altitude people can jump at. These requirements are enforced by drop zones to ensure enough time for the parachute to deploy.

The altitude requirements factor in equipment requirements, beginner error, and enough time to pull the reserve parachute if the main parachute didn’t open.

The USPA also has certain requirements for height, weight, and age.

For more information on Skydiving Requirements, check out the blog!

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So, how safe is skydiving? Well, very safe. You’re more likely to get hit by lightning than you are to die while skydiving.

How dangerous is skydiving?

Now, I know that what I said may not fully sink in. Skydiving is called an extreme sport for a reason. You jump out of the airplane and free fall for a short minute. Then, the parachute opens up and glides you back down to Earth in an amazing canopy flight.

But, the thought of the parachute not deploying or opening in time can freak a lot of people out. It can often prevent people from conquering their fear and taking that risk!

What factors into how dangerous it is skydiving

1. Correct Equipment - having correct, working equipment is vital to having a safe dive.

(For more information on Skydiving Equipment see the blog Skydiving Equipment Overview.)

2. Meeting ALL Requirements! - There are certain height, weight and age requirements for a reason. These requirements are for safety purposes and have greatly affected the mortality rate of skydiving!

(For more on Skydiving Requirements, see the blog Skydiving Requirements)

3. Knowledge - Knowledge is power when it comes to skydiving. It’s the reason for extensive training to get certified and the reason you must be certified to solo skydive.

What equipment keeps you safe while skydiving?

Skydiving used to be much more dangerous than it is today. The skydiving equipment we use has come a long way in advancement. And these advancements have caused leaps in the safety of skydiving.

For instance, there was a time that skydivers jumped with only one chute. Now, instead of jumping with one parachute, there’s now a second parachute. This second parachute, also known as a reserve parachute can be used in case of an emergency. The emergency parachute has saved MANY lives. Today, every parachute pack is now equiped with both a main and reserve canopy.

The second piece of equipment that improves the safety of skydiving, is the automatic deployment device (ADD). The ADD is a device that automatically deploys your main or reserve parachute after a set time and altitude.

These two pieces of equipment play a huge role in the safety of skydiving. They have saved thousands of lives and make skydiving 1000 times less dangerous than skydiving without a parachute.

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What are your chances of dying skydiving?

But, what are my chances of dying skydiving? While skydiving accidents do happen, it happens a lot less often than you would think. The chances of dying skydiving are at a record low thanks to improved technology and understanding of the extreme sport.

According to the USPA, the chances of dying skydiving are 1 in 253,669 jumps. That's less than .0001% For perspective, your chances of dying by car are 1 in 50 (2%).

You may still be wondering, well ... how many people die a year from skydiving?

The number of skydiving deaths is less than 20 per year for the entire country. The number of people who die by car every year is over 300 per state!

Why you shouldn’t be afraid to skydive!!

Listen, I get it. You don’t know what skydiving feels like and the fear of falling to Earth at fast speeds might freak you out. But you really shouldn’t be afraid to skydive.

As a beginner, you will likely choose to Tandem Skydive for your first time. Tandem Skydiving is the safest form of skydiving. It requires no prior knowledge or experience. You show up to the drop zone and your instructor will guide you through the rest.

Now, it’s normal to try and psych yourself out of the jump. You may spend a lot of time researching skydiving deaths or accidents, such as the  But try not to! Freak accidents happen and the media/internet LOVES to cover these stories because they get attention. Unfortunately, these tragic stories can prevent people from the amazing life-changing experience that is skydiving! So, if you must … I recommend searching something along the lines of ‘Skydiving Changed My Life’. These life-changing stories are about how conquering fear allowed skydivers to overcome more in other areas of their life.

When you look up life-changing stories instead of fear based ones, you will find inspiration to jump. They will empower you to be brave, face your fear, and take that jump!

Conclusion

Skydiving is dangerous, but actually much safer than you might think. The mortality rate is less than .0001%. You're more likely to win the lottery or die in a car accident! There are ways to increase your survival rate. Having correct and working equipment, meeting the skydiving requirements, and being knowledgeable can greatly decrease your chances of dying skydiving. You shouldn't let the skydiving accidents blasted on media cause you to be afraid of the life changing experience that is skydiving. Instead of looking up ways to scare yourself out of skydiving, look up ways to empower your decision!

**I highly recommend Gift A Panda for a twist on gift giving! The skydiver in your life will appreciate the skydiving experience on any occasion. Gift A Panda is similar to a skydiving gift certificate, but way more fun and engaging! Check out how it works!**

Thank you for reading until the end.

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