If you're thinking of going tandem skydiving, safety has likely crossed your mind. If not, you're either one of those super-trusting people that assumes the company takes care of everything so there are no risks, or you're of the breed that thinks nothing of doing something risky, and so "safety? What's that?" is your motto.

Considering you'll be jumping out of a "perfectly good airplane," safety while tandem skydiving should be something you think about before you commit yourself and the next several hours to the skydiving company. If you're going with friends, perhaps you should think twice before agreeing to go – and before the peer pressure urges you do to something that you will wish you could wiggle out of later. With your first tandem skydive, it will cross your mind a lot.

When You'll Think About Safety…

The first time you'll think about safety and tandem skydiving is when you first consider the idea. Maybe your friend mentioned he's going and asked if you want to go, too. Or maybe you saw an ad in the paper and read the ad through a couple of times – seriously considering the adventure. However it happened, chances are that experience came with an iinitial emotion – either looking forward to the adventure, or terror, or thinking that those who do it are crazy. If you can see beyond that, to what an adventure it would be, you might end up at the company, handing over your money.

When you actually give the company your money, you'll consider safety in regards to tandem skydiving again. Maybe you'll think about how the company gets the money up front – maybe just in case something happens and you aren't able to pay after….? You'll see the options – like solo skydiving jumps, with much more training before you can do them – and part of you will think that jumping with someone else (a tandem skydiving jump) has safety on its side. Maybe – maybe not.

So you get up in the airplane, with all your gear on, and awaiting your turn to jump. Safety in tandem skydiving crossing your mind again at this point. Will you make it down safely? What will it feel like to be free falling through space? Will your jump partner do what he needs to do (pull the cord!) at the right time? All these concerns and more will cross your mind.