ACR LTT; ON FINAL APCH COURSE; HAD VERY CLOSE CALL WITH PARACHUTE JUMPERS.

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ON IFR FLT PLAN; WE WERE ON APCH ON HIGH DOWNWIND LEG AND 5 MI S OF ARPT. FREQ WAS EXTREMELY CONGESTED AS CTLR TRNEE; UNDER SUPERVISION; WAS HANDLING 2 FREQS WITH 1 XMITTER. WE HEARD ATC TELL AN SMA THAT A PARACHUTE JUMP WAS NOT AUTHORIZED DUE TO AIRSPACE CONGESTION. WE DID NOT HEAR A REPLY; AS THE SMA WAS ON THE OTHER FREQ. AS AN ACR JET PASSED OUR 9 O'CLOCK ON FINAL TO RWY 34L; WE WERE CLRED FOR A VISUAL APCH TO FOLLOW THAT JET. AS WE TURNED BASE LEG; THE CAPT WHO WAS THE PF; POINTED OUT AN UNIDENTED ACFT DSNDING OFF OUR RIGHT AND TURNING IN OUR GENERAL DIRECTION. HE INITIATED A RAPID DSCNT TO AVOID THE ACFT; WHICH HAD NOT BEEN POINTED OUT BY ATC. WE LEVELED OUT AT 7000'; STILL ON BASE LEG; WHEN I (F/O) NOTED AN OBJECT AT OUR 10 O'CLOCK WHICH I FIRST THOUGHT WAS A BALLOON; ABOUT 500' AWAY AND SLIGHTLY BELOW US. I THEN LOOKED FORWARD AND SAW 2 PARACHUTES AT OUR 12 O'CLOCK AND ABOUT 300' AWAY; DIRECTLY IN OUR DSCNT PATH. I YELLED SOMETHING ABOUT PARACHUTES AND GRABBED THE YOKE; INITIATING A CLBING LEFT TURN. I RELEASED THE CONTROLS AS SOON AS I SAW THAT THE CAPT WAS AWARE OF AND HANDLING THE SITUATION. WE CONTINUED OUR APCH AND LANDED. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: SMA PLT DROPPED JUMPERS W/O ATC AUTH; WHILE OPERATING IN RESTR AIRSPACE. I WAS TOLD BY THE TRACON SUPVR THAT THE PLT; WHEN QUESTIONED; ADMITTED SEEING US BELOW HIM BUT THOUGHT THAT THE JUMPERS COULD AVOID US. HE ALSO ALLOWED THOSE JUMPERS OUT W/O ANY LIGHTING; ALTHOUGH LEGAL SUNSET OCCURRED 23 MINS BEFORE. HE ALSO INITIATED A DSCNT W/O AUTHORIZATION. ATC--WAY TOO MUCH TFC FOR A TRNEE TO BE HANDLING 2 FREQS. ALTHOUGH NOT LEGALLY REQUIRED; SINCE THERE WAS AN ASSIGNED ALT DIFFERENCE OF 500'; HE DID NOT POINT OUT THE SMA. WE NEEDED A POINTOUT THAT AT LEAST WOULD HAVE MADE US AWARE OF POTENTIAL TFC AND AVOIDED THE FIRST SURPRISE. POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS: ASIDE FROM THE OBVIOUS BAN ON JUMP ACTIVITIES DURING HVY ATC ACTIVITY; SO THAT THE ACFT WAS NOT EVEN ALLOWED WITHIN 10 MI OF TFC CORRIDORS; THIS PLT'S JUDGEMENT MUST BE SUSPECT. FAA SHOULD ALSO VIOLATE THE OPERATOR IF TRNING IN ATC PROCS IS FOUND TO BE DEFICIENT. THERE IS NOT EXCUSE FOR THIS SORT OF SHODDY OPERATING PRACTICE SO CLOSE TO A MAJOR COMMERCIAL ARPT. THE BIGGEST REASON WE DID NOT HIT THOSE JUMPERS WAS PURE LUCK; GIVEN THE TIME OF DAY.