Behind The Scenes Of A Skydiving Operation

Ready for some real talk before going skydiving? Here are some home truths, y’all: The nature of the business of skydiving is somewhat unpredictable, and you’re going to be along for that ride when you come out for a jump. Here are some helpful tips on what to know before you skydive that will you help you prepare and stay comfortable through it all.

If you read reviews of skydiving centers (ours, our friends’, our friends’ friends’, and all the other hundreds of skydiving operations that ply the skies worldwide), you’ll notice a theme: When reviews are negative, they often pinpoint unpredictability as the reason why. The reviews comment on long wait times and weather frustrations, and believe us–man, do we ever get it. It’s hard to wait, especially when you’re nervous…but in skydiving, you often don’t have a choice. Here’s an idea of the full scope of the giant puzzle we do every day, so you can better understand what’s going on behind the scenes.

Skydiving Is Such A Unique Experience Because It’s Not Cookie-Cutter.

The business of skydiving is such a unique, fun business, and we bless our lucky stars every day that we get to share it with people. That said: One of the reasons it’s so interesting is that there are so many unpredictable things that happen on a given day. Most customers think that right after class, they should be gearing up and getting into a plane–as they would board a roller coaster at a theme park–but there are far more variables at play here.

We’re Jugglers!

The spaces on a plane (which we refer to in the biz as “slots”) are divided between several different grouped jumper types: fun jumpers; tandem students, their instructors, and video personnel; big, pre-arranged training groups; walk-ins; etc. A skydiving operation can’t predict who’s going to show up, when, and in what numbers–It’s always a surprise!–but there are only ever a certain number of spaces up for grabs on the plane. And when people happen to show up late for the class times before yours, you’ll feel the butterfly effect down the line.

Add to that the fact that weather can very easily delay the plane because we refuse to put our staff, tandem students and fun jumpers at risk by exposing them to dangerous or jump-inappropriate weather. Putting all of this together is like assembling a big puzzle, and every day is very, very different.

You Can Make It Easier On Yourself.

Here’s the best part: by doing your homework on what to know before you skydive and some basic preparation, you can make any surprise wait time much easier on yourself. Come prepared with games, reading material, friends–heck, you can even bring a bathing suit to hang out in our swimming pool! We have a (legendary, actually) on-site restaurant to grab a coffee and a bite to eat, but you may feel absolutely free to bring a cooler and snacks. If you plan to be at the DZ for a few hours, you’ll either be pleasantly surprised or perfectly prepared.

If we could have it any other way, you can rest assured that we would. But the fact is that we’re at the mercy of loads of variables, and there’s no skydiving operation in the world that can control ‘em all. For what it’s worth, we’ve been at this for almost half a century, and our system is pretty darn dialed! There’s only one aspect of this business that we have absolute control over, and that’s the sky-high quality of our equipment, our staff and our commitment to your experience.