Is Skydiving Scary?

If you have booked your first skydive, or are thinking about making one, the fear factor is probably playing on your mind. We get asked “Is skydiving scary?” all of the time. The answer is yes… and no. Here, we take you through the process from booking your first skydive to landing and some of the fears you’ll face during the process. We also offer some tips to help overcome your fears. 

Booking Your Skydive

The moment you hit the ‘book now’ button is when things start to get real and you experience that first rush of butterflies. You’re going skydiving! You’ll be thinking about it every day until you arrive at the drop zone, which only exacerbates your feelings of apprehension. 

Arriving at the Dropzone

Once you pull into the parking lot, the reality of what you’re about to do hits you. It’s really happening! Your ambition to be a skydiver is about to be fulfilled. Feeling excited and nervous, you approach registration with your heart rate more elevated than it’s been since you made your booking. 

Seeing People Land

As you await your jump, you will see people landing their parachutes. They are on the other side of their skydives. Soon, you will be under canopy as well navigating back to the landing area. There go those butterflies again!

Gearing Up

Now it’s feeling VERY real. Your tandem skydiving instructor is adjusting your harness and giving a final talk through of the jump. Your mind is racing. You get on the plane and it takes off.

Moving Towards the Plane Door

This is it. The moment has arrived. In a matter of seconds, you will be outside that door, and there will be no floor beneath your feet. As you approach the door, your fight-or-flight instincts are on full tilt. You’ve been trained and you know this is part of the challenge, but this will be the most nerve-racking moment of the entire experience. Deep breath… it’s time to skydive! 

Is Skydiving Scary?

As you leave that plane, something magical happens. Your fear stays in the plane and you are free of it. In fact, you feel the most freedom you have ever felt in your life.

You are totally in the moment and it feels amazing.

Your instructor deploys the parachute and it all slows down. You come into land and all your friends and family are cheering you on. With so much build up to the jump, you realize that the scariest part of skydiving was anticipating it rather than actually doing it. 

You defeated your fear of skydiving and you are exuberant because you know what it feels like to fly.

Tips for Reducing Your Fear

Here are some top tips, from a regular skydiver, for managing your fear of skydiving:

Knowledge is Power

Peruse our FAQs page. These are the most common questions we receive. They are a great source of information to better educate yourself about the experience and to allay your fears.

Arrive Early

Your first skydive is not an experience you want to rush. Make a day of it. Chat to locals about why they love skydiving. Enjoy the atmosphere. Watch who is jumping. You’ll see that those who jump regularly are just like you and you’ll see them loving the experience! It will build your confidence! 

Accept Your Nervousness

Skydiving will induce fear, it’s natural, so embrace it. We all feel it, even after thousands of jumps. Accepting that you will be nervous gives you one less thing to worry about.

So, is skydiving scary? In the end you’ll have to be the judge, but if all the smiles are any indication, our guests tell us the same thing… everything that leads up to it can be scary, but the skydive itself is amazing!

Still have questions? Give us a call! We’d be more than happy to share what you can expect in greater detail. You can reach us at +1 (951) 657-1664.

If you are looking to make your first skydive near Los Angeles, Skydive Perris is the premier destination for LA skydiving and Southern California. 

With the best coaches and staff, best planes, onsite bar, and our own indoor skydiving facilities, we are the dropzone of choice for Hollywood movies and production and skydiving champions alike.

We hope to see you soon!