Skydiving Dos and Donts: First Time Skydiving Tips

First time skydiving tips: you want ’em, we got ’em! If you’re finally ready to scratch skydiving off your bucket list, we aim to ensure you have the best experience possible. Every adventure requires preparation, and by following our first time skydiving tips, you can do your part to set yourself up for a successful trip.

For ease of reading, our first time skydiving tips are set up into a list of skydiving dos and skydiving don’ts. To begin on a positive note, let’s start with skydiving dos.

Skydiving Dos

Here are some of our best first time skydiving tips:

Do Your Homework

Whaddaya know? You’re already ahead of the curve! We encourage potential skydivers to do a bit of research before committing to any one facility. Read up on local dropzones, see if they have any content dedicated to first time skydivers, find out what they have to offer, and be sure you check out the rules and requirements at different facilities. If you don’t want to scour a website all day, a great deal of information can be found in the Frequently Asked Questions section.

Do Dress For Success

One of the most important first time skydiving tips is to make sure your attire is appropriate for skydiving. Trust us we love a fab outfit as much as the next person, but some clothing just doesn’t work for skydiving. There’s nothing quite as uncomfortable as tight restrictive clothing when you need optimal mobility. So, make sure you dress comfortably. If it’s considered activewear, it’s probably perfect for skydiving. Shoes should be flat, secure sneakers, and keep accessories to a minimum. The wind at 120 mph has a way of removing loose items, so if you don’t want to lose it, don’t wear it.

Do Capture it On Film

Let’s be real: you only have one first skydive. One of our most fervently supported first time skydiving tips is make sure you get your skydive on video! With all the adrenaline and new stimuli, the experience will go by in the blink of an eye. It’s well worth the money to have a way to remember it and relive it with friends and family for many years to come!

Skydiving Dont’s

If you want your first time skydiving to be all that it can be please avoid the following:

Don’t Overeat or Undereat

If you want to make sure you don’t feel green around the gills during your skydive, it’s best that you not overeat before your jump. That being said, please don’t avoid eating entirely! You need to have a little something in your stomach. Otherwise, you’ll end up with your head in the clouds before you’re even off the ground! We suggest that you eat a light moderate breakfast and bring snacks to make sure you keep your blood sugar levels steady.

Don’t Overindulge

The night before your skydive it’s imperative you don’t overindulge in liquid courage. While you might think a brew or two will calm your nerves, it does quite the opposite. Alcohol is classified as a central nervous system depressant and can change the levels of serotonin in the brain. The result, for some, is worsened anxiety the next day. Your glass of wine with dinner or after work cocktail shouldn’t cause a problem. However, as a rule, you need to have at least 8 hours between your last alcoholic beverage and your skydive. Any less or if there is any doubt of your sobriety, you will not be able to skydive.

Don’t Go Scuba Diving 24 Hours Before

This one goes out to you adrenaline junkies out there. While it may be tempting to fill your weekend with the depths of the sea and the thrill of the sky, you can’t experience both within a 24 hour period. Because of the extreme changes in pressure that occur on a scuba dive, nitrogen is absorbed into your tissues and bloodstream. If the pressure around you is changed too quickly, the nitrogen in the body creates bubbles in the bloodstream and tissues. This can happen if you fly (or skydive) too soon after diving. It can cause the residual nitrogen to create bubbles within your body. The result is something called decompression sickness, and it can be pretty serious. Don’t run the risk, just wait at least a full day before joining us on a skydive.

Don’t Close Your Eyes

Look, we know it’s tempting to close your eyes when the experience feels like it’s too much, but this is the moment you’ve been waiting for. This challenge and the chance to see the world like never before is something worth being uncomfortable for. We guarantee it. Keep your eyes open and take it all in. You’ve got this! If you still have questions or would like some additional first time skydiving tips, please contact us! We’ll be ready when you are!