Skydiving: What You Don’t Know

Perhaps you’re sitting at home reading our title completely confounded: “Skydiving: what you don’t know? What exactly do I know?” 

If you’ve never made a skydive before or are new to the notion of civilian skydiving, you may feel there’s not much you do know about skydiving. Sure, you’ve got the basics: you ride in an aircraft, you jump from aforementioned “perfectly good aircraft,” the parachute opens, and you land. But, perhaps, you’re still left wondering, what happens when you skydive? What should I know before skydiving?

Here, dear friend, is where we come in. This is what to know before skydiving.

It’s Addictive…At First

The crisp rush, the limitless freedom, the buzzing adrenaline: skydiving is easy to get hooked on.  Many set out to complete just one jump, with all intentions of scratching an item off their bucket list and that being “all she wrote.”  We’ve seen it time and time again: repeat offenders. The majority of people who make a skydive return several times. Some even join the ranks of weekend warriors and become licensed skydivers who come to Skydive Orange to enjoy their favorite hobby.

It’s not just the adrenaline rush that keeps people coming back for more. Over time the butterflies will fade, but you will still find it tough to stay away. You’ll find it’s a passion for the sport, a dedication to self-improvement and continued learning, and the comradery the community brings that will keep you coming back year after year. 

Skydiving is Much More Than Falling

A tandem skydive is just the beginning. While falling through the sky is an important part of skydiving, it isn’t everything. While many choose to perfect their skills in the freefall portion of the skydive, there are a plethora of disciplines within the realm of skydiving that focuses entirely on developing skills under the parachute.  

While we’re at it, you should also know…

The Freefall Probably Won’t be Anything Like What You’re Expecting

Many are not aware of what happens when you skydive. You’ll board an aircraft that will ascend and jet (excuse the pun) across the sky at speeds near 90kts (or 100 mph). When it is time to exit, the plane will level off, and it will be time to exit. If you’re expecting a stomach-dropping teeth clenching dip the moment you leave the plane, you’re in for a surprise. You won’t really experience the sensation of falling. 

This is because you quickly reach a point where you are no longer accelerating, a point known as ‘terminal velocity’. Once terminal velocity is reached, within about 10 seconds of exiting the aircraft, you will experience a sensation more akin to floating than to falling.

Feeling more informed? We sure hope so! We think points 1-3 sum up quite a bit about what you don’t know about skydiving, but if you’re interested in the nitty-gritty basics of what to know before skydiving with Skydive Orange. Check out our Frequently Asked Questions Page for more information!