Skydiving is a "high risk" activity! However there are many precautions which skydivers take to increase safety and reduce the chance of injury. For example:

Reserve Parachutes: Skydivers carry two parachutes. The main chute is extremely reliable but no man-made device is perfect. So if the main parachute should malfunction, the skydiver will release it and then open the second one.

Automatic Activation Devices: AADs monitor altitude and speed; they are capable of automatically activating the reserve parachute in the event that the skydiver does not. For years it has been mandatory for beginners to wear an AAD. In the event that a student jumper's main parachute doesn't open, and the student doesn't take appropriate action, the AAD is there as a backup.

Ram-Air Parachutes: At one time all parachutists used round, military canopies. Landings were often hard and injuries were fairly common. Today jumpers use modern rectangular parachutes that can be slowed down for gentle landings. There are a lot fewer landing injuries and the national sport associations in Canada and the USA now require the use of ramair main canopies for beginners. At the GBSPC we also use ramair reserve parachutes so that even on those rare occasions when one of our students needs the reserve, the chances of a landing injury are slim.

Weather Restrictions: Strong winds pose a problem for parachutists on landing, so for safety's sake we impose wind limits: about 25 km/hr (15 mph) for beginners. Cloud ceilings are also a factor. The higher we are, the more time we have for emergency procedures. Consequently, if we can't get up to a safe "minimum" altitude we don't jump.

Alcohol Consumption: No one is permitted to fly or jump if they've consumed any alcohol earlier that day. At GBSPC we don't allow anyone, even spectators to drink until after we're done skydiving for the day.

Drugs: Some over-the-counter and prescription drugs can have undesirable side-effects in high stress situations and at higher altitudes (due to lack of Oxygen). We need to know if you're taking medication and in some cases we may have to postpone your jump or even refuse to accept you altogether.

Medical Conditions: Some medical conditions warrant postponing jumps to a later date. For example, if you have a cold with sinus congestion, the sudden and dramatic pressure change of a freefall can injure your ears. If you are more than a few weeks pregnant you should not jump. In fact, it's a good idea to wait a couple of months after giving birth to give your body a chance to recover. Similarly, it is not a good idea to skydive if you have donated blood within the previous few weeks (longer if you have a small build). Of course there are other conditions which might warrant postponing or re-considering skydiving altogether. Please ask before you register. In some cases we will require a doctor's note before accepting you.

Is skydiving safe for everyone? Definitely not! It's not as safe for anyone with a physical or mental disability. It helps to be fairly fit, reasonably strong and not overweight. You need to be able to think quickly and clearly in stressful situations, both to avoid trouble and to get yourself out of trouble if it arises. To be blunt, there are a lot of people who are either too young, too old, too weak, too nervous, too uncoordinated, too heavy or not bright enough to safely jump from an airplane. Skydiving is NOT for everyone!

GBSPC Safety Record: We've been in business for more than twenty five years. During that time we've supervised over 6000 student jumps. There have been no fatalities. Over the past 18 years only one first-jump student needed to use his reserve parachute. There have been very few landing injuries among our beginners. Although we're not sure of this, we think that's a better record than any other skydiving operation in the area. One reason for our good safety record is our approach to student training. We purposely do not attempt to cater to a high volume of beginners and we give each and every first- time jumper the undivided attention of two very experienced instructors.

Insurance, Liability and Waivers: Liability insurance is not available to parachuting schools. Participants cannot expect any insurance settlement in the event they are injured in any aircraft or parachuting accident. Consequently all jumpers are required to sign a contract commonly known as a waiver, wherein they acknowledge the risks and agree not to sue anyone if they are injured. Many parachuting schools refuse to accept beginners under 18 due to liability concerns. At Grand Bend SPC, anyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent who co-signs the waiver after attending the class and being fully informed of the risks. The parent also indicates by signature that he or she is confident of the ability of the student to properly perform all required tasks.