looking to learn skydiving, any info much appreciated?

[honeyjigga 0]

Hi there,

I have been reading up on skydiving for about 5 years now and really want to take a course.

I am thinking of starting with a tandem skydive, and then take a course.

I just have some questions, i hope anyone can answer them.

I have noticed on a load of sky diving sites that the cost of a course is quite pricey and even when you complete the course and want to go out and make a dive that for each jump it's quite expensive. So my question is how many skydives does the average skydiver make per year?

And how much money does the average skydiver spend each year?

I have read on the internet about how hundreds of people out there have made 500 or even several thousands of jumps within a few years since they got their license. So how do they have the money to afford this?

From what i have seen on the net all these skydiving sites charge from £20-£35 per jump, £25 rental all day for sky diving suits. rig packing £5 per jump. I read that a lot people like to do 6-10 jumps per day. So in the end your spending £200-£300 per day, how can people afford this.

I also want to get into birdman flying and base jumping and i heard about how you need a lot of experience before doing this like making at least 250 - 500 skydiving jumps. So that means when doing the maths i will be spending £5000+ on making jumps before i can learn base jumping or birdman flying.

Is there a way that i can take a really intensive course over a 6 month perioed, where i can learn skydiving, base jumping, birdman flying, birdman base jumping and sky surfing.

I know all those above sports are very dangerous but i do learn fast and would really do days upon days of ground work learning before i go out and make a jump. But i thought if i can learn all those extreme sports or only 2 of the above and even learn them in under a year then that would be awesome as i have always wanted to base jump.

Could some people list where they go skydiving? and where are the cheapest places to go for making multiple skydives in a day?

anyhelp much appreciated


many many thanks

[skybytch 259]

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So my question is how many skydives does the average skydiver make per year?

That depends on the skydiver - how much money they can throw at jump tickets, how often they can be at the dropzone, how good of physical condition they are in, etc, etc.

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And how much money does the average skydiver spend each year?

Again, depends on the skydiver. Those who have/make lots of money can afford to spend more than can those who don't.

An old saying - skydiving costs $199 for your first jump then 1/2 your income for the rest of your life.

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So how do they have the money to afford this?

They have good paying jobs, trust funds, lottery winnings, investments that have paid off, sell drugs, rob banks...

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Is there a way that i can take a really intensive course over a 6 month perioed, where i can learn skydiving, base jumping, birdman flying, birdman base jumping and sky surfing.

Probably not. What's the rush? I've been jumping for over 15 years now and there's always something new to learn. That's part of what keeps me jumping.

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Could some people list where they go skydiving?

Any place there's an airplane with a door that opens in flight, an aricraft owner who will let me jump out of it, a pilot to fly it and a nice open area to land in.

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and where are the cheapest places to go for making multiple skydives in a day?

Cheapest is not always best. If you really have to worry about how much it costs, better to wait until you can afford it.

[Darius11 12]

It's like crack one hit then you find ways to make your jump.

Most Skydivers I know are mid income people. You just find a way and cut down on a lot of stuff that becomes less important.

But that’s for you to decide doing a tandem I think is a good idea you can get a taste and see if it is as addicting to you as it was to some of us.

I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not." - Kurt Cobain

[artistcalledian 0]

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You just find a way and cut down on a lot of stuff that becomes less important.

its true, i haven't eaten any food in 3 months now

________________________________________
drive it like you stole it and f*ck the police

[honeyjigga 0]

Hi guys

thanks for all the replys

hi skybytch

you aksed me what's the rush?

well instead of waiting yonks before i can go from being a skydiver into being a base jumper, i would rather take a intensive course, as i don't like waiting?

But the big plus is that if i was a base jumper well that then saves me a lot of money as all i would have to do is climb mountains and jump, no jump ticket prices. Also from what i have heard, base jumping gives you an even bigger adrenaline rush, you get less free fall but it's heart stomping and if i can learn birdman base jumping then i get upto 1 minute 15 seconds free fall depending on the height that i jump from, and the added soar like a bird experience.

[windcatcher 0]

I would start with trying a skydive before considering anything else. Heck, you might not even like skydiving--the "rush" sucks.

Mother to the cutest little thing in the world...

[FlyinseivLP2 0]

Sorry to say but being in such a rush is what gets people killed. You haven't even made skydive yet. It's ok to want to do all that stuff but take your time and you will be around much longer. If your hellbent on basejumping without learning to skydive first you could always find a "deathcamp"

[Darius11 12]

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Hi guys

thanks for all the replys

hi skybytch

you aksed me what's the rush?

well instead of waiting yonks before i can go from being a skydiver into being a base jumper, i would rather take a intensive course, as i don't like waiting?

But the big plus is that if i was a base jumper well that then saves me a lot of money as all i would have to do is climb mountains and jump, no jump ticket prices. Also from what i have heard, base jumping gives you an even bigger adrenaline rush, you get less free fall but it's heart stomping and if i can learn birdman base jumping then i get upto 1 minute 15 seconds free fall depending on the height that i jump from, and the added soar like a bird experience.

I think you should try skydiving first. Base (I have not done a single BASE jump yet) jumping is really for people who know what they are doing. That is if you want to do it more then once.

I felt the same way as you do. My Goal was and still is Base jumping and bird man base jumping from cliffs. The more you learn in this sport you realize you need to learn more. Now you don't know me but I am not someone you would consider a conservative but I know there is so much to learn before the risk of base jumping becomes reasonable.


Now you can do it all in 6 months if you do 10 jumps a day every day for 6 months 1800 jumps if you have the time and money go for it, But Jumps is not the only way you gain experince time in sport is also very importent.

I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not." - Kurt Cobain

[skybytch 259]

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well instead of waiting yonks before i can go from being a skydiver into being a base jumper, i would rather take a intensive course, as i don't like waiting?

And you think any of us do like waiting? While it isn't always fun to wait, instant gratification isn't always the best choice... You haven't hit 30 yet, have you?

FYI, you don't have to do any skydives to start BASE jumping. Not going to comment on whether that's smart or not. Most experienced BASE jumpers recommend that you have at least some skydives under your belt before hucking yourself off an object, and for good reason. BASE jumping carries significantly more risk than does skydiving. Skydiving will teach you things that can save your life in the BASE environment. The more experience you have jumping from airplanes, the more likely you are to be safe jumping from objects.

But I'm just a skydiver. Hopefully a few BASE jumpers will chime in on this thread and give you a reality check from real world experience...

[Eiley 0]

When I was working at Chicagoland, we had a few English guys come out and stay with us in the bunkhouse for a month or so and got their 'A' licences, coach jumps and bought gear. They had worked it out that, even including airfares and the costs of being away from home, it was cheaper than doing it in the UK.

Still expensive though.

If you are sure you want to learn to skydive, you can skip the tandem jump and go straight to AFF. That will save the initial tandem cost.

If you are really serious, learn to pack, then learn to pack fast, then learn to pack reserves. You can definitely fund a skydiving lifestyle with packing.

nothing to see here

[artistcalledian 0]

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the "rush" sucks

yes, but do you?

________________________________________
drive it like you stole it and f*ck the police

[Ragnarok 0]

Skydiving is an addiction. You will find a way to afford it - if you really want to do it.

You do not have to make alot of money, either.

Just go out and do a tandem, braw. Then decide what you want to to from there.

_________________________________________
Twin Otter N203-Echo,29 July 2006
Cessna P206 N2537X, 19 April 2008
Blue Skies Forever

[TrickyDicky 0]

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From what i have seen on the net all these skydiving sites charge from £20-£35 per jump, £25 rental all day for sky diving suits. rig packing £5 per jump. I read that a lot people like to do 6-10 jumps per day. So in the end your spending £200-£300 per day, how can people afford this.

Once you've stopped being a student skydiver, you will probably start to get your own gear. So Jumps are only £20/jump. But you'll have spent £200 on a jump suit, £3000 on a rig, and you can pack for yourself (you may be able to subsidise your jumping by packing for others/centre kit).

Ive been jumping nearly 5 years, and Ive only done 350. To be fair, I have just finished a 4 year uni course, and paid for alot of my jumps (especially this year) packing static line rigs at £4/pack.

There is a Diploma in skydiving run in new zealand that costs NZ$9000 that pays for all your training (AFF), 250 jumps ontop and then teaches you to pack, fly camera, freefly, RW and how to run a DZ. I think its a 12 month course, and you have to pay upfront. Its designed for people like yourself that want to do everything (well, just the basics) quickly. But dont rush it. You'll get hurt.

+ My friend just started base jumping. So far, he said the average cost of his BASE jumps have cost far more than his average skydive. BASE course + helcopter rides = expensive.

UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

[mattyblast 0]

A word or two about the cost...the jumps (at my DZ, anyway) get cheaper as you progress through the AFF course. Contact the DZ where you will be doing your tandem jump and have them provide for you a schedule showing what each of their AFF Levels costs.

Once you get to the point where you have your "A" license and have your own gear, jumps will be cheaper and you'll be able to budget for more of them.

Until then, try not to focus so much on your goal of becoming a successful base jumper that you fail to realize how incredible skydiving is.

"DOOR!!!"

[artistcalledian 0]

when i had to retake some AFF levels... all i had to pay for was mine and the AFFI's jump price, there was no extra cost involved

________________________________________
drive it like you stole it and f*ck the police

[honeyjigga 0]

Hi thanks for all the replys, much appreciated

hi TrickyDicky

so your friend pays for helicopter rides,

tell me please do you have to buy a base jumping ticket for the legal jump zones?

I enjoy walking and am reasonably fit, i would go hiking, get to the top of the mountain and then base jump, then it would be completely free of charge, that's if i don't have to pay a base jumping ticket.

Of course i would have to take into account the cost of base jumping training after i am a proficient sky diver.

[Joellercoaster 6]

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we had a few English guys come out and stay with us in the bunkhouse for a month or so and got their 'A' licences, coach jumps and bought gear. They had worked it out that, even including airfares and the costs of being away from home, it was cheaper than doing it in the UK.

This is true. Pretty much anywhere in the world is cheaper to get into skydiving than the UK. Gear costs more. Tickets cost more. Training costs more.

honeyjigga:

I heard, anecdotally, that the majority of new skydivers in the UK are trained in Spain nowadays. Looking at the costs, it seemed like a no-brainer to me so that's what I (and many others on this site) did.

Gear rental is a major money sucker. Good, second-hand gear can be had relatively cheaply if you're a normal sort of body shape () and have enough jumps under your belt to know what you want.

Learn to pack (even if you're not going to pack for others). Packing will suck your money.

All these are ways to bring the cost down. Having said that... skydiving is really expensive. It just is. The way all these people afford it is, they earn enough money to pay for it, then they pay it gladly because the love of jumping is worth it to them. Even though it's a big fraction of some of their incomes.

Take a tandem and see.

--
"I'll tell you how all skydivers are judged, . They are judged by the laws of physics." - kkeenan

"You jump out, pull the string and either live or die. What's there to be good at?

[davelepka 4]

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I enjoy walking and am reasonably fit, i would go hiking, get to the top of the mountain and then base jump, then it would be completely free of charge, that's if i don't have to pay a base jumping ticket

OK, get off the idea that BASE jumping will save you money. Between gear and travel, the per jump cost will be far greater than driving to a local DZ and making a skydive.

Here's the low down: Start skydiving, and plan on making about 200 jumps before learing to BASE jump. The skydive training, gear and jumps will run you about $10,000.

Then take a BASE course, and begin BASE jumping. The cost of BASE gear (it's different than skydiving gear) and training will run you about $3000 to $4000 depending on how far you have to travel for the BASE training.

Beyond that, I'm pretty sure the UK is light on jumpable cliffs. I think there are alot of towers, but they are most likely 500ft or lower and ususally illegal to jump. Make sure to figure in travel costs to get to the good objects for BASE.

Don't forget that gear wears out, and that newer, better gear is always hitting the market.

Plan on about two to three years to go from first skydive to first BASE jump. You can do it faster, but the price will go up.

All of this jumping stuff is fun, but be sure you have alot of time, and a good deal of money. You have to pay if you want to play.

EDIT- I almost forgot, generally 200 skydives is the min before you can get into a Bridman suit. Figure a good suit will run you between $700 and $1000. Plan on doing AT LEAST 150 Bridman skydives before taking it into BASE. Even then, you will need to travel to get an object tall enough for Bridman BASE.

Figure four or five years and $30,000 or $40,000 before you take a Bridman suit off a 3000ft cliff, and pull 1 min 15 sec of freefall. It's probably worth every penny.

[honeyjigga 0]

Hi TrickyDicky,

Do you have the website of that skydiving site in newzealand that offers the diploma for $NZ9000?

I would be up for that, obviously need to save up for the course.

[Akey 0]

Hey honeyjigga. I am in somewhat of a similar situation to yourself in that i hope to do my AFF sometime this quarter and in the long term would be looking into perhaps getting into base. Basically i did a tandem and since then learning has never stopped being on my mind, and must have filled my computers hardrive with countless videos. Although i don't have much money, i have crunched a few numbers and have come up with the following. The cost to learn should be no more than £2000 (this includes your 10 consolidation jumps) and could be as little as £1500 if i don't have to take retake any levels. After that i hope to spend around £1200 on a second hand rig, and then i'm jumping baby!! You can buy jumps in packs of 10 for a discount, i think the current is £180 for 10, but that may increase slightly due to increases in fuel costs. So i think i could get in 10 jumps a week (until i go to uni, at which point i will be poor, so only jump a fraction of this, but even so...) However i figure skydiving is fun in itself, REALLY good fun, so don't see it as 'doing jumps for the sake of getting into basejumping'. Perhaps when i get to 400 odd jumps (i don't want to basejump at 200, coz i figure i have one chance, i better be bloody good at the basics first) i may pick up basejumping or i may not, same with birdman, perhaps skydiving will be enough for me, maybe not, in which case i can cross that hurdle when it comes. Anyway, i'm waffeling, basically expect to pay some £3200 to get yourself off the ground (no pun intended), and i reakon take it from there. I think in terms of jumps, you can spend as much or as little as you much. Keep in mind this is a MINIMUM and you will probably have to upgrade your rig within 200 jumps anyway.

[honeyjigga 0]

Hi Akey.

thanks for the post, i have searched around and you may be happy that you can take a skydiving course in the UK for £1200 but then you have to take your 10 consolidation jumps for an additional £350. Or you can go through this company i found that are UK based aswell as have a school in spain that offer skydiving for £823 for your license and then 10 consolidation jumps for £180 all this in spain.

Once you done that, you can rent gear and pay for jumps at your local dropzone. That's now way cheaper than £3200

[Akey 0]

Does this £823 include flights, accomodation, transfers and some extra spending money you are bound to spend ? And some DZ charge an exchange rate or credit card charge Oh, and the £1200+350 comes to 1550 + 1200=2750, oh crap, wait, i did my maths wrong, i meant the cheapest you can do it for is £2700. WOOPS! Yer, that would be doing AFF+consolidation jumps in spain and would be all inclusive and a little bit extra incase of some hicups/extra spending money...

[honeyjigga 0]

Hi Akey,

I have just done the maths

The course if booked for spain before febuary 31st 2006 is

£823 including VAT, no hidden charges, and you get videos of all your dives.

10 consolidation jumps is infact £130

3 day course, 2 nights at a hotel leave on end 3rd day (last day of course) of your course, cost for 2 nights at a cheap 3 star hotel is £28 per night x 2 = £54 including breakfast, eat out for lunch and dinner or take pack lunch. Spain is cheap, i've been there you can get good lunch and dinner for less than 10 pounds per day.

so 2 days x £10 (lunch and dinner) = £20

spending money for trip = £100 for 2 days which is enough, really you don't need it.

return flights from british airways is £125 including VAT and surcharge.

total cost

£823
£130
£54
£20
£100
£125

total cost £1,252

and now your back in the UK to enjoy just renting gear and paying for jump tickets at your local dropzone.

If you don't use the £100 spending money on your trip which you really don't need as i already included money for meals.

then it's £1,152

but obviously you would need £30 for taxis (possibly cheaper) to and from the hotel to the skydiving site, you can get a hotel near the dropzone so possibly you could take a short walk 20 minutes there.

Now as you can see my prices are far cheaper than what your considering.

oh and go with a differnt air line than british airways and you can save pounds depending on the month and how long in advance you book the trip, all in all i wouldn't be suprised if you could get the price down to £1,050 in total including VAT.

[Akey 0]

Wait right there whilst i PM you...

[CygnusX-1 42]

I can't believe you all have got it wrong. BASE jumping is incredibly cheap. Here is how you do it:

honeyjigga said he was in good shape which is good because in order to do this you need to be in shape. In order to save money on traveling costs you will need to hike around and find all of the good base jumping cliffs. He might even want to consider some that are not known good ones. That way there will be less people around for witnesses. You don't want to feel like you are putting on a show for everyone on your first jump. Solitude is the key.

Now I say forgo the rig. They are heavy, bulky, and just a pain to carry around. They also cost too much money and you won't need it for very long anyway. I'll explain later...

When you find that perfect cliff face, take a running start and jump off. It is the most incredible feeling in the world to be falling a few feet from a rock edge and flailing around. Your jump should last from 15-25 seconds. Then everything will go black.

Now here is the key: Resist the urge to walk into the light! You don't want to be there. After a few minutes, the darkness will fade and you will find yourself back on top of the cliff. Don't ask me why. You just are. But here is the best part. You can now jump off that cliff and your freefalls will last for several minutes. There is no need for wingsuites. And you can do this for an eternity. Total cost: $0. Problem solved.


Disclaimer: Individual results may vary. Some of the facts stated above are based on speculation of what could happen and have not been tested or verified to be accurate. I do appreciate honeyjigga's attempt to learn to skydive for a reasonable cost. However, my personal belief is that risking your life should not be done with the belief of, "How cheap can I do this?" Safety should be your #1 concern not cost.