RJ. 0 #1 May 13, 2008 whats up everyone... so heres my deal, i have some friends going skydiving for their first time on May 31st, and i can still sign up to go with them if i want - which i do. heres the catch, my mom is taking us kids to mexico on june 1st, the day after i want to go skydiving. she will lose it if anything happens to me or i get hurt or somethin. so my question for you guys is, what are the real chances that somethin could go wrong, like even just break my leg or ankle or somethin. it really doesnt worry or matter to me but if i got hurt the day before the family vacation my mom planned she will flip. thanks! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 20 #2 May 13, 2008 On every jump there is the odds of getting hurt or killed. We try to stack the odds in our favor to avoid getting hurt but it happens to even the best skydivers. The vast majority of student jumps happen with out injury but the chance is always there to get hurt or killed.Yesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
beowulf 1 #3 May 13, 2008 If it were me I would do the jump. I think odds of not getting hurt are pretty good, but hey anything is possible. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
banditgrrr 0 #4 May 13, 2008 I did a tandem on Saturday and my instructor put it in terms that were very easy to understand.... "I have over 16,000 jumps and you need to be able to trust my ability to get you down safely." I'm not someone who would put my life in someone elses hands, especially after only knowing them for 20 minutes. But, for some strange reason what he told me made sense and I felt a little more comfortable knowing that I was in the hands of a professional. He took his time walking me through every step of the jump which helped quite a bit. Now I'm trying to find out if he'll be my AFF instructor. The risk is not going to be any different if you jump on the 31st, 2nd, 15th, etc. If you decide you want to do it, I say go for it and trust your instructor. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
humanflite 0 #5 May 13, 2008 If its a Tandem with a good instructor then you have you have a very good chance of making the holiday! If you are doing an AFF level (which I doubt from your post) then you have more chances of things going wrong. I did only my 8th jump the other day and screwed my ankle up with a cr*p landing (all my own fault)..as a result Im gonna be out of action for another 4-6 weeks ..and I no way could have gone on holiday the day after it Its annoying But im gonna use the time to get as fit and knowledable as possible. plus lots of tunnel time,. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kkeenan 14 #6 May 13, 2008 The chances are about the same as for any other Amusement Park ride. Sure, people sometimes get hurt at the county fair, not not too often. _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fastphil 0 #7 May 13, 2008 Quote The chances are about the same as for any other Amusement Park ride. Sure, people sometimes get hurt at the county fair, not not too often. any "other" Amusement Park ride??? He might as well go to the park... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JustChuteMeNow 0 #8 May 13, 2008 The sky will always be there. If it worries you even a little bit that you could get hurt then go on the trip and then skydive. A person can get hurt on any jump and there are no guarantees except that you will land. If you want a guartantee buy a toaster. Either way I hope it works out for you.Think of how stupid the average person is and realize that statistically half of them are stupider than that. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Para5-0 0 #9 May 13, 2008 Where are you making the jump? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jtval 0 #10 May 14, 2008 Quote I did a tandem on Saturday and my instructor put it in terms that were very easy to understand.... "I have over 16,000 jumps and you need to be able to trust my ability to get you down safely." I'm not someone who would put my life in someone elses hands, especially after only knowing them for 20 minutes. But, for some strange reason what he told me made sense and I felt a little more comfortable knowing that I was in the hands of a professional. He took his time walking me through every step of the jump which helped quite a bit. Now I'm trying to find out if he'll be my AFF instructor. The risk is not going to be any different if you jump on the 31st, 2nd, 15th, etc. If you decide you want to do it, I say go for it and trust your instructor. Simon is a great instructor. To the OP. You want someone to say you'll be fine. Looking at the statistics you most likely will be but on every jump there is a chance you may get hurt or die. If you understand that you can make your choice. I wouldn't bet that you ar ethe next fatality but they do happen on a rare occasion. I say you should go with your friends and talk to the instructors/staff. get a feel for it and decide if YOU THINK they are safe enough to put your life in their hands. Don't let anyone else make the decision for you. I WOULD bet that if you died AFTER your vacation your mom would be just as crushed as if you died before the trip. Convenience has nothing to do with safety.My photos My Videos Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billeisele 130 #11 May 14, 2008 your world won't come to an end if you don't go on the 31st, your mom's world will end if you get hurt as for getting hurt: it depends on where you jump, who you go with, your physical condition, weight, attitude and weather if all are in your favor then the odds are very much in your favor, but you have no way of evaluating the quality of the DZ, the equipment they use or the ability of the tandem masterGive one city to the thugs so they can all live together. I vote for Chicago where they have strict gun laws. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cocheese 0 #12 May 14, 2008 Don't jump. You don't seem to want it bad enough. Going to Mexico is dangerous. Don't get hurt there. You'll feel bullet proof for a few days after your jump, but Mexico is going to make you shit your pants even more than skydiving. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kschilk 0 #13 May 14, 2008 If you pay attention to your instructors and do everything they teach you, the way they teach you to do it....it's about as dangerous as a walk to the corner store.....maybe less, depending where you live."T'was ever thus." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Erroll 80 #14 May 14, 2008 Quote..it's about as dangerous as a walk to the corner store.. Here we go again. Next, someone is going to tell him skydiving is safer than driving to the DZ. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jtval 0 #15 May 14, 2008 Well, that depends on whose driving. My photos My Videos Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
virgin-burner 1 #16 May 14, 2008 Quote Quote ..it's about as dangerous as a walk to the corner store.. Here we go again. Next, someone is going to tell him skydiving is safer than driving to the DZ. considering what i have to put up with getting there, i feel safer on any given skydive than on the way to the dropzone. YMMV! “Some may never live, but the crazy never die.” -Hunter S. Thompson "No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try." -Yoda Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SPAWNmaster 0 #17 May 14, 2008 Quote Quote Quote ..it's about as dangerous as a walk to the corner store.. Here we go again. Next, someone is going to tell him skydiving is safer than driving to the DZ. considering what i have to put up with getting there, i feel safer on any given skydive than on the way to the dropzone. YMMV! amen bro. my 3 hour drive to the dz is almost as dangerous as the drive back. everything else in between is pretty manageable. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Genn 0 #18 May 14, 2008 Quotewhats up everyone... so heres my deal, i have some friends going skydiving for their first time on May 31st, and i can still sign up to go with them if i want - which i do. heres the catch, my mom is taking us kids to mexico on june 1st, the day after i want to go skydiving. she will lose it if anything happens to me or i get hurt or somethin. so my question for you guys is, what are the real chances that somethin could go wrong, like even just break my leg or ankle or somethin. it really doesnt worry or matter to me but if i got hurt the day before the family vacation my mom planned she will flip. thanks! You want an honest opinion? It sounds like you came up with an excuse not to jump with your friends. My mommy will flip! Whatever. Do what you want to do. I doubt what is said here, online, will change your mind. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
daremrc 0 #19 May 14, 2008 Quote You'll feel bullet proof for a few days after your jump, but Mexico is going to make you shit your pants even more than skydiving. if the fear doesn't get you, the enchiladas will Good judgement comes from experience, and most of that comes from bad judgement. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pilot-one 0 #20 May 14, 2008 Just shut up and jump Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
brokenwing 2 #21 May 14, 2008 If it is something you need to think about then perhaps you should skip the jump. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ZigZagMarquis 9 #22 May 14, 2008 The only full-proof way of not getting hurt or killed skydiving is to never skydive. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DrewEckhardt 0 #23 May 14, 2008 QuoteI did a tandem on Saturday and my instructor put it in terms that were very easy to understand.... "I have over 16,000 jumps and you need to be able to trust my ability to get you down safely." 1. No instructor can guarantee that you won't be a bone-head, plant your feet on landing, and break your ankles. 2. Not all instructors are the same. I'd definitely point friends and family at specific instructors to jump with and completely forget about some others. About 17/10,000 skydives result in injury requiring treatment, 6/10,000 trips to the emergency room, and 1.8/10,000 hospitalization. Tandem fatality rates are very low - less than 1 in 400,000. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Erroll 80 #24 May 15, 2008 Quote Quote Quote ..it's about as dangerous as a walk to the corner store.. Here we go again. Next, someone is going to tell him skydiving is safer than driving to the DZ. considering what i have to put up with getting there, i feel safer on any given skydive than on the way to the dropzone. YMMV! Quicker than I expected. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
virgin-burner 1 #25 May 15, 2008 Quote Quote Quote Quote ..it's about as dangerous as a walk to the corner store.. Here we go again. Next, someone is going to tell him skydiving is safer than driving to the DZ. considering what i have to put up with getting there, i feel safer on any given skydive than on the way to the dropzone. YMMV! Quicker than I expected. my drive takes me along some lakes, up hills on curvy roads, through forests and everything. there are always a lot of bikers. i'm just waiting on the day one of those fuckers takes over without seeing me. or seeing me and taking over anyway. they scare me!“Some may never live, but the crazy never die.” -Hunter S. Thompson "No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try." -Yoda Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites