Be aware of The Risk and Requirements

So the first question in your mind is obviously: So, how safe is skydiving? And the frank answer is: Skydiving is not ten pin bowling. There are some very real risks involved but as with any other "extreme" sport there is a direct relationship between your knowledge, skill and attitude and your chances of enjoying the sport for many years to come.

As you probably know statistics can be manipulated to tell you whatever you want to hear. They can be manipulated to make skydiving look very safe or very dangerous. We're not going to swamp you with numbers to tell you how skydiving is "safer than crossing the street" or try to prove to you that "it's safer to skydive than to drive to your local store". The USPA over a 10 year period reports an average of about 35 skydiving fatalities per year in the USA. Skydivers make hundreds of thousands of jumps each year. It is a sport with very real risks (otherwise you might not be interested!), but those can be easily and effectively mitigated through training and good judgment.

Considering that students comprise the bulk of participants in the sport, relatively few fatal accidents involve student skydivers. This is due largely to the design of skydiving equipment used for students and the quality of instruction and care provided at most skydiving schools. All parachutes are designed for reliability, but student gear is also designed to be easy to use and forgiving.

Skydiving accidents rarely result from equipment failure or bad luck. Remember: knowledge, skill and attitude. It's about you as the individual. Even though this is a dangerous sport, if you exercise your new skills, keep your cool and do everything you're taught to do, you should be fine. Phew!

Find a reputable Drop Zone

Well, now that you've made up your mind that you want to do this you can't just rent a parachute from the costume store on the main street and take a leap out of your cousin's Cessna! Not only would it be illegal it might prove to be an unhealthy way to enter the sport!

So where can you go? There are few ways you can find the nearest DZ to you:

• Dropzone Database - The Dropzone.com Dropzone Database lists more than 700 DZs all over the world. Organized by region, country and state you can browse and search the database till you find a DZ near you. There's a lot of information on our pages and in most cases you can jump straight to the web page of the DZ for more information. You can also read reviews by other Dropzone.com members who have jumped here before. It's a great resource!
  
  
• USPA - If you're in the USA, call the United States Parachute Association at 540.604.9740 or visit their web site to get the name of an affiliated drop zone in your area.
  
  
• Dropzone.com Forums - Dropzone.com has more than 32,000 members and with more than 1.2 million posts to the forums you'll be certain to hear from someone. Register for a free Dropzone.com account and ask about DZs in your area in the Dropzone.com Forums.
  
  
• Google it! - Yes, as you know you can find almost anything on Google. Use your city or region name and "skydiving" or "skydive" as keywords and see what it spits out.
  
  
• Yellow Pages - Look in the Yellow Pages online in your local phone directory. You're bound to find some skydiving ceters under "parachuting" or "skydiving".
  
  
• Ask around - You probably have some friends who have done it. Are they still alive? If so, then go to the same place they did; that way, you can feel assured of your safety. ;-)
  
  
• Skydiving clubs - If you're in college, most universities have skydiving clubs. This offers a cheaper and easier way to get into the sport. Plus, nothing brings people together better than absolute terror. You may even make some friends.

Choose a Method of Skydiving Training

Depending on how much time you have, how much cash you've got to spend, and how strong your nerves are, you have three options for what method of skydiving you'll use for your first jump: tandem, static line, and accelerated freefall (AFF).

These methods vary in that some are designed to give you a quick experience and introduction to skydiving while others start with full blown first jump courses that will set you on the path to becoming a certified skydiver.

Consider your options. Think about the experience you'll get out of each of these and your reasons for doing it. Then pick one. Whichever method you choose to expose yourself to the sport we know you won't regret it. You'll have fun, broaden your horizons and shift your boundaries.

Tandem Jumping

Tandem jumps are a very popular way to make your first jump. They allow the curious potential student to experience, first-hand, the thrills of skydiving without the stress of AFF or SL progression. Most dropzones are set up to offer tandem skydives under two different scenarios: the "one-time fun jump"", or as part of a hybrid training method sometimes called "tandem progression."

The former only requires about 30 minutes of ground preparation; the latter is generally completed after a fairly standard First Jump Course (FJC) which can last up to four hours or more. Tandem jumping, by definition, consists of an experienced jumper called a "Tandem Master" or "Tandem Instructor" and the passenger. The tandem master rides on the back and wears an extra-large parachute system capable of carrying weights of up to 500 pounds; easily able to safely suspend two people. The passenger (or tandem progression student) wears a specially designed harness that attaches in four points to the front of the tandem master. A tandem freefall generally lasts between 45 and 60 seconds, followed by a four minute canopy ride to the ground.

Tandem jumping provides an obvious advantage for the adventurous spirit who cannot adequately meet the physical or proficiency requirements for the S/L or AFF jumps. By relying on Tandem Master's skills, they will still be able to experience the thrill of skydiving.

Skydiving training methods

The Basics

First, you will need to find a skydiving school with a good reputation. This is a fairly easy thing to do. The internet, phone book, and local airports are full of them. Next, you will need to check your pocket book. Skydiving is one of the more expensive sports to learn. Then, you will need to decide how you want to learn. There are three methods of training: tandem, static line, and Accelerated Free Fall (AFF). All of these methods have their benefits and drawbacks, but we will touch more on those a little later.

What's First?

Health and Safety.
First, you must consider health and safety. Know the risks involved before you get involved. Skydiving is not chess; you will not be sitting on an uncomfortable concrete bench moving your pieces around a game board. You are going to step out of an airplane and, in freefall, will reach speeds of up to 250 feet per second… that is 110 miles per hour!! If you have a bad ticker, unregulated high blood pressure, or any number of other health problems, speak to an instructor and discuss your options in detail. Also keep in mind, even the best of the best in this sport sometimes hit the ground a little harder then they intend to. So, bad knees may also be a consideration. DO NOT be afraid or embarrassed to discuss these things with your instructor before making that first jump. It is always preferable to hit the ground safely then to plant yourself in it. Truthfully though, with the proper preparations and instruction you would be more likely to develop cataracts from reading this article then suffer a serious injury from skydiving. Listen to your instructors, know your equipment, and never assume you know how to do something just because you saw it in a movie.

Great Skydiving Tips for Beginners

Anyone that wants to skydive for the first time trying to became an experienced skydiver have to first understand the basic rules and all the risks that exist in skydiving. Doing it, the level of risks in this sport will be greatly reduced.

Like all extreme sports, this one has an age restriction too, set at 18 years. Not even a parent can't sign documents in order for a minor to jump. 18 years or older, no exceptions here. In order to be 100% sure that your landing will not bring up any problems, you must weight not more than 250 pounds.

You need to be in good health even if skydiving is not very demanding from this point of view. If you can pull your chute line, you can skydive at it's best, and this was never a problem for people.

Some teachers could let you do your first jump all alone if you want. Usually you can make your first jump after 5 to 6 hours of ground training. You can do your ground training and your first jump in the same day.

You should never wear clothes that will limit your moves, sandals or open toed shoes. You should always wear clothes you best feel in and running shoes. You can also bring with you glasses or contacts, the goggles you will be provided with, will fit over with no problem. Your skydiving jump will consist of 30 seconds of free fall and 30 second to land.

Most people feel the free falling like a great flying experience.

Even if skydiving as a sport, envolves risks, if you are good trained you can call skydiving a very safe sport because bad injures and death are unlikely.

You will just have to learn learn and learn all you can about this great extreme sport and you will do great. Discuss every aspect of this sport with your friends, family or any other experienced skydiver and you will grow in knowledge, you will develop your skills and in the same time you will be more secure of yourself.

For all the tips you need for your skydiving experience just visit our learn skydiving/ site. Also, you can check out our skydiving equipment page.

5 Tips For More Swimming Pool Fun

Swimming is a wonderful exercise that can benefit anyone. If you're not fortunate enough to have your own pool, you can use your local public swimming pool, or even swim in the sea if you're reasonably close to the coast. Whatever way you do it, try to get wet often; it's good for you and lots of fun too!

1. Keep moderation in mind when you go in the pool. Begin with short period of 10 to 20 minutes. You can increase this when you gain in stamina. And don't try all the hardest strokes at first. Build up to it gently.

2. Use a quality filter for your pool. Trying to save here will only result in constant maintenance costs. It will also mean swimming in a pool that is always dirty.

3. Repair any tear in your swimming pool liner as soon as possible. If the tear is three inches or less it should repair easily. If it is larger you may have to replace the entire liner.

4. Don't allow children (or adults) to run near the pool. Running and diving into a pool is asking for trouble. Accidents can easily happen on slippery surfaces, so play safe always.

5. If you find that all your pool toy, chemicals and cleaners are becoming unmanageable, find someplace to store them. A shed or pool house near the pool is ideal. However, be careful not to store chemicals that may react with each other close together. Also make sure the room is well ventilated.

Hand mitts, paddles, swim fins, and kickboards are all ways to make your swimming more fun and challenging to provide better exercise. These days you can even swim to music by using a specially designed radio that fits into a waterproof bag. So don't just lounge around the pool all day. Use it as it is intended to be used - swim and enjoy life!