Start Skydiving

Can't believe I waited 50 years to do this. Instructor Nathan M. was nothing less than awesome! Facilities, equipment, and overall experience was World Class! Jumped with my son and I can assure you we will return.

Went skydiving for my 24th anniversay on Aug. 13, 2015. I had the wonderful pleasure of being paired up with Dan P and videographer Paula. They were AWESOME! Paula was so energetic and it showed very well on her face. She is excited about every jump as if it is her first jump. Let me tell you about Dan P. He's superb and out of this world. You can tell he loves what he does and does what he loves! I want to skydive again and again and I really want Dan P to be my instructor again.

This was the greatest event for me & my son. Start skydiving went over & beyond to get on the schedule with my son, and Lonnie Kirk was an amazing instructor. I am very grateful for Hue, Lonnie & the rest of the staff for making our experience so wonderful. I am very grateful to you all. Thank you so much!!!

First time the experience was amazing. Made even better by the divers. Thank you to Lonnie for keeping me calm. I got to enjoy the experience with my husband and son. They are already talking about returning. Staff was very helpful answering any concerns and keeping a intergetic attitude
Thank you Start Skydiving for an awesome day

I purchased a Tandem skydive for my boyfriend and myself to celebrate his birthday. Our jump was August 8th, and upon arrival we were greeted by the staff and made to feel right at home. After the initial check-in we were escorted to the hangar where it was bustling with excitement. They encouraged us to hang out, play corn-hole, listen to music, and watch the other divers make their descent. Shortly after arrival, we were introduced to our tandem partners who put the small amount of nerves we had to rest. Their professionalism, enthusiasm, and reassurance made me feel right at ease. My boyfriend's instructor was Kyle and mine was Nate. We also got to meet our camera crew (the pictures and video are well worth the price), and I was lucky enough to get Emily - seriously, she's really friendly, and super cool. We couldn't have been any happier than we were drawing these two. During the flight our cabin was joking with one another, and Nate did the most amazing job explaining how everything was going to work, what I could expect when that happened, and what the next plan of action was going to be. Everything he said would happen did happen exactly as described, and his experience shone through by his execution. The best part was immediately leaving the plane and feeling the split second of flight before very quickly experiencing gravity begin its toll. But surprisingly, even after the free fall the thrill doesn't end. Our ride down was breathtaking and Nate pointed out some of the landmarks to me as he gave me a tour of the area from the best view I could imagine. Afterwards, the camera crew and the instructors congratulated us on completing our first dive and encouraged to see us back again. With world class facilities and instructors, I cannot wait to experience that again with this group!

Let me start with my "con". Since this was my first, and only, jump i have no idea how other facilities operate - the delay in departue was simply that - and i really do not know (as someone else scheduled it) who to blame for the lack of communication about the actual departure time.

Now for the "pros":
The staff were supportive, comforting and energetic! This was my first jump, and I have a great fear of both airplanes and height - the staff helped me in overcoming those fears, and I cannot say enough about how positive the entire experience was, except that I plan to return!

Again, i have nothing to compre against, but the facilities were clean and very well organized. I got the sense that Safety, both customer and employee, was their top priority - a comforting feeling on your first skydive...

I was fortunate to pick this facility, and you will be as

We had a great experience. This is my 3rd time jumping and every time I have been there has been better than the last! Your staff was very courteous, helpful and friendly! Dan P is awesome! My girls had a great experience too! It was the second jump for one of my daughters and a first jump for my other daughter. They loved it! Great day for a great family outing! Thank you so much!

Went for the first time last week and it was amazing. Cannot say enough about the staff, they really put you at ease. My tandem guy was Dan and he was cool as hell. I would recommend this to anyone I know! Cant wait to get out there again!!

This place is amazing! I decided to take my boyfriend here for our first time skydiving for his college graduation gift. It was everything we could ask for. My instructor Matt Harvey was wonderful! My sister came to the skydiving hanger to watch us jump along with her husband. Matt was able to make her feel comfortable enough that she changed her mind to jump with all of us! And she is thankful that matt did this! She was so glad that she decided to skydive at the last possible moment. I'll never be thankful enough for Matt to to take the time and to talk to her. We will for sure come back and skydive again with you! This graduation gift turned out perfect! Dating my boyfriend for 6 years and I have never seen the look on his face when he jumped out of the plane. It was Price less.

This has been my second time coming here and can't wait to come back!! My tandem guy was Tony and he was beyond helpful, funny and just made the jump so enjoyable. Thanks for a great time!!

I went to just watch my family jump and one of the instructors (forgot his name)talked me into jumping. He was very nice and made me feel safe. He jumped with my sister. My instructor was Lonnie and he was amazing! He walked me thru everything, he was very compassionate because I was scared. On the plane he made sure I was taking deep breaths and knew what I was suppose to do. He was very fun and let me steer once we was drifting down to the ground. Best experience ever and cant wait to go. LONNIE rocks!!!!

Excellent experience. I'm scared of heights but Dan Paganini was correct when he said there is a big difference between height and altitude. Never once felt nervous about the height. Found out after the tandem jump that Dan can't look down from a ladder without getting vertigo and sweaty palms but is a skydiving instructor.

I just had my third jump at Start Skydiving. Every time was the greatest experience I've ever had. The staff is always cheerful and there is just a cool vibe as soon as you walk in the place. You can just tell they're a bunch of fun loving people. Many thanks to Dan P. for the best jump yet. Can't wait to go back and do it all again.

This was THE BEST first time experience for skydiving. Matt Harvey (Tandem partner) made me feel so comfortable and relaxed. I had nothing to worry about. I was prepared and everybody seemed to be happy and having a good time. I highly recommend for anybody that has ever wanted to skydive to book this place. It was such a fantastic time!

This was my first time ever skydiving and I had Alex Hart as my instructor. Everyone at the facility went out of their way to be friendly and informative.
Alex made it a great time for me. I was definitely way out of my comfort zone at first, but by the end I could have done it over 100 times.

My instructor was Dan and he made me feel very safe and comfortable. I had an amazing time. I cant wait to go back and do it again.

Words can not explain how amazing my first skydiving experience was!! It was a perfect day, with beaitiful clouds and a wonderful instructor (Lonnie:). I will definetly be back!! This place rocks!!

It was my first time skydiving today and Matt Harvey was my instructor. He made the process very easy and really made sure that I knew what to do. He was also very personable and I was never nervous about the jump because everyone there seems to love their job and what they do. The ride up was also fun! And Paola was the videographer, and she was awesome too! She stayed with us and made sure she got all of the best moments. I would definitely go again!

Lonnie Kirk was amazing! I never ever wanted to skydive, completely terrified but I couldn't resist that day and then after meeting Lonnie I felt completely confident about my decision.

He we so relaxed, professional, and made me feel like it was going to be a walk in the park.

The free fall was the bomb!!! Loved every minute of it.

Thanks Lonnie! Maybe see you at Drop Zone in Mt. Dora!

Lisa Cliver

I had never been skydiving, and I am glad that I chose Start Skydiving for my first time. My tandem instructor, Brian, was hilarious and very helpful. The staff is very experienced and they make sure to let you know that skydiving is not only fun, but serious. Definitely recommend this location to anyone who wants to try out skydiving, especially for a reasonable price!

I travel to a lot of different drop zones to fun jump, usually the same old thing everywhere you go, stuck up people and drama. Not one negative vibe at start, It would have taken weeks to get on all the loads that people invited me on, great great place and the vibe is everything to me. Super clean hangar, nice planes too. Every dz in the U.S. Could learn a thing or 12 from these guys!

Everything about Start Skydiving was great! The facility was well maintained and even offered a great waiting area for people who were not willing to make the jump. The staff/instructors were friendly and welcoming. They were extremely professional, which made my girlfriend and myself feel a great sense of safety. Many thanks to Kyle for an awesome jump! I highly recommend him to any future jumpers. My girlfriend jumped with Brian and a videographer, both did a great job! Overall, all of the instructors of Patriot load 16 on July 1st kept the atmosphere light and made the experience memorable for my group. We will be sure to return with many more jumpers in the future. Thanks again!

"Lonnie Kirk" the man who made my diving experience wonderful and memorable for a life time... June 4th 2015....thank you Lonnie, you were a wonderful instructor and any one would enjoy the dive experience with such a friendly cheerful and enthusiastic person like without you i surely wouldn't have enjoyed my dive the way i actually did thank you....

Matt was an awesome TM!! Will be going back. Aircraft ride was short, jump was fun. Indoor seating area for wait and jump prep.

The was my first time sky diving. I was a bit nervous. The staff was mostly courteous. So we get hooked up and are awaiting our plane. Phil was exceptional at stating what needed to be done. Was super nice, answered all questions patiently and politely. Then Melanie joined in, the videographer. She was phenomenal as well. Excited and energetic. It was great. So then we take off, that went well. So we jump out of the plane, a real blast by the way, loved it. Will totally be back. Well Phil pulls the initial parachute, I forget the name right now. That went well. Now it gets interesting. I guess the main parachute had a tension know in it, so we had to lose it. Then apparently the reserve had a know as well. Phil messed with it and got it straightened out. While we were in the air I would have never had a clue as to how bad it could have been. Phil was as cool as the other side of the pillow. He handled it phenomenally. What could have been some bad news he handled so well. I give total mad props for being so great at what he does. Melanie also done an amazing job of taking pics and video. I just wish there were more video coverage, it seems to be edited a bit short. What footage is there is great though. The pictures are amazing. Will for sure recommend and will be back myself. Again Phil was a real life saver, literally.