Why You Can't Bring A Camera On A Tandem Skydive

One of the most frequently asked questions about skydiving is, "Can I bring my own camera with on my tandem skydive?" Read on to learn about skydiving regulations. 

USPA Safety Regulations

The United States Parachute Association makes the rules when it comes to safety in the sport of skydiving in this country. The USPA is there to help us out and keep us all as safe as we can be. After all, skydiving is a sport of mitigated risk. It can't be denied that by following their regulations and guidelines it will make you a safer skydiver.

Camera Requirements

The USPA has a few requirements about who can bring a camera with on a skydive. These requirements are:

• Skydiving License

• 200 Skydives

• New Tandem Instructors must have 200 jumps with passengers without handcam before using one

Skydive Danielson is a member of the USPA and we follow all of their regulations.Bummed you can't bring your camera? Learn to skydive! Get your license and make 200 skydives!

Why Is Experience Needed?

The USPA states 3 main reasons why they require a skydiver to be experienced before taking a camera with in freefall.

• Distraction - When wearing a camera in free fall it is easy to become distracted. If you are distracted you may not be able to focus entirely on the skydive if an emergency situation comes up.

• Snag Hazards- Having a camera in the wrong place at the wrong time are not ideal for cameras users. If the camera is in the wrong place during the main parachute deployment then it could get tangled up in the parachute.

• Unstable Body Position - We all know it's all about the shot. Inexperienced camera flyers have been known to sacrifice a proper body position attempting to 'Get The Shot' with their camera. This can cause a parachute to not open properly, increasing it's chance to malfunction.