Tandem Skydiving; Your First Parachute Jump - Part Two
A Four Part Series:
*1 Arrival & Sign-up
*2 Preparation
*3 The Plane
*4 Freefall & Landing
Part Two: Preparation for Your Tandem Skydive
Now what are you going to wear for your tandem skydive? Wear
tennis shoes if you have them. If you have boots and they have
hooks for the laces, the drop zone will put duct tape on the
hooks. The clothes you wear really do not matter as long as they
are comfortable. I always tell students to wear comfortable
jeans and a tee shirt and bring along a sweatshirt because
sometimes it is a little cool at altitude when it is time to
jump from that airplane. Some drop zones have suits you can wear
but not all of them do. If jumping when the weather is cool,
wear layers that still allow you movement.
Now listen to me when I tell you this because it's important,
and your instructor will also tell you this. Before you go on
your tandem skydive make sure you take off your jewelry, empty
your pockets of everything. If you do not want to lose it, keep
it on the ground. If you are wearing contacts let your
instructor know, he will give you goggles for contacts or
glasses.
Now you're ready to make a tandem skydive. Your named has been
called, it's your turn. Now different drop zones do different
things to get you ready. Some drop zones put you into your
harness and you will meet the instructor at the plane. Some drop
zones have the instructor go over some simple instructions. Like
I said in the beginning it is not Rocket Science.
One thing to remember when your tandem harness is being put on,
it has to be adjusted. So, do not get hyper when the instructor
hands are little too close to things that make you
uncomfortable. Remember these people are professionals. Besides,
most of the time the instructors will tell you what he or she is
doing. The tandem skydiving harness that you are wearing is what
attaches you to your instructor, which is very important. Your
harness has four attachments that hook up to your tandem
skydiving instructor. You have two side hookups and two shoulder
hookups. These are the attachment points where you will be
hooked up to your tandem skydiving instructor before you jump.