Skydiving FAQs
Instructors & Safety
Staff qualifications and the important policies and procedures we employ at our dropzone to facilitate the safety of tandem skydivers, students, and our staff.
How dangerous is it to skydive?
We get this question a lot, and we totally get it. Jumping out of a plane isn’t exactly your average weekend plan. But here’s the thing: thanks to strict regulations, advanced gear, and thorough training, skydiving is far more calculated, controlled, and safe than most people realize.
In fact, statistically speaking, you’re more likely to be injured on your daily commute than on a tandem skydive. While no extreme sport is risk-free, skydiving is a highly regulated activity with strict safety protocols.
At Skydive the Wasatch, we go above and beyond those standards:
- Every skydiver jumps with two parachutes, a main and a reserve.
- All reserve parachutes are inspected and repacked every 180 days by an FAA-certified parachute rigger (even if they’ve never been used).
- Each rig includes an Automatic Activation Device (AAD) that deploys the parachute automatically if needed.
- Our tandem instructors are USPA-certified and have completed extensive training and evaluations.
We don’t take safety lightly. If you still have questions, we encourage you to check out the data and standards from the USPA, or just give us a call. We’re always happy to talk you through it.
How experienced are the instructors?
Our instructors at Skydive the Wasatch are incredibly friendly and talented professionals, who are all USPA-licensed and FAA-certified Tandem Skydiving Instructors.
To become a skydiving instructor you need to be a member of the USPA and log 500 jumps and 3 hours of freefall, MINIMUM. The instructors at Skydive the Wasatch have all made well over the required minimums and are some of the best in the entire industry.
Should I tip my instructor?
They’d deeply appreciate it! A tip is a great way of communicating your satisfaction with the jump, and making your hard-working instructor smile.