Local Skydiving

Essential Gadgets Required For Skydiving

Besides weights and skydiving suits, there are a few other gadgets that divers use to make the experience safer and more enjoyable. Below are a few examples.

Altitude Tools

One of the most common devices used by divers is the altimeter. This device allows the diver to keep a constant check on their current altitude. Professionals recommend that the beginning diver use an altimeter that is simple to read, and comes with a lifetime warranty in the event that it is ever dropped from a great height.

Audibles

For those who want greater security when diving, there are altimeters which have an audible signal that the diver can hear through a small ear-phone under their helmet. These audible devices are not required, but they come in very handy, especially when performing various dangerous maneuvers such as free flying, flat-falling, and breaking off high. In fact, most coaches won't even let new divers go free flying without one of these, especially divers learning to fly at higher speeds.

The choices available tend to vary from very simple basic models to some quite sophisticated ones. Some of those more expensive ones can act as a digital log book. They measure your freefall rate and your airspeed. This data can later be uploaded to a computer which can then download and analyze the data it has collected.

Helmets

Along with the jumpsuit and the parachute rig, the helmet is one of the most important pieces of safety equipment for the skydiver. When buying a helmet, the diver should try as many different styles as are available to ensure getting the best fit and the greatest amount of safety possible. If the diver wants extra protection, there are helmets with partial and full-face protection. These are especially good for divers who prefer to wear contact lenses.

While face protection is good for those who need it, open-faced helmets provide for easier communication with other divers, however, open-faced models don't protect the mouth and jaw, and they require the wearer to

Gloves

A diver's hands are very vulnerable in skydiving to such abuse as scrapes, line burns, cold weather and mishaps. For this reason wise divers choose to wear gloves when they dive. It is very important that the gloves a diver wears are thick enough to protect from the cold, but thin enough that the diver can still feel the handles on his parachute. For this reason, these gloves should be bought at a professional skydiving shop, rather than the local thrift shop.

Hook Knives

Finally, arguably, one of the most important pieces of safety equipment that a diver can have is a hook knife. These knives come into play in the event that the lines of the main parachute become tangled and threaten the life of the diver. In this case, the diver can use the knife to cut away the main parachute to provide room for the deployment of the secondary parachute. There are many designs of the hook knife, and they all will work well for the skydiver. In choosing the right knife, the diver can choose any style they like, but must keep in mind that it has to fit easily and conveniently into their skydiving rig. It is not a good idea to place the knife on the chest of the diver as it can be prone to being lost. The preferred placement for the knife is actually on one or other of the legs. To make sure that the knife is always good and sharp, the diver needs to care for it properly, and never use it for any other purpose than skydiving.

By Anne Potts -

World's Highest CIVILIAN Skydive from 30000 Feet

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