Our everyday experiences condition us to think that someone will take care of us and that if a business is open to the public its activities must be reasonably safe. While I am literally a poster child for living your life to the fullest and not letting fear rule it, when you’re considering hang gliding, sky diving, scuba diving, kite boarding, driving a race car, or almost any other adventure, you should be an educated consumer. This will help to insure that you will take home only memories of an incredible experience.

Ask questions. No, it’s not a sign of cowardice. It’s a sign that you are a responsible adult. I always ask about the safety record of any place where I will be doing any activity riskier than shuffling cards. When I visited Adventures Unlimited Outdoor Center near Pensacola I participated in some elements of their high ropes challenge course. Though I am a pilot, I was nevertheless nervous about being very far off the ground without my wings overhead. I asked Bill, our wonderful host, about how dangerous it was and what their safety record was. 

Bill assured me that they had run over 3000 people, including small children, through their ropes course without any injuries. He also told me that while the elements of the course are designed to be challenging as well as scare you, that they are very safe. This information gave me a great deal of confidence when I was hanging 55 feet over the ground traversing the distance between two telephone poles on a cable.

I also ask about the activity’s dangers, so that I can avoid them. They are often things that wouldn’t occur to me. For instance, one of the dangers of windsurfing is stepping on something as you walk out through the water with your board (the way to reduce risk is to shuffle your feet along the bottom). Another of its risks is that a newbie can be blown far away from land (which is why it important to learn in safe wind conditions, as well as in a place that is surrounded by land, like Calema Windsurfing on the Banana River). 

You have responsibilities, too.Your brain and body both need to be in at least reasonable condition if you plan to canter through the forest on a horse, leap out of a plane, or bounce around the Daytona International Speedway at 150 MPH in a stockcar. Don’t show up foggy or sleep deprived. DO show up well rested and in top shape to handle any physical or mental challenges that come your way.

DO pay attention and follow instructions. As a tandem hang gliding instructor, I am confident in my ability to fly safely unless the person I am taking into the sky panics and wrestles me for the glider’s controls. A good deal of the training I went through to get my rating focused on insuring that my passengers listen, hear and respond when I ask them to hold onto the handles on my harness instead of the metal frame I use to steer.

Any adventure junkie knows that she will often be required to sign her life away before she gets to have any fun. The forms typically say things like “even if everyone here is really stupid and I am killed, I promise I will not sue.” Usually there are medical questions, as well, where you are supposed to swear that you have never had so much as a hang nail. While these forms are standard procedure to protect the business, they are also meant to protect you.

Do think about and disclose medical conditions that might make the activity dangerous for you. Since I am extremely allergic to some insects I carry an Epi-pen (an-easy-to-give-shot that will stop a bad reaction). When I tried scuba diving, it occurred to me that I might also be extremely allergic to a jelly fish sting. Although the possibility of being stung was remote, my instructor as well as other people on the boat knew the location of and understood how to use my Epi-pen before I stepped into the ocean.

Use safety equipment. I recently went on horseback riding at a commercial establishment. While helmets were available, they were not required (for adults). I was absolutely amazed that the majority of people chose not to wear helmets. This is crazier than chocolate pickles. I had to wonder if people were thinking that riding a horse was like a theme park attraction, where everything is controlled. I didn’t and still don’t get it.

Finally, remember that it’s no sin to walk away from any adventure that looks dicey to you. If the individuals at a business seem irresponsible or uneducated, or the equipment looks as if it is not good repair, or common sense tells you that conditions are questionable (for instance, that a thunderstorm is looming as you prepare to go for a ride in a sailplane) my advice is to run away.

Now, get out there and make the most of the incredible gift called your life.