{"id":1203,"date":"2025-01-29T10:03:45","date_gmt":"2025-01-29T15:03:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/longislandskydiving.com\/?p=1203"},"modified":"2025-01-29T10:45:19","modified_gmt":"2025-01-29T15:45:19","slug":"how-dangerous-is-tandem-skydiving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/longislandskydiving.com\/blog\/how-dangerous-is-tandem-skydiving\/","title":{"rendered":"How Dangerous is Tandem Skydiving?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Skydiving has a reputation as a perilous sport for adrenaline junkies and risk takers with nothing to lose. So, how safe is skydiving, really? Do skydiving safety statistics match how skydiving is often portrayed in popular culture? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Long Island Skydiving Center, we prioritize safety above all else and are proud to share our safety standards and protocols with any of the thousands of tandem skydivers<\/a> we serve each year. Here\u2019s how we answer the question, How safe is tandem skydiving? <\/p>\n\n\n

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The Numbers Don\u2019t Lie<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The most logical way to understand how much risk is involved with jumping out of airplanes is to look at the cold, hard data. The United States Parachute Association (USPA) has been tracking and compiling statistics around almost every aspect of skydiving for decades, including safety<\/a>.

The most recent data set available from the USPA is from 2023, which recorded 10 fatal skydiving accidents out of 3.65 million skydives. That\u2019s 0.27 fatalities per 100,000 skydives. And we\u2019re happy to report that, in general, skydiving statistics are trending in the right direction. Let\u2019s look at a data snapshot from 15 years of USPA reports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Skydiving Safety Statistics<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Year<\/strong><\/td>Skydiving Fatalities (US)<\/strong><\/td>Annual # Jumps<\/strong><\/td>Fatalities\/100K Jumps<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
2023<\/td>10<\/td>3.65 million<\/td>0.27<\/td><\/tr>
2020<\/td>11<\/td>2.8 million<\/td>0.39<\/td><\/tr>
2017<\/td>24<\/td>3.2 million<\/td>0.75<\/td><\/tr>
2014<\/td>24<\/td>3.2 million<\/td>0.75<\/td><\/tr>
2011<\/td>25<\/td>3.1 million<\/td>0.81<\/td><\/tr>
2008<\/td>30<\/td>2.6 million<\/td>1.15<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n


What\u2019s more, there were zero tandem fatalities in 2023, and only 0.002 student fatalities for every 1,000 tandem skydives made during the last decade. Is tandem skydiving safe, then? We would never say skydiving \u2013 tandem or otherwise \u2013 is safe, but we can say that there are advantages to having a seasoned professional at your back. (More on this below.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The majority of skydiving fatalities occur when experienced solo skydivers become complacent, push beyond their limits, or try new things. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tandem Skydiving Technology<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of the main reasons for the encouraging trend in skydiving statistics is the evolution of our gear. The technology of skydiving equipment has developed significantly over the years, all with a focus on improved safety. And tandem skydiving equipment in particular is custom made to serve the needs of an instructor and student skydiving as a pair.

For starters, all skydiving equipment includes two parachutes \u2013 a main for general use and a reserve for emergencies. The main parachute is designed to open and fly in any condition a skydiver could find themselves in, and the reserve is even more reliable. Our gear is also equipped with an automatic activation device (AAD)<\/a> \u2013 a small device that measures descent rate and altitude that is able to deploy the parachute at a preset altitude if the instructor doesn\u2019t manually deploy it.

Fun fact: Reserve parachutes must be inspected and repacked every 180 days by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certified rigger, whether they were used or not.

Tandem gear technology takes this mindset even one step further. Tandem setups include a third, smaller parachute called a drogue that helps slow the pair of jumpers in freefall to avoid painfully hard main parachute deployments.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Skydiving gear quite literally saves our life on every jump, and every part of it is developed with that in mind!\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tandem Instructor Qualifications<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n
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Gear isn\u2019t the only necessity for a successful skydive. Our professional instructors<\/a> make it possible for people who have never even been in an airplane to taste the freedom of the sky. We know that you\u2019re putting all of your trust into your instructor when you decide to make a tandem skydive, and we take that responsibility very seriously. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ever wondered what qualifications are required of your instructor?<\/p>\n\n\n\n