The standard guideline for all skydivers is that the weather must be friendly. Beginners need to learn under clear blue skies. When skydiving, it is necessary to see how far the ground is so that you can gauge your position in the air. It is also essential to see ahead not only to enjoy the experience, but to watch out for power lines, trees, and other divers. With this being said, can you skydive in the rain? Experienced skydivers can try jumping in light rain and windy conditions. That is if you have been doing it for a few years as a pro diver. But again, the experience won’t be desirable. You won’t see anything because of foreboding cloudy and wet weather.
Can You Skydive in the Rain?
Stinging Raindrops:
Skydiving in the rain is an awful idea because it hurts being up in the skies when it pours. When you skydive in the rain, you will not be hit by little droplets of rain. Instead, you will be hard hit by ‘sharp’ pellets at high speed all over your body. You don’t want your face to get hit like that. As you avoid the stinging pain, many tend to spend most of their diving on the back. The whole experience becomes compromised.
It gets Damp and Frosty:
Unsurprisingly, your attire will be altogether splashed out up there in the rain. What’s more, a chill wind will blow, making it feel frosty. The bottom line is that you won’t be able to appreciate skydiving because you’ll be focusing on your cold wet clothing.
Parachute may Fail:
Rain adds a significant amount of water weight on your parachute and plunging it downwards. A skydiving parachute over-burdened with moisture and wind can collapse and leave you vulnerable in the skies. There is also a possibility that the chute could stick to itself and fail to unfold when it is time land.
Your Landing can be Dangerous:
When you land after skydiving in the rain, you can slip because you have more wing load. There is also mud on the ground rather than grass; you can easily skid and fall on the slippery floor. It is possible that water may splash in your eyes too upon landing.
Accidents in the Air:
Because vision is blurry when it rains, you can easily hit into trees, oncoming aircraft, and fellow divers. Skydiving in the rain violates the FAA rules that seek to protect skydivers, pilots and anyone else in aviation. Visibility is critical for a safe and accident-free sky, but that is taken away by rain clouds.
Bottom Line
So, can you skydive in the rain? A good rule of thumb is if you don’t have clear visibility, you should not skydive. Because you will not see clearly, you might hit into power lines or cause aircraft accidents, or your parachute may falter and give you a hard landing. Whether this is your first time skydiving, or you’re a licensed professional, Phoenix Skydive Center recommends that you wait for the sun to shine before you can dive. Skydiving is much more enjoyable under clear skies.
