Many people have parachuting on the list of things that they would like to do before they die. Few people, however, make it a point to have parachuting as a pastime. For those who do enjoy sky diving enough to make it a hobby, there are plenty of places to indulge in the activity, and even competitions to participate in. There is even a skydiving professional organization, the United States Parachuting Association (USPA). While it is not something that everyone can do every weekend, many parachutists find that they can enjoy this hobby on a fairly regular basis, especially thanks to the fact that there are some fine facilities nearby.

Other interesting things that go into a parachuting pastime include competitions and even learning to instruct in skydiving and pack your own chute. Many skydivers enjoy competing, and the USPA sanctions a variety of competitions across the United States. Competitions allow parachutists to meet with people who share similar interests, and to learn new tricks and hear of others’ adventures. Additionally, there are world cup parachuting competitions and a U.S. Skydiving Team. Other enthusiasts enjoy sky diving so much that they become certified to teach, passing on their love of the pastime to a younger (and sometimes even older!) generation. Places like Southern Comfort offer a great place to come and learn, or even to instruct.

Packing one’s own parachute is a part of the pastime reserved only for the consummate parachutist. This part of the sky diving experience requires a great deal of skill and knowledge. At Southern Comfort, we provide chutes already packed professionally, and we even provide parachutes with automatic opening devices for beginners. We take safety very seriously, and would never let beginners pack their own parachutes, or engage in their first jumps, without automatically opening parachutes. In order to have chutes without the automatic device, a skydiver is required to have the proper license.