Small Aircraft; Low Wing; 1 Eng; Retractable Gear
Flight Crew Private
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 30; Flight Crew Total 1600; Flight Crew Type 20
Situational Awareness; Training / Qualification; Confusion; Human-Machine Interface
Conflict NMAC; Inflight Event / Encounter Other / Unknown
General None Reported / Taken
Airspace Structure; Procedure; Human Factors
Aircraft was on autopilot; set on cruise power at approximately 230 knots when what appeared to be birds or balloons appeared. Attempted a small course correction but the autopilot was too much to overcome and then realized it was skydivers. Reached to disengage; but by that time I was already beneath them and one was very close maybe 200 feet. Passed by with nothing happening; but possible irritated skydivers.  The problem resulted from not knowing the autopilot system well and traveling at high speed in a known parachuting location. The reaction time after understanding what you are seeing at high speeds is very short. Never in 20 years of flying have I seen free falling parachutes. I did not recognize what it was until too close. My future action to avoid a situation like this is talk to Flight Following when transitioning jump zones as jumpers are hard to spot.
GA pilot reported an NMAC with parachutists in a known jump zone near MZJ.