New jumper: northern California

[KR7 0]

hey, I'm in Palo Alto and am planning to get together a few friends to do a first jump. I looked up a few dropzones around the area (Bryon seems to be the closest). but I'd like to get some first hand opinions on them if any of you jump around here. which ones would be good for a fun first tandem jump. and which ones would be good if I want to continue with getting certified and such?

thanks much,
KR

[yardhippie 0]

The dropzones link at the top of the page will help you see whats in your area, and many have reviews written about them.

Short of that, there are a good number of jumpers from that region here.

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Mohoso Rodriguez #865

[jacketsdb23 45]

Hey KR7...I jump at Byron but have been to Lodi and Davis. You will find good people and facilities at each place. Each has its own vibe and my advise would be to check them all out and then decide for yourself where you would want to continue to jump.

Personally, I jump at Byron because I've got a great group of friends there and people look out for each other. I like the vibe. Lots of Byron Love out there.

If you have any questions - feel free to ask.

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[skybytch 259]

Quote

I jump at Byron but have been to Lodi and Davis. You will find good people and facilities at each place. Each has its own vibe and my advise would be to check them all out and then decide for yourself where you would want to continue to jump.

I jump at Davis but have been to Lodi and Byron, but other than that I agree 100%.

For your first tandem I'd suggest going to the dz that is closest to you.

[monkycndo 0]

I'm lucky enough to live almost dead center of all the DZs in the area. I jump them all. I went through AFF in Hollister and consider it my home DZ. But I would say that you won't go wrong going to any of them.

Here are just a few observations.

Byron: Closest to you, great staff, home of the Byron Love

Davis: A little longer drive, great staff, nice amenities.

Hollister: Longer drive, great staff, huge landing area that tends to have good weather when most other DZs are weathered out. Landing area is 15 minute drive from airport. Some consider this a negative. I liked it because I got 15 minutes of undivided attention from my instructors.

Lodi: Longest drive for you. Don't know all the staff, but the one's I know are top notch.

Some of the DZs will have a special price if you pay for the full course up front.

It's just a matter of finding the DZ with the vibe that you like. Give them a call. You can also shoot me a message if you have questions.

boy

[KR7 0]

cool, it's nice to know I've got many choices and they're all good. besides the jump itself, is there any particular one that'd offer a more pleasant experience if I were bringing a group of friends for the first time? (i.e. scenic plane ride, interesting canopy flight, etc)

[headoverheels 291]

Quote

cool, it's nice to know I've got many choices and they're all good. besides the jump itself, is there any particular one that'd offer a more pleasant experience if I were bringing a group of friends for the first time? (i.e. scenic plane ride, interesting canopy flight, etc)

I would say Monterey (actually in Marina) would have the most scenic ride.

The price varies quite a bit from place to place.

[KR7 0]

yea that'd be my other question. why are there such differences in the prices? if all of these DZ's are equivalently good places to jump why wouldn't people just mostly go to the cheapest one, which would be Lodi I suppose. I am assuming all of these places have the same safety standards, so what else is making the difference in the prices?

[siddacious 0]

I did a tandem and then too AFF at Byron and loved both. I've made a bunch of friends there and make a point to get out there at least once a week. A bit light on the amenities, but definitely a good crowd.

I've also jumped at Davis, and was impressed with the amenities that they offer. I'll be going back soon.

I would say Byron is 'down homey' whereas Davis is 'professional', with whatever that implies.

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[GravityJunky 0]

Or:
Parachute Center Acampo, California 5.35 miles
Bay Area Skydiving Byron, California 27.12 miles
SkyDance SkyDiving Davis, California 42.79 miles
Adrenaline Air Skydiving of Santa Rosa Santa Rosa, California 85.71 miles
------------------------------------------------
Adventure Center Skydiving, Inc. Hollister, California 85.91 miles
Skydive San Francisco Cloverdale, California 101.69 miles
Madera Parachute Center Madera, California 102.69 miles
Skydive Monterey Bay Marina, California 103.32 miles
Skydive Lake Tahoe
-------------------------------------

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*Well I'd love to stay & chat, But youre a total Bitch! {Stewie}

[headoverheels 291]

Quote

yea that'd be my other question. why are there such differences in the prices? if all of these DZ's are equivalently good places to jump why wouldn't people just mostly go to the cheapest one, which would be Lodi I suppose. I am assuming all of these places have the same safety standards, so what else is making the difference in the prices?

Lodi hasn't changed tandem prices in a very long time (15 years?? ever??). There is a lot more profit in those than in regular skydiver ticket prices, which also haven't changed in some time. IIRC, Lodi doesn't do basic training (AFF, static line) on the weekends. You could hook up with bodypilot1 (Ed) on this board. Ed teaches at Lodi, but separate from their operation, so he may teach on weekends.

[377 21]

Skydive Santa Rosa shut down. Doug took the operation to somewhere in Missouri is what I heard. Too much hassle running a DZ at a busy controlled airport? I really liked jumping there during the fire season. When fires were active, there would be lots of air tankers operating out of the airport including Neptunes, Broncos, Trackers, DC 4s, P3s, Skycranes etc. Quite a show for an aircraft buff. I wonder if anyone else will try to open a DZ at the Sonoma County Airport? They had a fair amount of tandem customers on the weekends. Palo Alto has a bunch of DZs within a 1.5 hour drive. Byron is the closest.

2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.