Managing Your Ultimate Bucket List: Skydiving

Everybody’s got a bucket list, right? Y’know: that maybe-short, maybe-epic-length list of experiences you want to check off before you kick the bucket. These are the landmark experiences that make a life: ride an elephant; see the sun rise over Black Rock City; learn to play the guitar; high-five Samuel L. Jackson.

A huge proportion of first-time tandem skydivers come to us in order to check one of those bucket list items off. Usually, skydiving has pride of place right at the top of the list. It deserves that place! Interestingly, most people find it easier to work through the rest of their carefully-curated lists once the “make skydive” box is checked. (Whether it’s the big confidence boost they get from their jump or because the rest of the list is suddenly scratched and replaced with skydiving-related items, we can’t say.)

Ready to check off classic Bucket List Item Number One? We have our very own “bucket list” to help you with that–and we’re eminently qualified to have written it up. After all, the skydiving scene from The Bucket List movie itself was filmed here, and we’ve been serving the Los Angeles skydiving community for almost half a century!

1. Acknowledge Your Bucket

You’ve wanted to do this as long as you can remember, but you keep postponing it. Acknowledge the bucket that’s been sitting there, waiting for you, for years. Ain’t gonna fill itself. The time is now.

2. Check Your Bucket For Holes

If that bucket is going to carry the good stuff, you have to make sure it’s in good shape. Safety first, after all!

No matter where you are in the world, the best place to find the safest, most professional, most up-to-date skydiving dropzone is by far the dropzone listing maintained by the United States Parachute Association. The USPA has been the organization advancing the policies, technology and training of safer skydiving since the sport was founded, so it’s information you can trust. Why? USPA members pledge to uphold the organization’s strict requirements regarding safety, instructor training and maintenance. Skydive Perris is proud to be a USPA member, but beware, not all drop zones are! Always check the USPA listings first.

As a sidenote: Don’t book based on price. You knew this already: but for this kind of activity, cheaper doesn’t mean better.

3. Fill Your Bucket

Most people choose a tandem jump as their first step into the skydiving world. It’s a great starting point! Thanks to the tireless work of the USPA and the greater skydiving community, tandem skydiving is safer now than it has ever been. (It’s safer, in fact, than riding your bike through a lightning storm–or driving to work!)

There are innumerable variations on the theme, but there are ways you can set yourself up for the best possible experience. First, we recommend booking your tandem for the morning. It tends to be a more peaceful experience that way, and weather is less of a factor. Secondly, eat normally and stay hydrated. That’ll help you feel your best.

Third, get photos and video! This is your very first skydive, after all. No matter how many more you do after this one, there’s only one first time. And we’re lucky, here at Perris; after all, we don’t just boast the very best tandem skydiving instructors in the world–we have the best videographers, too! (It stands to reason, this close to Hollywood, but it’s still something to shout about.) Bottom line: Make sure you get the record.

4. Share The Contents Of Your Bucket With The World!

Those photos and videos are going to blow up your social feeds, of course…but that’s not all it’s about. It’s about motivating your friends and loved ones to step up to the plate and go after their goals! Who knows–maybe you’re the inspiration they need to make something happen for themselves.

Now get out there and start throwin’ high-fives!

Ready to cross skydiving off your bucket list? Book your tandem skydive online with Skydive Perris, the premier destination for skydiving Los Angeles!