Skydive Delmarva - Closed

Been fun jumping Delmarva for years. Favorite DZ on the East Coast for sure

I started at Skydive Delmarva with a few tandems (5!) before beginning the AFF program. I can't say enough good things about the care, safety, and FUN this drop zone brings to skydiving!

I've jumped at a few other places, but Delmarva is home. Whether you're checking off a bucket list item, starting a new hobby or continuing your skydiving experiences, this is the place to go!

This is the place that I call home. I have jumped at 3 different locations in different states and Delmarva is by far the friendliest and fun place I've been. Whether you're a first time jumper or a veteran, you will have a great experience here.

The team of instructors and coaches truly love the sport and take a sincere interest in the students. Well run, very professional. The pilot, Keith May, is one of the safest, most experienced in the business.

I drove from Harrisburg, PA to Laurel, DE to visit DELMARVA and driving there (and back) was the worst part of my day. Thankfully, the operation was staffed by friendly people and the other jumpers were equally friendly. I was there on a Thursday and there were not enough jumpers to put up more than a couple of loads.

I just had a fantastic weekend at Skydive Delmarva!
-Suzanne (sp?) at manifest greeted me with a smile on her face a never misses a beat,
-Dave the genl manager is very involved and has built a safety culture that's visible in the air as well as on the ground
-Dave the AFF instructor went up with me and taught me some good stuff on turning points
-Rob invited me onto a big-way and a 3-way (this guy's exit count is so loud you could probably hear it from the ground!) (Sorry about that kick in the teeth, Rob)
-the packers happily squeezed my pack-jobs in between the tandems and the team rigs
-I got invited to a really nice cook-out, with a bon fire that I'm sure was visible from the ISS.
-the twin-otter is great; apparently it just got upgraded with bigger engines
-the facilities look a bit ramshackle on first impression (they're working bit by bit to take down what's left of the older hangar buildings) but the landing area is really big, and there's camping space and good showers.

I have to say that of the dozen or so DZs I've visited, this is by far my favorite (excepting my home DZ, of course).
Delmarva captures everything that I could possibly want in a drop zone.

And for those of you looking for a site to do your first tandem jump, I highly recommend Delmarva. You'll get exposed to the full breadth of what the skydiving world has to offer by coming here.

Was headed to the beach for the weekend and decided to stop and try Skydive Delmarva, only visited a few DZ other then my Home DZ and I felt right at home. Its in the middle of Farm country and the landing area is Big, the Staff was super friendly, offered me cookies and since I was gonna do a solo b/c I was alone but an instructor said "Were not gonna make u do a solo " and we did a nice 2way sit wit some hand a foot docks. ended up with a nasty hard opening and alot of lines twist but plenty of airspace and not to much canopy traffic. Overall Great place for fun jumpers. I hear the weekends are busy, I went on a thurs (During the week they have a few loads a day depending on tandems) but they have a calendar on their site so you can check to see when they'll be open which was GREAT.

Blue skies

I jumped in Laurel half a summer in 1997 when in was under a different owner (Gordon Riner). The place was very busy, loads flying from sun up to sun set (and maybe a bit past sunset ;), always lots of tandems, aff, plenty of fun jumpers of all different experience levels, ect. I went there a few times this summer (2011) and can not believe how slow the place is. The Twin Otter is nice, but rarely if ever turns loads around. The pace is very slow, fly a load, land, wait 20 minutes, then put the next load on a 20 minute call. As a fun jumper your lucky to get 4 jumps in a day just cause loads don't fly that often, and they often stop jumping as early as 3-5pm. The pilot is very bitter and rude to the fun jumpers and seems to hate flying. The facilities are old and outdated (same exact facilities as 1997, which at that time were showing there age) The only change I saw (other than lack of business) was they added a wooden 'shed' which serves as manifest. Was sad to see the place as gone so far done hill from my 1997 visit.

I've been to other drop zones for tandems and my first jump course, but chose Skydive Delmarva to complete my AFF because of the incredibly awesome people and atmosphere. This is THE spot if you live in the Baltimore/DC or surrounding areas. The instructors are incredible, the packing hangar is comfortable with plenty of places to crash and you'll feel right at home from Day 1.

Dave, the DZO is friendly and professional. He always sounds happy to hear from you. "Shazam" in manifest is on the ball for every load.

And to validate a previous post, "YES" Delmarva has the hottest packers I've ever seen. I mean, I guess that's not a good reason to come back...but it is a fact.

Nearly a 3 hour drive and it's my home away from home!

-Love you guys!-

Cue Ball

I completed my AFF training here and I couldn't be happier with this DZ. There are plenty of instructors, each with there own style and unique ability to teach students the skills they need to be a safe skydiver. All the staff is very friendly. I havent come across anyone who wouldn't take a second to answer a question.
The twin otter keeps things running smoothly, from the tandems, to students and fun jumpers. If you have to wait, it isn't for long. There are plenty of old comfy couches to relax on in between jumps, and lots of open areas to pack. For those who dont live nearby, there is plenty of room to camp out for the weekend. And with showers available, you can wash away your hangover from the wild weekend nights.
The scenery here is beautiful. On a clear day, you can see the Chesapeake bay to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. The farm fields stretch for miles and are not only great to look at, but offer plenty of outs if the need should arrise.
This DZ has it all...for the one time tandem jumper to the Students and the experienced jumpers...you won't be dissapointed. This place is a home away from home!!

The scenery was good indeed, the packing area was also good, the couches in which I passed out for a few minutes were dirty and comfortable, just the way they should be. There's Freeflyers, RWs and just about any type of fun jumper. There was a pretty interesting collection of seniors around old enough to be my great, great grandfather that were pretty good in RW. I missed the party that night since I had to go back to MD but anyways... my home DZ is all the way back in Puerto Rico and its beautiful there but Delmarva has an amazing view of the nearby river! The people were more than nice, they were just great, very hospitable and eager to teach a new jumper. The best thing this place has to offer is that damn packer thats like a wannabe version of Avril Lavigne or some other punk whatever hot girl and she likes to pack in her pajamas. I will be back next year, without a doubt, and I hope I get to see some of the locals from Delmarva back home in Puerto Rico's boogie.

On my AFF grad dive I had an extremely positive experience visiting skydive del marva. I really like the DZ but think that the DZ area should be delinated better as with a grass Airfield and farmland surrounding it could be marked better with paint on the roof.. VS-17 panels.. Something! All that being said thier professionalism and dedication is superb.. After a dusk skydive I asked one of the riggers if he would minds giving me a on the spot class. He had no issues discussing the finer points of rigging unt 930 pm... This DZ is truly outstanding and well worth the drive even from Baltimore!! Great group of folks who love skydiving.. As a matter of fact.. I have only 12 jumps but was corrected for the first time about my boots with hooks on them being a no go due to getting caught in suspension lines if I am in an unstable position after parachute deployment. Was never mentioned before at any other DZs. If they had warmer weather and less wind it would be my year round mecca for skydiving on the east coast.

This is a awesome place to jump, great people, great landing area, laid back vibe..
reasonable prices....this is the best place in the north to jump.

I learned how to skydive at Delmarva after checking out all of the DZs in the area. They had the best value and their instructors are second to none. Even though other DZs are closer to home, I will always call Delmarva my home DZ...the people are some of the best around and will always make you feel like family. Additionally, the safety and professionalism of the instructors and staff is top notch...there is simply no better place to learn how to skydive in the mid-Atlantic. Whether doing a tandem, progressing as a student, or fun jumping, head to Delmarva and you won't be dissappointed!

Great place. Places to crash everywhere. T.V,free wifi, showers and bathrooms, tons of food. This place rocks. Landing area and pattern are awesome. Definitely recommend.

I came out on Labor Day to check this place out and fell in love with it. What a fun place to jump. Their twin otter is old, but seems to be in great working order. I met a lot of great skydivers that I hope to meet again someday soon. Manifest has some of the friendliest people I have ever encountered in a manifest...they are definitely in my top 5...the only thing that I got hung up on there was trying to keep my eye on the DZ. They have a grass runway so it looks just like every other field in view, so that was a little disorienting. There are several landmarks that help out quite a bit, but my first couple jumps had me chuckling at the concept of picking an out because I had no idea where I was...but I had it zeroed in by the end of the day and was having a blast...thanks guys...see ya again soon...

I did a tandem here a few weekends ago and it was a remarkable experience. I thought all but one of the instructors were lovely. ( I guess all these sort of places has one jerk) Even with that, I think this is a marvelous place to do a first jump. What struck me the most here though was how friendly everyone was. Random people who jumped there often were calming me down and got me even more excited! The scenery was amazing. I never knew Delaware of all places could be so beautiful. Two thumbs way up!

I started skydiving here in March and went through my AFF. The people there actually want to see people do well and anyone is willing to help. The instructors are top notch and if you are scared, they know exactly what to say. Management keeps the place running smoothly..Oh yeah, and there's always a fun party on the weekends:)

This is truly one of a kind. I was in town on business and I stopped here to make a few jumps. I felt so welcomed and everyone was so helpful. I wish my home dz was like this! Kudos!

Excellent DZ, good facilities, great people, excellent parties, best DZ in the area

Thanks to everyone at Delmarva. You guys are a great bunch of people and you guys throw great parties. I look forward to coming back and the season to begin!!!

I jumped in the Army many times (static line) and was positive that I would love skydiving. The staff just confirmed that this would be a sport I will get into full time by this upcoming summer. The AFF certificate was given to me for a anniversary present and it was the best experience ive had. I did alot of shopping to compare prices, and this place was the lowest and actually jumped from 14,500.

My girlfriend, who swore she would never jump out of a perfectly good airplane, observed the first time I went out for the AFF course but I didn't get to jump. After talking with the regulars and watching the fun everyone else was having, she decided to do tandem. After doing tandem, she decided she will be doing the AFF course next spring.

I got a late start and didn't do the course until November so I will be picking up where I left off the first chance next spring. The only con is the ride out there (2 hrs +) but well worth it. Nothing in Delaware is convenient for those of us who live in the DC metro area.

The video package we both got was excellent quality, the training staff is excellent and professional. This drop zone is second to none. I was considering trying other DZ's once I got my license, but don't really feel the need to. Im sure this will be my home DZ in the future. Make sure to ask for Dave, he'll take good care of you!

What a great place. Before I was finished filling out my waiver, I had met several jumpers and was organized on a load! By the end of the day, I think I met everyone on the DZ. A lot of covered packing areas and a great big field to land in makes this a fun place to jump. Can't wait to get back.

Oh yea, taking off on a grass runway was really cool.

I like DelMarVa. The staff there is friendly. I showed up they were on a 15 minute call with only one other load for that day. They waited for me. How cool is that? There are lots of outs and great views from altitude. Every time I visit a new dropzone I have been made to feel at home and DelMarVa was no different. I will return very soon.

Since I am not a first time jumper most of this information will pertain to the sport skydiver. However what I noticed in relation to tandems is that this dz takes EVERYONES safety very serious and EVERYONE has fun.

Professionalism - I didnt have a lisence when I went there, I left with one. It was a group effort, from the DZO's and Matchet's encouraging words for my hop and pop, to my check out dive.

Vibe- I made a bunch of great new friends, everyone is welcomed very quickly. The people are what make this DZ the best. INCREDIBLE

Aircraft- Their Otter is in the shop, but they have a loaner caravan, a bit slow, but great pilots, great spots, and perfect altitude.

Facilities- Air conditioned bunkhouse with 4 twins and a queen size bed that is seperated (couples usually get this bed) 2 indoor showers and some outdoor showers, all clean, outdoor ones are the most fun. Tons of comfy couches to veg between loads on, Safe seperated loading area with a area to dirt dive. Food cooked by the DZO, and must admit it was some of the best damn food Ive ever had.

Services- RWConcepts Grant and Mike are there to help organize some great jumps, regardless of your skill level there is something for everyone when talking to these knowledgable men.

Location- Beautiful patch quilt scenery, and no matter which direction you look at there is a safe out. However the spots are so good I didnt need my plan B's when it came to where I was going to land.

Out of all the places I have jumped this is by far the best all around. From vibes to safety, Delmarva has it all.