So you want to Skydive???
There's three options available to you.
- Tandem Skydive
- Static Line Progression
- Accelerated Free Fall (AFF) progression
Tandem Skydiving
Perhaps the easiest way to experience the thrill of jumping out of a plane. It is where you (the student) are hooked up to a tandem instructor using a specially designed harness and parachute. Basically you sit back and enjoy the ride while the tandem instructor does all the "work". After a scenic flight of about 20 minutes, you will exit the aircraft (9000ft or 11000ft) and freefall for between 30 to 40 seconds, the tandem instructor will deploy the parachute and fly you back to safety of mother earth. You may be allowed to fly the canopy - up high and not for landing - the tandem instructor will perform the landing.
Costs:
- Skydive Cape Town (WC) - R1450
- Skydive Robertson (WC) - R1600
- SkyHigh Tandems (GP) - R1370 (Johannesburg Skydive Club*)
- Book now
* Skyhigh Tandems also operate at Wonderboom and Rustenburg on request. Prices may vary slightly at different dropzones
Filming your jump:
You also have the option of having a highly experienced videographer accompany you on your jump. He will film your entire experience and give you a professionally edited DVD. Stills pictures can also be taken - NB these are high quality stills taken from a digital SLR camera. NB. Video can only be booked at the dropzone on the day of your jump - it is dependent on the availability of videographers and dropzone logistics.
Costs:
- Skydive Cape Town - R700 (video AND stills)
- Skydive Robertson - R500 (video OR stills), R600 (video and AND stills)
- SkyHigh Tandems (GP) - R580 (video AND stills)
- Book now
First Jump Course
This is for those who want to want to do it on their own, the real skydivers! The first jump course teaches you everything you need to know to safely make a solo, yes solo, skydive from approximately 3500ft. The course consists of ground school (classroom theory and practical) as well as your first jump. The jump is a static line jump – a jump where there is a “line” attached from your main parachute’s container to a strong point in the plane, when you exit the plane it is the line that that effectively “pulls” the main parachute for you. The course will teach things such as how the equipment works, safety on the dropzone, emergency procedures, how to fly and land parachute, amongst other things. The course usually takes about ¾ of a day, with students jumping either at the end of the day on the Saturday or first thing Sunday morning. After doing the first jump course, can either take your certificate and leave knowing that you, alone, have jumped out of a somewhat perfectly good aeroplane... or you can carry on with your latest addiction. To continue you have one of two options, either Static Line Progression or Accelerated Free Fall (AFF)
Costs:
- Skydive Robertson - R1070 (course + 1 jump)
- Skydive Robertson - R1520 (course + 3 static line jumps)
- Book now
Static Line Progression
Having done the first jump course and your first static line jump, you continue doing a few more static line jumps (usually around 3), with satisfactory progress you will go on to progress to doing to your DRP’s (dummy ripcord pulls – where you pull a fake ripcord whilst the static line continues to deploy main parachute as on your first jump), then your first free fall (where you pull the ripcord) of 3 seconds. The jumps continue in this fashion with longer freefalls and higher exit altitudes, progressing to learning how to use an altimeter, and flying your body. At the end of this program you are a qualified student skydiver. Further tasks lead you to achieving your first license. In terms of costs, static line is the “less capital intensive” of the two options. The first big cost is the First Jump Course, thereafter you only pay for your jump ticket and gear hire. This option is offered only at Skydive Robertson.
Costs:
- Static line jump - R290 per jump (includes gear hire and packing)
- Freefall jump - R320 per jump (includes gear hire and packing)
- Book now
Accelerated Free Fall (AFF)
AFF is where you start (after the first jump course) off with two instructors and exit from 11000ft, freefall with your instructors, and deploy at a safe altitude as per your instructors instructions. The AFF program is usually a 10 jump program, starting off with 2 instructors, progressing to 1 instructor only, and then solos (no instructor alongside). AFF does have the advantage that you have an experienced instructor with you to correct any mistakes during the jump, it’s also a shorter program than the static line progression. AFF can be done at both Skydive Cape Town and Skydive Robertson
Costs:
- Skydive Cape Town - R10300 (excluding repeat jumps)
- Skydive Robertson - R10790(excluding repeat jumps)
- Book now
Where to jump
There are currently two dropzones close to Cape Town. Skydive Cape Town is closest (about 20 min drive from the central Cape Town), Skydive Robertson is a little further inlands in the town of Robertson (about 90min drive from central Cape Town). Both dropzones are highly reputable and both have their own advantages:
Skydive Cape Town: SCT is primarily a tandem operation. It is usually busy and operates 7 days a week (weather permitting). It is scenic, offering views of Table Mountain, Robben Island, the Atlantic west coast, etc. If you’re short on time and want to come in, jump, and get out – SCT’s the place the place for you to do your jump.
Skydive Robertson: This is a club operation that operates on weekends (weekday operations take place every now and then). The dropzone is situated in the Robertson Wine Valley and while you may not have sea views the mountain views are unique in their own right, it’s not uncommon to see snow topped peaks in winter) . If you're not in a rush, Robertson's the place to jump. You can bring a tent and make a weekend out of it or book in at one of the hostels or BnB's in the town.
