Outside Adventure

Probably the most important part of boating for kids is to teach them boat safety. Boating is an activity that the whole family can enjoy ? especially kids. Boating safety is something they need to learn early so that they can carry it with them throughout their lives into adulthood.

The number one safety rule when boating with kids is that they must wear a personal flotation device (PFD) at all times. Accidents can happen no matter how careful you are. The number one reason for drowning is when people are thrown overboard and are not wearing a PFD. Many kids can’t swim well enough to stay afloat in a traumatic situation like that, so the PFD will literally save their life in most scenarios.

Teach your kids about the equipment that must be on all boats and why that equipment is there. For example, the fire extinguisher must be there in case of a fire on the water. Some kids think, “Why do we need a fire extinguisher when there’s water all around to put out the fire?” Explain to them that not all fires should be put out with water. The boat runs on gas, and if a fire erupts, you should not put a gas fire out with water.

Boating safety for kids also entails letting them know what various distress signals are and why they are used. For example, flares indicate a stranded boat. A continuous foghorn means a problem on board, etc.

Older kids may want to try out steering the boat. This can be a very exciting time for them. Start them out slowly and above everything else, explain to them the “rules of the road” including which boats have the right of way and how to pass safely. Plus, you should definitely stress to them to travel at a safe speed and not too fast to avoid accidents.

Kids should also know about basic first aid procedures. They should know not to move a person who might have a broken limb and even how to perform mouth to mouth resuscitation. CPR might be a little advanced for younger kids, but older kids can learn CPR from a Red Cross first aid course.

When you are boating with kids, the experience can be great for all of you. It’s a wonderful opportunity to teach them about nature, water life, and so much more. There are all sorts of boating trivia questions that kids will love to try and answer. Ask them why they think life jackets are orange and why they call the bathroom a head. You can make a game of your day on the water while boating and teach your kids valuable lessons. Boating for kids is a great learning opportunity that will stay with them forever and ever!

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One can say Parachuting is the mother of the highly popular adventure sport - skydiving. These two are inseparable because without a parachute there can be no skydiving! Hence the term “parachute skydiving” has come into existence.

While it is not clear who first started the concept of parachute skydiving, Chinese history has some accounts of it. It appears that this idea could have come from the related invention of the kite. The renowned inventor Leonardo da Vinci developed a canopy-like drawing that looked like the modern day parachute. In the past many attempts were made to descent from tall buildings using parachutes. The credit for the first successful attempt goes to Andre-Jacques Garnerin who descended from a tall building using a balloon. Thus parachute skydiving was born.

Some very basic skills are a must before an enthusiast can prove his or her prowess in parachute skydiving. The four basics of parachute skydiving are: fundamental safety, free fall plan, parachute usage and manipulation and finally safe landing. Anyone who wants to defy gravity has to absorb these essentials before he or she is allowed to jump from a plane.

The fundamental safety is what it says - Fundamental. Understanding of the gadgets, gears, checking and cross checking them, following the right procedure of jumping from the plane, reacting with presence of mind in case of any emergency, timely and correct deployment of the parachute, managing a parachute failure without panicking, selecting the right landing site and of course landing safely.

The free fall plan, the second basic skill involves managing a stable position while falling at a speed of 120mph. This skill readies the jumper in opening the parachute at the right moment when the free fall rate is exhausted. A critical element is the maneuvering of the body, executing the turns in the sky which are critical to a safe landing, must be learned thoroughly by a parachute skydiving enthusiast.

The third basic skill in parachute skydiving is the ability to use and manipulate the parachute. The students learn the process of opening the parachute mid air as safely as they can. They are trained to fallback on the reserve chute in case the main chute fails to open. Timing is very important while maneuvering the parachute against the strong blow of the winds. This part also teaches the students about the basics of working of a parachute, its construction. The emphasis is on adopting the proper procedure in opening the chute.

Choosing the right landing site is the last of the basics. It is critical, one can ignore it if they enjoy landing up in a thick forest or in the open sea. The students must take the help of their instructors in choosing the right landing area if they want to land safely on their feet.

Like any other adventure sport - Parachute skydiving can be a thoroughly enjoyable experience if the basic skills are learnt well. The skills are essential not only for the thrills but also for protecting oneself while parachute skydiving.

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