Is Skydiving Safe?

First off: You should be congratulated for asking this question. That you’re the kind of person that manages risk intelligently speaks very well of you! Here we deal with this all-important question of skydiving safety.

The act of getting from the door of an airplane in flight to the ground via a piece of fabric and the help of a professional skydiver sounds like a definitively unsafe decision. Let us walk you through the many reasons why that assumption is false, if you approach it correctly.

Fact #1: The Answer Is Different From Dropzone To Dropzone.

Skydiving is safer now than it has ever been in history. It’s safer in freefall, for instance, than it is on the road to get to the dropzone! One of the reasons those statistics are so excellent is because an organization called the United States Parachute Association, or USPA, has been standing at the center of policymaking and technology development to achieve those ends. Dropzones who are members of the USPA have agreed to follow stringent safety requirements, engage in regular gear maintenance, hire only eminently experienced, licensed professionals and meticulously maintain the skydiving aircraft they use.

We are, obviously, proud members of the United States Parachute Association. What’s cool is that the USPA has been carefully collecting skydiving safety statistics for many years–and can mathematically prove that the safety of skydiving is not only significantly better than most “extreme” activities, it’s only getting better with time. In fact, that goes for actual skydiving athletes, many of whom make a hundred jumps or more per month. Tandem skydiving is even safer!

While most dropzones in the United States are proud members of the USPA, some are not–and their safety numbers show it. If you’re looking at a dropzone, do yourself a favor and check.

Fact #2: The Risk Is Indeed Not Zero–but You Don’t Want It To Be.

Yes, you can be killed on a tandem skydive. Eek! However, as we mentioned before, there’s a greater statistical risk involved in your morning commute. Skydiving is just a lot more dramatic of an example.

In a healthy life, we take risks every single day. Some are more exceptional than others, of course: weaving a motorcycle through traffic, walking through a bad neighborhood by yourself after dark, rock climbing, etc. Normal, everyday activities are risky, too–driving, for instance. Even though jumping out of an airplane might appear to be a much more significant risk, it’s not. The numbers speak for themselves.

Because living a life entirely without risk is impossible–and trying to erase risk from life is paralyzing–we have to manage risk. We have to take measured, calculated, intelligent, life-affirming risks that underline the awesome beauty of a life well-lived. Tandem skydiving is a great way to do just that.

Fact #3: We Care Deeply About Your Safety, And That Matters.

At Long Island Skydiving Center, we are truly passionate about the sport of skydiving. We’re dedicated to the art of offering new skydivers the safest, most exhilarating, most comfortable, most fulfilling skydiving experience possible. To achieve this, we put safety at the forefront of everything we do. We continuously, painstakingly maintain our aircraft, we prioritized the upkeep of our top-notch skydiving equipment and we only employ the very best, kindest, most qualified instructors in the industry.

If you have any questions about skydiving safety, please don’t hesitate to ask! Transparency is important to us, and we love to show our guests the procedural guidelines that we follow to keep you safe in the air. When it comes to skydiving NYC, let us demonstrate what exceptional skydiving safety looks like!

If you want an excuse to tandem skydive with us, read our top 10 reasons to skydive!