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How dose water and saltwater effect canopy performance?

It decreases your stall speed to an absolute crawl.

My recommendation would be to use scuba gear instead. Offically it doesn't count as a BASE jump unless the medium you're falling through is air.

Trust this helps.

I believe but may be wrong that:

As fabric gets wet and then dries it can shrink. This shrinking won't be equal, so may lead to suttle changes in canopy geometry and line lengths.

Salt damages most things. BASE gear must be fully rinsed in fresh water after a salt water landing. Take you time and do this properly.

Jumping does this to your gear anyway, I think the water just exagerates it. My MOJO has had 5 water landings, 2 of them in salt and it still seams to fly OK...............

Just make sure that if it comes into contact with salt water it gets rinsed out before it dries out!

Salt crystals form inside the lines (even material) as it dries out: these have sharp edges which are very abrasive, causing damage even as they form. AFAIK from my paragliding buddies, performance isn't really affected: it's just a wear and tear issue.