The Truth About Skydiving Deaths

Skydiving is an incredibly popular pastime, not only in the United States, but also in many countries around the world. Sadly, there are some skydiving deaths each year, but they are very rare in comparison to the number of jumps involved. It is estimated that there are roughly thirty skydiving deaths in the United States each year, an average of one death for every one hundred thousand jumps.

The majority of skydiving deaths occur due to climatic conditions, as opposed to parachute failure as so many assume. While many equipment failures do occur, with main parachutes failing to open, all skydivers are required to carry a backup parachute inspected and packed by a certified professional. There are also devices called Automatic Activation Devices that will, as the name suggests, activate the spare at a certain altitude, in the event of failure of the main parachute.

Cause And Prevention Of Skydiving Deaths

The most common occurrences of skydiving deaths happen upon landing due to climatic conditions and human error. Recent studies have shown that the most common factor in recent years’ deaths were due to errors by skydivers during what is known as swooping, an advanced maneuver in which a skydiver glides parallel to the ground in the process of landing.

Strong winds and downdrafts are another major source of skydiving deaths. Parachutists are caught by shifting winds, which then add greater spend to the landing, thus causing the skydiver to crash. Crosswinds and down winds increase the potential for danger when skydiving. There is a much higher risk of death involved in skydiving activities like BASE (standing for the four fixed objects that one can parachute from: Building, Antenna, Span, Earth) jumping and sky surfing.

In order to prevent equipment failure, parachutes are inspected and packed by highly trained, certified parachute riggers. Also, those wishing to skydive must be at least eighteen years old, and must have a certificate of physical fitness from a qualified physician.

Skydiving deaths, while not common, can be prevented by ensuring that you have a qualified instructor with you at all times when diving; that you have adequately checked all of your equipment to make certain that it is in proper working condition; and that you are wearing the appropriate gear, both for safety and comfort.

Skydiving is a fun and fascinating pastime for thrill seekers of all ages. Practicing a little common sense, and following your instructor’s directions will help to ensure that your dive is a safe one. Anyone wishing to experience the thrill of skydiving can rest assured that it is only under the most infrequent of circumstances that skydiving deaths occur.