A Navy SEAL Explains Why He’ll Never Go Skydiving As A Civilian Again

Former Navy SEAL Brandon Webb explains why he'll never go skydiving as a civilian again even though he logged numerous jumps in the military.

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[hevad]

Maybe he should start his own skydiving company. Advertise its focus on safety: "military grade safety".

[dominicnzl]

So he doesn't give his SEAL of approval

[mortem]

This seems to be an unlucky, but otherwise rare experience. Through my skydive, my instructor was constantly checking my gear, right up to the very moment before jumping. I was constantly asked if everything felt tight but comfortable, and I was never left alone to guess if everything was placed properly.

[LC-gsqv]

I spent 14 years in the British infantry and leaving made me realise just how professional the military is. Nothing else compares

[krissyyssirk]

I'm a skydiving instructor in the civilian world (not San Diego, although I know the drop zone). I'm sorry you had a bad experience. The plane situation sounds normal to me. We cannot afford to fly expensive planes largely empty. However, your main concern, the instructor you went with, is very legitimate, and does not reflect normal safety standards.
For recurrency jumps, or conversion to a different type of gear, ground training should cover how the gear works and how to operate it in detail. As for the jump itself, a skydiving instructor in the US (as per the US Parachute Association) is supposed to check student gear 3 times before each jump: once before when selecting the gear, once when all suited up before boarding the aircraft and once in the aircraft before jumping.
So your description of what happened is a far cry from normal civilian safety standards. It is quite concerning that such a thing would be allowed to happen. I have never worked in San Diego, but it is normally a highly reputable drop zone. I think you should talk to their management team about your experience. The safety of all skydivers is of the utmost importance to all of us. Sorry again about your bad experience, but please believe that it is not how a drop zone normally operates at all.

[erikhpc]

I jumped in the us and can confirm that if you don’t ask you are on your own. In France, drop zones are often operated by retired military and checks are mandatory for students. Once you are certified, this is your responsibility to get checked. No skydiver will ever refuse to check your gear.

[alasdaresineaeris]

This is one of the things where being "military grade" actually means something and matters. Unlike phone cases.

[bry]

"you look good man"

For civilians, the most important is the looks so they can take photos and videos to share with friends.

[araminfreefall]

This should be titled " A Navy SEALs bad skydiving experience". Very biased perspective, not an accurate representation of civilian skydiving.

[guillermoortiz]

I'm a veteran and I love jumping with civilians and I meet many vets who feel the same... I think this guy just missed the Navy

[tspot]

To this man, thank you for your service sir. And thank you for raising these issues about civilian skydiving. My brother was in the 82nd and loved jumping above all else. He ended up being critically injured in a jump, but he fought through his injuries the rest of his life. We lost him in 2009. And I miss him every day.

[saint]

My guess is he probably assumed you're already good because you're a seal.

[BOTzerker]

This was in my recommended because of the recent $40M decision against a skydiving business owner where an 18yo died because the parachute failed to open.

[steffenfrost]

How about titling this one (navy seals) personal experience skydiving at one place?

[luciantrif]

Seals. Rookies…I was in Romanian army. They don’t give you a chute. Once you prove yourself jumping from 10k altitude with no chute they will consider giving you one :))

[klpr]

I really have to criticize here that he generalizes every civilian skydiving company. I mean yeah, you can have a bad experience but to say that this is the case everywhere is just silly...

[yerri]

Why is *Business* Insider ALWAYS postings videos on *Navy SEALs* ?

[danielstarnes]

I hate to hear you've had a bad experience, but this is not normal. Most skydivers and drop zones are very safety-conscious, so don't let this story keep you from jumping!

[iotolaofrocknrolla]

"Everybody stand up and move to the rear of the airplane!"
Skydive Customer: "oh, are you the jump master" ?...Me: "no, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night."

[augustinoita]

That's how civilian life is. You can either decide to be excellent or you can be like everyone else