Quote:You probably want to throw something out ahead of you in an attempt to break the surface tension.The problem isn't surface tension. The problem is hydraulics and viscosity. Water doesn't compress - so it functions as a surface with zero elasticity. If you're lowering yourself slowly into water, there's no problem, since it will flow around you. But if you're just hitting it square on at terminal velocity, you're toast. Throwing something ahead of you would not save you.
At least, not according to Mythbusters. It might help a little bit, so you might as well do it, but at terminal velocity, it's the difference between splat and splat.
-Jester