Skydive Wild Geese

I have been jumping now going on 10 years at countless drop zones around the world, and I have to say without a shadow of doubt, that the wild geese DZ located in Northern Ireland is by far the worst DZ I have been too. The staff and owner are extremely unfriendly to the point that it seems they do not want you at the club. The vibe you get is they are only interested in money and talking tandem jumps, not the place for licensed jumpers, not matter what experience level you are at. It seems that if you had not completed your training or licenses through them they do not want you there.

THIS is DEFINITELY a DZ to be avoided, which is a shame as they have good facilities and good aircraft, and could be the gem in Northern Ireland, but the staff let it done by the bucket load

This is NOT a good dropzone. The facilities are top class and staff are efficient but all this is offset by the horrible, desolate atmosphere and total lack of regular skydivers. I have been told stories of countless nice people, good skydivers being alienated and driven out over the years. There is no passion for the sport here. Their only interest is money, and there is a difference between not suffering fools gladly and just being horrible in general. If your face fits, so be it. I visited a couple of times and decided not to go back, and did not intend to write a review. When I went on and seen there were three reviews, only one of which were accurate, and the other two laughably ridiculous, I had to say something. I have it on good authority that one of the reviews on here was written by the CCI of the club, and another by a sycophant at their behest. If all the staff get replaced, with actual nice people, then go to this dropzone. Otherwise, avoid.

The Wild Geese has great aircraft and some very good facilities (large packing area, brilliant mock ups, fan drops etc) but unfortunately the number of club members is very low to make good use of these facilities. Why are there few skydivers at Wild Geese? The economic climate may be partially to blame, but I believe it is largely because staff there can be VERY unfriendly towards new people and they do very little to encourage retention of current skydivers. Because of these few numbers, regular skydivers there find it difficult to get enough people to do "proper" jumps with and it is almost impossible to improve your skills unless you make frequent foreign DZ or tunnel trips.
If Wild Geese staff and club members are friendly and encouraging to ALL people, old and new, then the number of regular jumpers may rise, which may in turn increase the talent pool and start to solve this DZ's problems.

Over the past 25yrs+ I have travelled to a lot of skydiving centres both in the UK and around the world and I have worked at a few of them as well. One of the clubs I have worked at is the Wild Geese. I was a student and tandem instructor there between 1992 and 1998. Life took me in other directions on the mainland but I still felt the urge to skydive at Wild Geese for many years after. An instructor paying for his own jumps I hear you cry. Can hardly believe it myself. This centre keeps drawing you back because it is just head and shoulders above everywhere else I have been. The facilities are outstanding and the staff are always willing to help although there does seem to be a lot more staff now than there was in the 90's. There are no skygods at Wild Geese but a core of jumpers who skydive at a high standard all day and will party at the drop of a hat. Streakers are not uncommon. That all said, if you need sunshine blown up your star then maybe this wouldn't be a club for you. Tolerance for muppets is low but if you go there to have a blast and some good skydiving from excellent aircraft then you'll not be disappointed. Dave Penny is the DZ operator and has relentlessly persued perfection over the last 30 years. I would say a job well done. Maggie Penny is the CCI at the club and has been awarded an MBE for her services to skydiving so I think that should demonstrate her commitment over the years. Judith Lees has also been with the club from the start. Not only is Judith an excellent instructor but her organisational skills ensure everyone gets all the jumping they want when things get busy. I can't recommend this place enough but the only way to find out for sure is to get yourself over there. If you go once you might find that you become a regular.