Often tandem sky diving will be your first jump if you have never done sky diving before. Tandem sky diving is where you are harnessed to an experienced skydiver who has complete control over the dive. You will have some simple instructions to do during the jump, but the instructor can take over if you forget something. Tandem sky diving is a very safe way to make your first skydive.
However, tandem sky diving isn’t for everyone. Skydiving has some health risks involved that you should consider in addition to the risk of jumping out of an airplane. In fact jumping out of a plane isn’t as bad as the health risks that are commonly associated with anxiety and high altitude that causes very lack of oxygen and low air pressure.
Health Conditions To Consider
Those with neurological problems should be checked by a doctor before doing tandem sky diving. This includes anyone who has had epilepsy, blackouts, a head injury or stroke. The tissues in your head can expand or contract due to the low air pressure which can increase the neurological damage. Although partially paralyzed individuals can do tandem sky diving with no problem.
Those with uncontrolled hypertension or high blood pressure should not do tandem sky diving. A hypertensive crisis can result from the anxiety, lack of oxygen and air pressure changes. If you are taking medication for your hypertension and you have it under control then you should check with your doctor before attempting a tandem sky diving.
Always check with your doctor before doing tandem sky diving if you have any kind of cardiovascular condition including heart problems or a history of stroke. You can have a heart attack as a result of the lack of oxygen at the high altitudes. In addition, those with chronic bronchitis, emphysema or asthma should check with their doctor before doing a tandem skydive. Those with pneumothorax or a collapsed lung should not skydive.
You need to have good musculoskeletal structure in order to land. You should tell your instructor if you have had previous fractures, back problems or arthritis. If you have ear or sinus problems you can do tandem sky diving but you should check with your doctor first and be prepared since it can be very painful.
Lastly you should avoid tandem sky diving if you are very anxious or tend to freak out when overly anxious. This would make the skydive unsafe for both yourself and the instructor. However, if you are in good health and physical shape then tandem sky diving can be both safe and fun. If you have any health conditions it is generally best to check with your doctor before you skydive to find out if there are any restrictions.
