What is skydiving? Everything you need to know

Many people confuse skydiving with other types of sports or jumping techniques. To avoid confusion, this article will explain what skydiving is, its characteristics, and what you need to practice it.

Additionally, if reading this sparks your interest and you feel like trying it, you can contact us to skydive in Gran Canaria and enjoy a unique experience.

What is Skydiving?

Starting with the basics, skydiving is the technique of launching humans or objects from a certain height using a parachute to slow the descent and land safely and in a controlled manner. It is, therefore, an extreme (and very fun!) sport that lets you fly through the air, releasing a great amount of adrenaline.

The jump can be made from any type of aircraft (plane, helicopter, hot air balloon, etc.) and requires extreme safety, rigorous training, and a significant amount of time to master the technique.

What Equipment Do You Need for Skydiving?

The essential elements for skydiving are:

• Main parachute
• Reserve parachute
• Containers to store the parachutes
• Goggles (not mandatory but recommended)
• Altimeter: This device measures altitude, referencing a specific location point and the point where it is currently situated. Typically, the reference point is the landing area.

Upon jumping from the aircraft, depending on the altitude and the type of skydive, you may open the parachute immediately or after a period of freefall.

The body weight in freefall against a small pilot chute attached to the top of the parachute causes the canopy to open, and air pressure keeps the parachute rigid like an airplane wing for a smooth and controlled descent, while being mindful of wind and direction.

Although the classic parachute shape used to be round, today most parachutes are rectangular, allowing for greater control. If you want to learn more about this, we invite you to read other posts on our blog, such as “What are the parts of a parachute?”

Benefits of Skydiving

Some of the advantages of practicing this unique sport include:

• It releases a lot of adrenaline, which improves your body’s response capability.
• It’s fun and energizes you for the days ahead.
• It enhances your reflexes by increasing the necessary levels of attention.
• It helps to release stress and tensions accumulated from daily routine, providing an activity that breaks the monotony and gives you great stories to share with friends, family, and other skydiving enthusiasts.
• You’ll enjoy views from an unusual position, especially seeing Gran Canaria from a bird’s-eye view, appreciating the privileged scenery with the vast ocean, views of other islands, and the approaching Maspalomas Dunes.
• It’s an opportunity to conquer your fears and challenge yourself, making you feel capable of doing anything. It’s a perfect and fun way to face your fears and discover that you are braver than you thought.

What Happens in Our Brain When We Skydive?

The rush experienced when jumping into freefall with a parachute is due to the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter linked to pleasure, which often leaves you wanting to repeat the experience. Faced with the physical danger of this extreme sport, adrenaline is also released, dilating your pupils slightly, speeding up your heart, and sharpening your senses, allowing you to be highly alert to everything around you.

Adrenaline and dopamine inhibit the brain’s frontal area, responsible for control and rational thought. During the first jumps, there’s often a sensory overload, so between stress, fear, excitement, and happiness, the brain doesn’t process all the information, causing you to lose some of it before it’s stored in memory, making the experience feel shorter than it actually is. This is another reason to opt for the video and photo service, so you can have a lasting memory.

As skydivers perform more jumps and become accustomed to the sensations, the brain can process all the information, allowing the entire experience to be remembered.

Experience Something Unique with iJump

We hope you found this article interesting and that you’re encouraged to tandem jump in Gran Canaria soon.

At iJump, we have an excellent team of experienced professionals who will help you live one of the best experiences of your life. We offer special jumps for birthdays, marriage proposals, and bachelor parties. What are you waiting for to celebrate any occasion in style?