CAN YOU SKYDIVE IN THE RAIN?

There’s something exciting and magical about dancing or singing in the rain, no? While it might sound fun and unique, we can assure you there is nothing magical or exciting about skydiving in the rain. Still, the question persists – can you skydive in the rain? Let us shower your inquisitive mind with some knowledge about how rain can affect your skydive.

CAN YOU SKYDIVE IN THE RAIN?

No. Skydiving in the rain is NOT permitted by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) due to the specific rules and regulations, or FARs, that all pilots and skydivers must follow. This includes the Visual Flight Rules (VFRs) that are set in place to restrict skydivers and pilots from flying in conditions that impact their vision. This includes clouds, fog, rain, and any other precipitation. Basically, we need to be able to see the ground from the airplane.

CAN YOU TANDEM SKYDIVE IN THE RAIN?

Even for first-time tandem skydivers, skydiving in the rain is not permitted. If it is raining on the day of your scheduled tandem skydive, we will need to either wait til the sky clears or reschedule your jump for another day. Weather can be pretty hard to predict, but we will always do our best to stay up to date with the weather and keep you informed if a rain check is in order.

SKYDIVING IN THE RAIN INCREASES RISK

The biggest reason why we avoid skydiving in the rain is that skydiving in the rain increases risk. As we mentioned above, rain affects those Visual Flight Rules and significantly impairs visibility. Furthermore, rain comes from clouds and cloudy days can quickly ruin a skydive by causing major obstructions between the plane and the ground and between other skydivers. These obstructions increase the risk of collisions in the sky or landing off of the dropzone into dangerous areas.

Moreover, parachutes don’t exactly like to be wet. Water from rain can add extra weight onto the parachute which directly affects the controllability and maneuverability of the parachute while trying to land the canopy safely. 

SKYDIVING IN THE RAIN CAN RUIN GEAR

As we mentioned above, parachutes don’t like to be wet and must be completely dry before being packed up into your rig. The rig itself isn’t exactly waterproof either as it contains some electronic components such as the AAD (automatic activation device). Skydiving gear is expensive and, frankly, lifesaving — which is why it’s extremely important to take great care of your gear and protect the equipment. Rain can damage the skydiving equipment, which can be difficult or expensive to replace — so it’s best to avoid rain or water altogether.

SKYDIVING IN THE RAIN IS UNCOMFORTABLE

Not only can it be uncomfortable to be soaking wet on your skydive but you’ll also have to look forward to landing and sliding in the sticky mud. Yuck! Talk about messing up your clothes and potentially your car on your soggy ride home.

Not to mention, skydiving in the rain straight-up HURTS! During freefall, you’ll be zoomin’ at speeds around 120 mph. You can imagine how it might feel to have thousands of insufferable tiny water droplets pelting your face at these speeds. It almost feels like tiny needles poking your whole body – no, yeah, wait, that’s exactly what it feels like. No thanks!

WHAT IF IT’S RAINING ON THE DAY OF YOUR SKYDIVE?

If you are in the area and it’s raining on the day of your jump, call the dropzone to ask about the status of your jump. If you are traveling, please call before you head out to the DZ to check in and confirm the status of your jump. Keep in mind that the weather may change within the time it takes you to get to the dropzone — so please remain patient. 

We are at the mercy of Mother Nature, which means sometimes the weather doesn’t go as planned. We understand that you want to jump on the day of your scheduled skydive, and we want you to jump too! If the weather causes us to reschedule your jump it is only because we have your best interest and the safety of everyone in mind. Plus, we wouldn’t want the rain or clouds to ruin your opportunity to get a glimpse of the great Lake Ontario and incredible views of Niagara Falls!

If it is decided that you are unable to skydive due to rain or other weather factors, we will reschedule your jump for another day at your convenience. In some cases, we will still do your ground training so that you are ready to go on the day of your jump — this way we can get you in the sky as quickly and safely as possible!

You see, we have to be picky when it comes to weather conditions for skydiving not only for safety reasons but because we want the absolute best experience for our customers! Having perfect skydiving weather is a sure way to kick off your first-time skydiving experience on the right foot.

See clear skies in your future? Book a skydive with the premier place to skydive in Western New York – WNY Skydiving!