I scared myself. Even worse I came close to injuring a fellow skydiver. All because I ignored one of the basic rules of large formation skydiving — always keep your eyes on the base.
At the P3 camps we have a bit of a mantra: if you take your eyes of the base… BAD THINGS HAPPEN. This is meant of course in a light way — fall rates can change — both of the individual and the formation, formations can turn, stadiums can flatten out, but this statement is important from exit to dock.
I was a late diver from a Skyvan — the event and dropzone aren’t important. I was comfortable, happy with my slot, and in the zone. On exit I experienced incidental contact with the diver exiting beside me — a minor bump. I looked at him — smiled, waved; he smiled back, waved. We dove in tandem. Cool and groovy. Until I looked down. Unbeknownst to me the base chunk had funneled on exit and the line of divers ahead of me had all come out of their dives and entered a holding pattern watching the reform. Except me. Joking and complacent while participating in an unforgiving sport. I was still in an aggressive dive going towards the base — to where I knew it was. Except it wasn’t.
I passed one of the divers in the line in front of me at a speed that could have injured or possibly even killed us both outright and at a distance that was too close for comfort (within 20 feet). The other diver never saw me.
I came out of the dive straight away, deep in the stadium but still above the now reformed base. I continued the jump, docked normally, tracked, pulled, opened, flared, and landed. Palms sweating, heart beating, horrified at my own actions, amazed at how quickly, how EASILY it had happened.
Complacency in our sport is not acceptable. For any person, at any event, for any reason, at any time. Once again I have had to relearn a lesson I teach others. I got lucky. How many others don’t?
Memorial weekend was one of the worst weekends for skydiving incidents in recent memories. Very experienced, skilled and current skydivers died or suffered hideous injuries. I came close to upping the number by two.
When you take your eyes off the base — BAD THINGS HAPPEN. Not just a catch phrase. Not cute. Not any more.
