Your Top Questions About the World of Skydiving, Answered Here!

FAQS

I would love to start, but none of my friends want to do it with me. How do I convince them?

Short answer - don’t! Don’t wait around for your friends if they aren't ready or keen on learning to skydive. It may seem daunting booking the course and going to the drop zone by yourself but everyone is in the same boat - people rarely go to a skydiving course with someone they know. You’ll meet everyone you need to at the drop zone. The skydiving community is welcoming and friendly, and you will make a new network of friends from all walks of life, who all share the same passion.

How many jumps do I have to do before I can jump by myself?

Most people are surprised to learn that you don’t need to have done any tandem skydives before you start learning to skydive solo. After a day of ground training, you will be wearing your own parachute for your first jump. On the AFF course you will start with two instructors holding on to you for your first few jumps, then one instructor, and then completely solo on the last jump! The AFF course normally takes around 7-10 jumps to complete, depending on the course style and your progression.

Find out more about the AFF Course here, and check out where your nearest drop zone is here.

Will my Skydiving Licence be valid overseas?

Yes! Once you have your Skydiving Licence it is recognised all over the world.

How much does it cost to become a Licensed Skydiver?

Each drop zone has their own pricing structure - some offer ‘AFF Only’ packages, while others also offer 'A Licence' packages, including your AFF course, plus the additional jumps you need to get your A Licence. Find your nearest drop zone here and check out their website to find out more on what they offer. Like a lot of sports, at the start skydiving can be costly, but once you are fully licensed, jumps tickets in Australia range from $40 to $55 on average. 

I am travelling around and am not sure how long I will stay for. What happens if I don't finish my course? Will I have to start all over again at another drop zone?

You will be given a log book when you start your skydiving course. After every jump, your instructors will fill out your log book and document your progression. If you go to another drop zone before you have achieved your skydiving licence, they will look at your log book and make an assessment from there.

I loved my tandem jump, but I don’t know if I trust myself to try it solo - What happens if I forget to pull my chute?!

Before jumping by yourself you will undergo a lot of intensive training and practise drills on the ground, making sure you understand exactly what you need to do.  On your first jump of the AFF course, you will have two instructors holding on to either side of you, so if you do not deploy your parachute for some reason, they will do it for you.

Skydivers also jump with an electronic back-up device known as an Automatic Activation Device, which deploys the parachute if they fail to do so themselves. You will learn more about this on your skydiving course.

How long does it take to become a skydiving instructor?

It depends on how dedicated you are. To teach people how to skydive you will need a minimum of 200 jumps, and to become a tandem instructor you will need a minimum of 500 jumps. There are many other jobs in the industry that you can do before you have the experience to become an instructor. Find out more about career pathways here.

Read Cameron Olivieri’s story here - He was incredibly motivated and got his first job in the industry just 3 weeks after starting his skydiving course. A year later he was teaching people how to skydive himself!  

I want to learn to Wingsuit - How do I get into that?

You need a minimum of 200 jumps to start wingsuiting. This is because you need the experience to be able to control and fly the wingsuit safely through the sky. At the start, 200 jumps sounds like a lot, but licensed skydivers often do 10 jumps each weekend - so they add up pretty quickly if you are motivated!

[Photo sources: Skydive Oz, Tahi-Paul Munroe]