What to Know About Skydiving Exits & Techniques

If you are about to embark on your first skydiving adventure, you are likely to have plenty of questions about the whole experience. Trying to take it all on at once can be a little overwhelming. Instead of looking at the whole, it is quite a bit more manageable to view your skydive in parts. Your skydive can be broken down into five primary sections: the ride to altitude, the skydiving exit, the freefall, the canopy ride, and the landing. It sounds simple enough, but each portion of the experience is an entity unto itself. For now, we are just going to focus on one very pivotal part: the skydiving exit.

What are skydiving exits?

Simply put, skydiving exits are the way in which you exit the plane. However, it’s not as simple as tumbling out of an aircraft’s open door. Like anything done well, it requires a little finesse.

Keys To A Good Skydiving Exit

For your first tandem skydive, as well as any subsequent skydive, you will want to be quick, safe, and efficient with the skydiving exit. Commonly at Long Island Skydiving Center, we will use a kneeling skydiving exit or a sitting skydiving exit.

Kneeling Skydiving Exit

For the kneeling skydiving exit, once the door of the plane is open, you will wait for your instructor to tell you to put your foot out on the step. It’s important to try to stay relaxed and to move slowly. Once your foot is on the step, hold your harness and lean out slowly. As you fall away from the plane, be sure to arch.

Sitting Skydiving Exit

For the sitting skydiving exit, you will be sitting in front of the instructor. When your instructor tells you to do so, you will take both of your feet and put them either on the step or behind the step. Once your feet are out of the aircraft, grip your harness. Your instructor will roll you forwards, as you leave the plane, again, be sure to have a nice big arch.

Skydiving Technique For A Stable Skydiving Exit

As the tandem student, you have an important role to play to help your instructor achieve a nice stable exit. The skydiving technique to achieve a stable skydiving exit is pretty simple. To help your instructor, be sure to listen, arch, and keep your hands on your harness until your instructor instructs you to open your arms.

Skydiving Exits Separation

You may be surprised to learn that not everyone exits the aircraft at the same time. A certain amount of time is taken between each group of skydivers exiting the plane. This time between exits creates horizontal as well as vertical separation. Proper exit separation ensures jumpers don’t unintentionally end up on someone else’s skydive and helps jumpers to prevent freefall collisions. On your skydive, each tandem pair will exit several seconds apart. This may not seem like much, but in that time, the plan has typically traversed 1000 feet.

What To Expect For Your First Skydiving Exit

Before you board the aircraft, your instructor will go over the specific skydiving exit they feel will work best. Because achieving stability is the first priority on a tandem skydive, your instructor will not do backflips or spins on exit. However, don’t be fooled into thinking that will make your exit anything less than thrilling. As you peer through the door toward the ground, you’re going to feel the rush of a lifetime. Now, if you’ve already made several skydives and are craving a more diverse array of skydiving exits, getting your skydiving license might be right up your alley. As a licensed skydiver, you have quite a bit more liberty with the skydiving exits you choose to do. When the door opens, will you be ready? Let’s see your best stable skydiving exit! Schedule your skydive with Long Island Skydiving Center today!