If you’re scared you won’t be able to communicate with your instructor in the wind tunnel while you indoor skydive, you don’t need to worry.
There will be a pre-flight briefing, where your instructor will teach you not only techniques and safety procedures but a series of hand gestures for communication purposes as well!
Hand Gestures in Indoor Skydiving (and What They Mean)
The wind tunnel is loud, and while you’re hovering there, you’ll find it difficult to talk (the wind will blow your voice away; fortunately, it’s perfectly easy to breathe, so never fear!).
Read before you go – Can You Indoor Skydive If You Have a Medical Condition?
This may have you feeling a bit anxious like you won’t be able to communicate with your instructor.
Luckily, you’ve no need to worry.
There are some hand gestures you can use to let your instructor know a variety of things, including, of course, how to ask for help.
A good instructor will always be watching, so you’ll never be left to struggle. Instead, they’ll be quick to assist you and get you skydiving smoothly again.
So, what are the hand gestures used?
- Skydiving form is important to get the perfect controlled fall. If your legs are in or out too far, it can interfere with your glide, or cause you to have less control. Fortunately, there are hand signals your instructor can do to let you know whether to put your legs out, or in. They’ll display either curled fingers (put your legs in) or extended fingers (legs out). This is a simple and effective way that your instructor will keep you balanced.
- There is an ideal form for skydiving, and one of those things is aligning your head with your body. Your instructor will let you know to lift your chin simply by pointing upward. You don’t want to hang your head and miss seeing the folks around you or anything your instructor may want to communicate. Plus, the folks with you will undoubtedly want to see your face. Feel free to send them a hang loose hand gesture, to express your enjoyment or let them know to relax!
- Of course, there’s a sign for help, if you find yourself ready to be done a bit early. Because it’s hard to communicate what exactly the issue is in the wind tunnel, your instructor will usually stop it so that they can hear what you have to say. But rest assured, give a thumbs down and your concern will be heard.
- Perhaps the nicest sign to see is the classic hang loose sign, with just the thumb and pinky up. This is your instructor letting you know everything is okay and encouraging you to relax! If you see this sign, try to loosen up your muscles a bit and let yourself have some fun. Skydiving indoors is a blast, especially once you really get the hang of it. So, hang loose and relax!
Pay Attention During the Brief
Prior to every indoor skydiving experience, your instructor will lead you to a classroom, and give you a briefing. This will include the most important information about indoor skydiving, including the info below.
When it comes to indoor skydiving (and all types of skydiving), proper form is essential. This will keep you gliding smoothly, rather than falling to either side or experiencing turbulence.
Don’t worry, maintaining the perfect form takes practice, but you’ll start off with the basics to keep you on track.
One of the reasons an instructor is so valuable is because they’ll teach you the techniques for entering the wind tunnel (lowering yourself forward, which they’ll assist with until you’ve got the hang of it), how to turn (by dipping the arm and shoulder on the side you want to turn, i.e. the left arm and shoulder to turn left), etc.
There will be less need to communicate, and you can focus on the enjoyment of your indoor skydiving experience, as you’ll have the proper know-how!
Your instructor will show you what gear to wear and how to wear it and of course, the hand gesture for “help” or “done for now” (thumbs down), to signal your instructor!
Want to learn more about indoor skydiving? Don’t miss out—get your hands on the ultimate beginners’ guide to indoor skydiving now!
Final Words
Hang loose and relax because your instructor has got your back.
But have you ever wondered if you can indoor skydive alone or if you always need an instructor? Find out in our quick guide here!
Once you’ve got the hand gestures down (luckily there are only a few, and they’re fairly simple), you and your instructor can communicate effectively – a key part of a quality indoor skydiving experience.
Best of luck!
