Sky Diving

[rumpletumbler]

The web site says they use a Caravan.

 

[CSY Mon]

Broke my ankle into many pieces after first jump 22 years ago. (28' round chute)
Still carry bolts and steel in the foot and have nasty scars after the wound became infected under the cast.

Figured skydiving is not my cup of tea.

Took up scubadiving instead, no rush there except when ya run out of air.

 

[FracCapt]

The web site says they use a Caravan.

I don't think they have a turbine there full time...they just bring it in when there is a need for more lift capacity than a 182. I may be wrong though, this is based on info from friends that went there several months ago.

 

[FracCapt]

Broke my ankle into many pieces after first jump 22 years ago. (28' round chute)
Still carry bolts and steel in the foot and have nasty scars after the wound became infected under the cast.

Figured skydiving is not my cup of tea.

Took up scubadiving instead, no rush there except when ya run out of air.

Rounds aren't very forgiving. Luckily, when I started jumping, square mains were standard, and square reserves were just gaining popularity. My first rig had a round reserve....luckily I never had to use it. I have never had a round reserve ride, but I did jump a round main at the World Freefall Convention back in '98....I hit the ground like a ton of bricks, and my legs were sore for a couple days. A buddy of mine also did his first round jump that day....and stood up the landing instead of PLF'ing...broke his left tibula. Whoops!

No rush in scuba diving, huh? You obviously haven't been in virgin cave...or a virgin wreck...or been hanging on a deco line at 150fsw while a couple of Bull sharks circle you for a couple minutes.

 

[CSY Mon]

No rush in scuba diving, huh? You obviously haven't been in virgin cave...or a virgin wreck...or been hanging on a deco line at 150fsw while a couple of Bull sharks circle you for a couple minutes.

Been there, done that, but find scuba very peacefull:
Sure there is the occasional rush, but my dives are along the lines of gliding along the bottom observing things, not trying to survive every minute.

As for the bull sharks, never seen 'em yet...Yup, that would be a "rush", tigers and Great Whites included.

Most of my dives in St. Croix, some wrecks, some nurse sharks, but mostly peace and quiet along the North Wall.

Biggest "rush" was in the Red Sea when I did a personal screw-up and was close to loosing control and being in the local news the next day..

 

[avbug]

Rounds can be stood up. The PLF is more or less idiot proof, if it's done properly, but a common misconception among many skydivers who have no round experience is that one cannot, or should not be stood up. Wrongo.

My first reserve ride was a 28' lopo. Even then, many jumpers at the DZ had never seen a round. I was told afterward that everybody was pointing up at the sky, saying, "wazzat?"

I've stood up a T-10 canopy, and PC canopies. I never attempted to stand up a round reserve.

 

[FN FAL]

I've stood up a T-10 canopy, and PC canopies. I never attempted to stand up a round reserve.

Another good reason for wearing helmets while skydiving.

As far as sharks and swiming go, I was part of a rotating team of salvage personel sent to Enewetok atoll in the South Pacific for water/beach clean up duties. One assignment we had was to swim out to this object sticking out of the water on the ocean side of one of the islands, to investigate what it was and survey it.

After considerable effort at launching into the ocean surf off of the reef, we donned swim fins over our jungle boots and made for the object. Our gear consisted of jungle boots, mask and snorkel, a K-bar, a pair of khaki UDT's and a Mae West type life preserver, that was it. We get out to the object and find that it was part of the drive system for a WWII ship that had sunk there. It was kind of neat seeing these ship remains, as there was evidently a rupture of the vessel and we were looking down on deck section of this ship. It was as if someone had ripped the top off of it. You could see steel watertight doors in bulkheads and other machinery that would indicate that this was the engineering section of some ship. Pretty neat stuff.

Next thing you know, the guy I'm swiming with. pokes at me and points off to edge of our vision and there's some barracuda or sharks or something swiming with a big fish. The big fish was a tuna or something.

But anyway, the guy points towards the long end of the island we just launched off of and decides we should swim all the way around the island and come ashore on a beach lagoon side. What a freaking journey...and not to mention we probably swam past a ton of sharks, barracuda, eels and other assorted sea monsters along the way and never even noticed them.

What a bummer it would have been to have swam all that way to E-Lude some fish that didn't even care we were there, just to come ashore on a beach and step on some crusty old WWII ordinance that had been festering away for over fourty years.

But anywhoo...I'm just sitting here killing time till the old lady gets back from her coffee klatch and for the weather to break...got to go make the last jumps of the season and have a few beers with the guys. I need it, after yesterdays flying.

 

[rumpletumbler]

I've pretty much made up my mind to go in the spring. What is the concensus on tandemn VS accelerated freefall VS static for the first jump?

 

[avbug]

Hardly anybody does static for sport jumping, any more. There's no advantage in doing it, either.

If skydiving is something you want to pursue, don't bother doing tandem. It's a ride, rather than a training medium. You can get a little coaching on the way, but you're better off spending your money doing AFF.

AFF is the way to go.

 

[rumpletumbler]

AFF is the way to go.

I was kind of thinking the same thing, but I am concerned about the possibility of being overwhelmed. That could be dangerous. Is that just normal concern and something I shouldn't worry about or what?