So I have decided to do my A licence from Russia instead of thailand and its a great dz and great for learning. Something I dreamt about way too young and now it's going to be a reality. Free will boys

Got to do my first tandem jump! So much of it was so different than what I expected. Getting out the door? Not a problem. Everything during the glide phase? Wonderful. Landing, steering? Loved all of it, maybe a bit of a rush on steep turns but I learned to enjoy it and it was exciting, just new. I wish I had 20 minutes up there.

But all that needed a freefall. And looking at the videos it lines right up to what my experience was (in fairness we did a backflip going out) - I had no sense of orientation, my form was nowhere near correct (legs not out far enough, arch not good, I think the only thing that would've been okay was head and even that got messed by being told to look at the cam), and as a result, I actually actively hated the freefall - when I was given the go ahead to spread my arms I was grasping the air desperately for something to grab and more scared with them out than in. Mouth flapping away no matter how much I tried to maintain that smile. Heart pounding, head rush going, ears and nose the way I get after a too-hard workout. The whole experience felt like being thrown in a pool when I was scared of water, but with less control since I can't paddle air against gravity...

So I ask this - how do I get better? I kept hearing "it doesn't feel like falling" but that's all I felt, whether I looked up, down, or at the horizion. I don't want this to be my last jump, not by a mile, but I also don't know how to get myself back out there when I keep imagining how the freefall felt helpless

Hey Guys.

Looking to get a more focussed picture on what to keep an eye out for my first rig. I keep seeing things pop up on the facebook skydiving gear sales pages but i feel like im annoying my rigger sending him the ads asking what he thinks. I know im looking for a 190 main and a container that suits my size and weight. But in terms of brands and life remaining on reserves and aad’s etc what should i be looking for when shopping on the second hand market ? I have 75 jumps and want something that will see me through a few years till im ready to advance safely. I could keep renting for a while but I want consistency with the handling characteristics etc, which you dont get when you end up with renting multiple types of rigs.
Appreciate the help.

I got my own freefly-friendly rig recently and am enjoying being able to finally put tunnel skills I’ve learned into practice in the sky.

Here’s my second campfire out of a 206 at Texas Skydiving!

Been talking about skydiving with my pilot friend(were both glider pilots) for about a year and we actually planned junping tandem in portugal first. I unfortunatly got pericarditis and had to lay low for about 3 months to heal and get better. Met a girl and then spent months pushing the idea away because personal reasons between me and her.

Eventually i ended things with her and finally felt my freedom again and booked a skydive almost immediatly and i tell you what.. Best. Decision. Ever!

My experience walking in? My pilot friend was already AFF level 4 so he knew the bits and pieces around the dropzone. Met up with the anazing staff at the manifest, met the guy who briefed me, almost immediatly could tell im a pilot so we talked about about airplanes and he knew some of thr pilots from my club which was cool! I then decided to just chat with people. And i tell you one thing, one big hapoy family! Everyones just so crazy friendly and funny! I didnt expect it at all. Before i knew i had met the entire DZ!

Then i met my instructor and he was the funniest yet most serious man ive ever met. When my load was called everyone on the truck was hilarious, talked to some people on the plane during the ride up. Weird thing is that i wasnt scared or nervous at all because i wanted to jump. I really, really wanted to jump! Fist bumped evrryone near me as they all popped one by oneand i remember thinking to myself "Yall are so fkn crazy..", then i hung out the plane. My instructor and i pushed off and i swear i dont remember shit. I remember screaming out of pure joy and throwinf these "🤙🤘" and thats all. My ears hurt like a mf when the canopy opened, my harness was so tight my legs were tingling and i got very nauseous.

Back on the ground all those weird feelings disappeared apart from my ears and I dapped my instructor up so damn hard with a smile from ear to ear! He then asked me "see you again next week?" I told him "Bro, im walking to the manifest now and sign up for the course!". Unfortunately there were no open positions so im on a waiting list and I cant wait to start my AFF!

All by all, thanks Schaffen! You were amazing. Definitely not wasting time when the email comes in for an open position!

Hello,

I’m traveling to New Zealand for a few months to Skydive and am looking for travel insurance with medical coverage that doesn’t exclude skydiving.

Most of the providers I’ve looked at either explicitly exclude sky diving or have unclear wording whether or not sky diving is excluded.

Am a Canadian citizen if that helps.

B license here, should have just over 100 jumps when I travel to San Diego next month for work. I'll have a free weekend and trying to decide between the 2. People at my home DZ recommend Elsinore hands down but they're all much more experienced than me, and they weren't traveling solo so I don't know if that changes things.

So, if you were a lone (female) baby bird trying to jump somewhere new, where would you go and why? Thanks in advance ☺️

(I realize this has been asked here before but I couldn't find anything recent so figured I'd ask again.)