Safety Check: Situational and Collective Awareness
Above: Jumpers discuss their dive plan during a freefly and canopy skills camp in Thailand. Photo by Ewan Cowie.
Skydiving is an extreme discipline that demands more than just courage; it requires extreme attention, coordination and a mindset of constant learning. You can improve not only your safety but also your performance by focusing on two key elements: situational awareness and collective awareness.
Situational Awareness: Master Your Environment
Situational awareness is the ability to perceive, understand and anticipate the environment during a jump. It consists of three levels:
1| Perception: Identifying key factors such as altitude, wind, cloud height and thickness and relative position with other skydivers in freefall or under canopy.
2| Understanding: Analyzing your situation in real-time, evaluating possible risks and opportunities of the moment, including winds, clouds, who’s on the flight and what parachute you’re using.
3| Anticipation: Anticipating scenarios by planning and training appropriate actions. Ask yourself, “What if I’m far away?” Or, “What if I have a premature opening?” Maybe, “What if someone crosses my path on final?”
With solid situational awareness, you can react quickly to unexpected changes, reducing your risk of accidents or collisions.
Collective Awareness: Fly in Harmony with Others
Collective awareness is the ability to coordinate with other skydivers, share visual and non-verbal information and act in a synchronized and predictable manner. It is essential for group safety. It relies on three key factors:
1| Establishing clear communication such as before a jump, making sure everyone knows their position and how to fly to it; establishing exit order based on the types of groups in the load and opening altitudes of your group and others; having and communicating the plan.
- 2| Respecting airspace by maintaining safe distances and complying with established trajectories, landing with your group, adhering to right-of-ways and following the plan.
3| Creating group adaptability by adjusting quickly to changes in a situation; agreeing on a plan B; understanding, learning and teaching before judging when someone isn’t performing well; and adjusting the plan when necessary.
When everyone develops a collective mindset, safety and enjoyment of the jump increase significantly. No matter if you are a novice or expert, you are a part of the community.
Knowledge Illusion: Combat the Silent Enemy
The illusion of knowledge is the false belief that you have mastered a skill when, in reality, you haven’t trained enough. In skydiving, this phenomenon can be especially dangerous. Some examples include:
- Believing that, because you’ve watched videos or received theoretical information, you’re already the expert.
- Assuming you have total control over your body in freefall or under canopy, without going step by step and training for specific maneuvers.
- Underestimating the importance of the landing pattern; trusting intuition rather than practice and observation.
- Believing that because you’ve flown one parachute, you know how to fly them all, without taking into account size, design and conditions.
Strategies to Awaken Awareness
Situational and collective awareness can help you avoid falling into the illusion of knowledge. Here’s how:
- Realistic Training: Practice in real scenarios, with real timing. Validate that you’re meeting the prerequisites. Train yourself in required actions for critical situations.
- Constant Feedback: Evaluate each jump with instructors and expert friends to identify what went well and what could be improved.
- Test Your Real Knowledge: Question yourself, challenge your knowledge and information, relearn and perform practical exercises to detect knowledge gaps.
- Learning Mindset: Recognize that experience doesn’t equal infallibility. There’s always room to learn and advance to another level. We’re all learners, and we’re all mortal!
Safety and performance in skydiving depend on both individual preparation and teamwork, whether you’re a novice, expert or master. Develop solid situational awareness and foster collective awareness in order to minimize risks and maximize enjoyment. Combat the illusion of knowledge, recognizing that true mastery is only achieved through practice, feedback and a mindset open to learning.
The next time you get on the plane, ask yourself: Am I really prepared, or do I just think I am?
Your answer could be the key to a safe and successful jump.
Maria Ospina D-379210
AFF Examiner and Coach Examiner.
Owner, Skydive Colombia in Flandes Tolimo