What should be considered when building a swoop pond?
Q. We re thinking about building a swoop pond at our DZ. Any suggestions? A. We put this question to T.K. Hayes, manager of Skydive City in Zephyrhills, Fla. His DZ built a swoop pond last year. Here s what he had to say: We made our pond 175 feet long by 20 feet wide by 24 inches deep at the center and tapering up at the sides. We lined it with plastic sheeting as the sand here would let all the water drain out quickly. It took about 45,000 gallons of water to fill it; the local fire department allowed us to use a hydrant to do that, and we paid the city the nominal fee for the water. Depending on the ground type, the liner may not be necessary. My recommendation is for the pond to be at least that long. We might add another 20 to 30 feet because as canopy performance improves, we can expect longer swoops. Make the pond at least 40 feet wide. Injuries seem to occur not in the water, but when you “roll out” of the pond and impact with the ground. Water is much softer than ground at 60
