My first time skydiving i am so nervous?
Skydiving is still a dangerous sport but safer than it has ever been. There are two parachutes in each rig, there is an AAD (automatic activation devise) in each rig as well. That means if one parachute does not work there is another one, if you or the instructor do not pull a computer will pull for you. If you are going Tandem or AFF your instructors are very well trained and have to have a minimum of 500 to even take an instructor course to become an instructor. Then each instructors goes through intensive training to become an instructor. If you go to any USPA drop zone, you are in great hands. USPA.ORG Have fun!
Is it possible to go solo skydiving your first time?
YES, you can If you want to become a qualified skydiver there are a couple of courses you can take. AFF (Accelerated Freefall) is one of the most common, and involves you jumping with 2 highly qualified instructors who hold you stable in freefall and make sure you pull. RAPS is a slightly older method but is still used, particularly in the UK Do a quick search online to find your nearest Dropzone and I'm sure they will be able to arrange an AFF course for you!
How many times do you have to skydive before you can jump alone?
If you are not much taller than 6'(1 85cm) and dunking is challenging and doesn't comes naturally to you then you will need the program from here https://tr.im/bIYUo to learn to dunk without a problem. The Vert Shock plan claims you anything between 9 to 15 inches improvement in your straight jump. With Vert Shock program you will not desire a gymnasium because all you have to for the exercise is really a park benchor a small wall and a soft surface where you could do your level leaps and your package leaps and a basketball for a few exercise. With Vert Shock you will discover ways to dunk 9 to 15 inches higher in only 2 months without expensive gym.
1st time skydive. Solo or tandem?
I will be skydiving for charity in July and was wondering which option to choose: a) Solo skydive from 3500 ft with 5 hours ground training. There is only a few seconds freefall. b) Tandem skydive from 10,000 ft with about 30 seconds freefall. And also I have a normal video camera, would it be safe to bring it in the plane with me and put it in my pocket on the way down? Im jumping at Skydive Ireland, Co. Tipperrary if it helps or you know anything about the place.
If your goal is to learn to skydive, you can enroll in an Accelerated Freefall Program(AFF) at your local dropzone. There are some other teaching methods like IAD and static line used by some smaller DZs. AFF is the most popular though.With AFF, you take a ground school that lasts several hours where they teach you safety and emergency procedures. Then you go up in the air with 2 instructors who jump with you in essentially a 3 way belly jump. You pull the parachute on your own and then guide it in by yourself with some assistance from instructors on the ground. It’s not totally by yourself but a lot of it actually is. The instructors are there more to make sure you maintain awareness and help you get your body position right. After that most AFF programs do another 6 jumps before you are cleared to solo. Mid way through the program you are pretty much just jumping with an instructor as you build your skills.Once you finish AFF, then you are cleared for a true solo jump alone. Jump ticket prices vary by DZ and if you buy in bulk but single tickets are around $23–$26 for most. Bulk ticket purchases can reduce that to around $20–$22.Keep in mind jump tickets are a small cost when starting out. You likely have to rent gear at 100+ per day. You also need to buy a helmet, altimeter, etc. Then you need your own rig which costs anywhere from $4k+ for used to $7–9k for brand new. The costs keep adding up from there too as you get tunnel time, wingsuits, canopy course, traveling to boogies or whatever else you might want to do!
If you are a skydiver, what was your first jump like?I discussed my first (static line) parachute jump in this answer:Joe Shelton's answer to What was your experience of first solo skydiving like?
Where or can I go and skydive solo (not Tandem) for the first time?
Florida is a great place to start skydiving, the sport grew really big there. Just to mention a few, you have DeLand, Zephyrhills, Sebastian, and they all offer the AFF course (7 levels with 2 or 1 instructors and a cameraman, then you're ready to solo) For a complete list of dropzones in florida, check this link. http://www.dropzone.com/dropzone/North_America/United_States/Florida/index.html Welcome to the sport and blue skies!
What equipment do I need to go skydiving solo?
Until you're finished with AFF, you won't be able to use your own rig anyways, so definitely I'd focus on buying the items you're going to be able to use during your training. I highly recommend buying an altimeter that logs your dives, such as the Altitrack, by L&B. It's about $300 new, but it has many advantages over traditional altimeters. It's not a huge deal, but having this for your first jump will mean that all of your jumps, from #1 on, will be logged. http://www.l-and-b.dk/altitrack.html A good helmet is also a very good item to buy at this point... I personally recommend staying away from the Protec helmets, as they're loud as hell and look like crap... Ironically, they probably provide more protection than the carbon fiber helmets that I'd recommend you look at buying. Cookie Composites and Bonehead Composites both make very good helmets... You should be looking at something like the Ozone (cookie) or the MindWarp (bonehead). http://www.cookiecomposites.com/shop/helmets/71/index.htm http://www.boneheadcomposites.com/m8/210--mindwarp-pimp-daddy-helmet.html Goggles are another item you'll be needing right away... To be honest, there's so many options out there, it will make your head spin more than AFF L4 did for me. However, I can recommend the Flex-Z. It may not look the most "cool", but they fit most people very well and are very durable. http://www.chutingstar.com/newgear_en/flex-z-goggles.html You should also dedicate a backpack to keeping all your stuff in, so it won't get lost. You can look into getting a rig, jumpsuit, etc, once you finish AFF. You'll need to consult your instructors quite a bit about rig decisions and right now you probably don't know what sort of skydiving you want to get into, so buying a jumpsuit would be premature. Good luck, and blue skies! I've been a licensed skydiver for 5 years, so while I'm not an expert, I do have a decent amount of experience.