There’s no denying skydiving is an exciting sport. Even the most die-hard adrenaline junkies find it exhilarating time and time again. While it’s considered an extreme sport, the team at Pacific Skydiving Center in Waialua, HI, believe everyone should feel the thrill of the free fall. Their experienced instructors and skydiving professionals have helped novice and experienced skydivers experience the thrill for over 42 years.

After so many jumps, they’ve heard just about every skydiving myth there is. Here are a few surprising facts about skydiving that even the most energetic adrenaline junkies may not know:

Skydiving Is a Lot Like Flying

While you are falling when you jump out of the plane, skydivers know that the free fall is anything but out of control. In fact, skydivers can control their fall, almost as if they were flying. Experienced divers can control the speed of the fall, their direction, and even perform complicated maneuvers in the air, all before deploying their chute.

Collisions Are Not Always Catastrophic

Contrary to popular myth, in-air collisions with other divers or blackouts caused by the excessive G-forces do not mean the diver won’t make it safely to the ground. Skydivers take every precaution when diving—it may be an extreme sport, but safety always comes first.

This is why most divers use the Automatic Activation Device (AAD), which activates the reserve chute, should the diver be unconscious. The device is activated by changing air pressure and kicks in when the diver reaches 750 feet above the ground without deploying their main chute.

The Parachute Makes You Fly Back Up

Every skydive you’ve seen on tape makes this seem like the truth, but it’s actually a myth. When a skydiver deploys the chute, the speed of their fall is decreased dramatically. When the person filming the dive continues to free-fall, it looks like the deployed parachute is sending the skydiver higher up. In reality, the chute does nothing more than slow the speed of descent and does not send the skydiver any higher up in the air than they already were.

If you’re looking for the thrill of a lifetime, make a tandem skydiving reservation with Pacific Skydiving Center in Hawaii. For more information on their skydiving school, visit the website, and call (808) 637-7472 to reserve your jump!