It's a commonly held misconception that only an experienced tandem skydiving instructor can teach a solo skydive. Guess what? Your first solo skydive could be under your wing as first jump number one in extremely safe, thorough and professional first solo skydive course under your wing. In fact, a first solo skydive is as much about jumping out of the plane as it is about skydiving. So, why wait? Jumping out of the plane solo is a great way to start as a solo skydive.
First, the benefit of first solo skydive over tandem skydiving is the sheer freedom of doing it on your own. As a tandem skydiving In Melbourne instructor, you may only get to share with your students on certain areas of the sport, but in solo skydive, you can literally skydive solo - without worrying about other people or obstacles. (As an added bonus, this also makes first solo skydive a highly economical solo skydive.)
Second, a solo skydive allows you to test the waters before investing in a full fledged tandem skydiving training program. A solo skydive is not as quick or simple as a tandem skydiving training program, so if you're just getting started in skydiving, it's always good to test the waters first. You can skip training right away if you feel too intimidated by the challenges of solo skydive. A training program will give you more confidence and more ability. Plus, a training program will teach you different elements of skydiving like breathing techniques, paragliding, skydiving, etc.
Third, you can jump right into your first solo skydive without thinking too much about your safety. Since you're just jumping out of an airplane, there's very little chance that anything will go wrong. (As a side note, if you're scared after your first jump, don't jump again until you've had plenty of time to calm down.) And since most first jumps are about 5 percent off the ground, you won't be getting too high in your parachute anyway!
Finally, a solo skydive gives you the ability to try all kinds of new things. Since you're not in a tandem, you can go straight up, go down and turn around, or go "freefall" - basically, anything that you can do in a tandem, you can do in a freefall. First of all, I'd recommend getting a very light chute to slow you down as you fall. Next, you need a good piece of gear - either a parachute or some kind of chute net, to slow you even more. Finally, many skydivers make the mistake of trying to catch the falling drop, which is silly and dangerous - you should be looking for the best possible moment to stop, slow, and reverse the drop.
In a solo skydive, you're going to have to do everything yourself. But don't worry: that's what makes it so exciting! So get comfortable in your parachute, lighten up your chute, get a spotter, and start practicing. We recommend that you jump at least one time using the equipment that you bought (your choice, really), then three or four times on a lighter plane. Once you're comfortable with the equipment and know how it works, you'll be ready to jump solo!