And then something like what happens today ends up in
the news and everyone feels justified in thinking those who go skydiving are
insane and would never ‘jump out of a perfectly good airplane’.
The event I am referring to is the tragic accident in
the Lockyer Valley today that saw a sixty-two year old, very experienced skydiver
fall to his death when both his parachute and reserve parachute failed. Very
little is actually known (or shared with us) of the details. All I could find out
was this man had done jumps like these for something like 1,000 times and had
packed his own chutes, but for some – currently – unknown reason they did not
work for him. People rushed to the scene and performed CPR but they couldn’t help
him.
Understandably those people are traumatised, especially
because the thought of someone falling that far and knowing the likely grave
outcome that would result is absolutely horrible. I would never wish that upon
anyone. I do, however, have issues with what I know is going to result from
this; people will turn their noses up at skydiving or will protest against.
Now, as I said above, I’ve been skydiving. Only once
mind you, but I’ve always wanted to do it. And I plan to do it again, many
times in fact. Even this incident, as upsetting as it is – even to me – has not
put me off jumping out of a plane at 14,000 feet, and I honestly don’t think it
should for anybody else either.
Yes, there are dangers when it comes to skydiving, but
there is in most things you do in your everyday lives. Skydiving’s threats are
just more glaringly obvious. But all the necessary precautions are taken. The
thing that bugs me most, and what I really want to convey as my message here,
is that there are very few deaths related to skydiving. The biggest killer is motor
vehicles. More people have died driving home from work or going out than
jumping out of a plane thousands of feet in the sky. I think a little
perspective is needed here. When you jump out of a plane you put on all the
safety equipment, you run over procedures, you do every possible thing you can
to make the experience as safe and happy and successful as is possible. Now
look at driving and we have people that don’t wear seatbelts, don’t care about
lights or speed restrictions or even keeping
their eyes on the road because – oh! They have a text message on their phone!
I just think it’s a little wrong. People thinking they know what is right and wrong when there are so many people making the same mistake recklessly and yet skydiving is worse. Unfortunately I get
rather frustrated when people think I’m wrong or just stupid because I have
been skydiving. I don’t like when people close their minds to things – I’m not
saying they should go skydiving, but they shouldn’t completely shut it down to
those who actually care. That’s what I’m saying.
Well, that, and to pay my respects to a man I didn’t
know but have a lot of respect and admiration to, by defending something that
he was clearly passionate about after doing it 1,000 times, but can’t express
his opinion because of a mishap.
So if you want to go skydiving, or have been considering it but are unsure, I highly recommend that you try it out. At least once. It's an amazing experience and one worth feeling, if you ask me.
On a more pleasing note, here is some photographic
evidence that I went skydiving. I was surprisingly unfazed by the entire act,
despite the fact I only decided to do it all in just twenty minutes (as a form
of procrastination from a school assignment). So relaxed was I that the
professional jumpers were trying to psyche me out. It didn’t work. They will
see me back there again sometime this year.
Skydiving pictures: there are always so flattering!
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