Skydiving is one of the most exciting extreme sports there is. Consequently, it is also very misunderstood. It is surrounded by plenty of myths, fallacies and misconceptions, which is why so many people have fears and question the safety, dynamics and physics of this thrilling sport.
Skydiving is Not Safe
One of the most common misconceptions is that skydiving is unsafe. Many back out from this sport for fear that they will suffer an accident, or worse, die. Those who specialise in skydiving, like SouthernSkydivers.com.au and other companies would have completely stopped existing if this is true.
Did you know more than two million skydives take place across the globe every year? Of these numbers, fatalities only average around 35, making up less than 1% of all the jumps that occur annually. With that said, skydiving is even safer than driving a regular car on any given day.
You Can Yell While Skydiving
Due to films that feature a thrilling sequence of characters skydiving or jumping out of a helicopter, most people think they can yell at each other while freefalling. The truth is that it is impossible to hear another skydiver during freefall.
This is all about the physics of freefalling. The wind traveling past your ears is well over 100 mph, which means you are pretty much deaf to all forms and levels of sounds. It is also very hard, if not impossible, to fight during freefall.
Everyone Falls at the Same Speed
This myth is only a matter of physics. Everyone falls at a different rate depending on their drop-off height, their weight, their body position, as well as their clothing. Essentially, heavier people fall faster and baggier jumpsuits slow you down.
Proper research and trust in the physics of falling will render you fearless when you do that once in a lifetime jump – or maybe, twice a lifetime, if you want to do it a second time. Or third. Or more.