Good Vibes Boogie Celebrates the Sport of Skydiving

Good Vibes Boogie Celebrates the Sport of Skydiving

Skydive Abel Tasman has expressed sympathy for the man injured in a sport skydiving accident this week. Independent sport skydiver Liam Dunne was carrying out a hobby jump at the annual Good Vibes Boogie when his main parachute failed to open fully, leading to his decision to use his reserve chute. Mr Dunne, an experienced skydiver with over 3700 jumps under his belt, was using his own gear for the event and had packed his own main parachute with his reserve parachute having been packed in Spain by a qualified packer.

The annual Good Vibes Boogie is an event for sport skydivers from around the world and has helped drive the sport’s development and camaraderie for 11 years. The skydivers as a group are attempting various national records including the largest female formation and largest wingsuit formation over the week’s event. The Good Vibes Boogie is hosted annually at Motueka Aerodrome by Skydive Abel Tasman and includes community fireworks and a finale gala party.

Skydive Abel Tasman owner Stuart Bean felt it was important to express that “the incident was a sport skydiving accident at the Good Vibes Boogie and not part of Skydive Abel Tasman’s commercial operations”. Skydive Abel Tasman is widely considered one of the leading skydive companies in New Zealand and was one of the first to comply with tough new safety standards imposed by the Civil Aviation Authority in April this year. Skydive Abel Tasman has been in operation for 21 years and has never had a commercial skydiving accident.

Dunne received a back injury and has been taken to Christchurch for treatment. The injuries are described as non-life threatening. “Everybody is really sad for him. We just wish him well and hope he gets better soon."

The Good Vibes Boogie continues today in beautiful Nelson weather at Motueka Aerodrome with over 100 sport skydivers completing at least 2500 jumps during the week.

ENDS

© Scoop Media