des

i'm the oldest,but we only have 8 jumpers.the "bunny" guy has 4000. des

hi, feb,march is very good time to go,warm ,not hot,temps rarely exceed 95f in nz,because nowhere is more than about 80mls from the ocean. plenty of dz's ,whenuapai and mercer near auckland (mercer has a porter) taupo ,in central north island (turbine cresco),and smaller dz's all round the country. for surfing,the peninsular nth of auckland offers myriad spots,with the advantage of a quick drive across,to get the offshore wind. piha on the west coast ,is the best auckland spot. sth of auckland,raglan,an excellent lefthandpoint break,on the westcoast,and multiple spots on the coromandel and bay of plenty on the east coast,my fav is whangamata (fonga ma ta ), a very beautiful river mouth left. further sth on east coast,is the best place in the world,gisborne!off the tourist track,if you want to surf ,go there!,and try tuamotu island,(only a short paddle). across to the west coast new plymouth has some great spots as well,under n.z's mt fuji (egmont). haven't surfed much further south than that,but many spots,if a bit cool.i haven't been to n.z for years,so probably plenty of newly found spots now. there are many car hire places,remember you get over $2 n.z .for you us dollar. good holiday option! des

congratulations! i did my 8000th today,and still feel like a newby,there is only one person at our dz who has less jumps than i do,and no one has an ego,we just have bigtime fun. it just keeps getting better! des

christian ,islamic war!! "holy shit",i just got back from there ,and most filipinos don't know a thing about it. it's a small group of islamic rebels on the sthn part of mindanao,about 500 mls from manila. it's not really a problem if you stay away from S mindanao. des

don't often agree with freeflir29's thoughts,but this time,yeah! the philippines is great!you can skydive there too, at angeles ,2hrs ($7) from manila by bus.angeles is also the girl capital of the world! everything very cheap,hotels from $15-40 a night. if you like scuba.puerto galera is great,and so are the girls,a real party beach resort,at really low prices.you can also skydive on the way there at batangas. that'd be my choice. des

sorry i pissed a couple of people off,i should have said western women. a little bit tongue in cheek,a little bit of my honest feeling also. depends what you want i guess. des

know what you mean,gave up on women 10 yrs ago,then met some ASIANS! whole different mindset! filipinas are probably the best,great attitude,my house is sooo clean,and even my underwear is folded,not to mention great food whenever i want. guess i've become a bit of a rascist,white women either have bad attitude,big ass,or both,and in my experience ( i aint young),will only give you grief.(i admit to knowing a few exceptions,but not many,my daughter of course is one.). try the asians if you want a great body and good attitude. des

woooo.australian rules is the most embarrasing thing about being australian,whata load of shit ,that game is. i feel alittle sorry for you americans too.30 secs and a commercial break. at least soccer goes non stop, a little wussy,but better than them other 2 "national sports". yes. i prefer rugby union,and rugby league. des

well,the yanks have taken over the thread again.nevermind,but remember fish and chips is big business fri and sat nights.how you gonna get to the dz?maybe buy one in t'wah. des

yes clinton, most disabled people can do a tandem skydive. quadra,or paraplegics,blind ,deaf ,mute,or mentally disabled,is normally not a problem.ask your doctor 1st tho. ramblers are very experienced with these situations. minimise your posts,and go jump. des

as i said in another thread. clinton is ok., just has a minor problem, please give him a break. he just wants to be in the scene. i hope you all understand. thanks, des

yes,you are being paranoid.clinton's ok,just has a minor problem,please give him some consideration. des

yep! york is the place.fulltime caravan,and all facillities. find link from www.apf.asn.au dunno if the hyperlink will work,sorry. des

clinton,i'm not sure where your are coming from now.i have spoken (on internet )to you before.it doesn't work like you are thinking.just go to toogoolawah and do it.this is the best advice i can give you.you have procrastinated long enough! des

i know you have an australian skydiver database,but cannot seem to find it. it is not in either asian or sth pacific areas.am i doing something wrong?i cannot type in australia either.same goes for new zealand.appreciate some help. thanks, des

the weather in n.z can be a major problem,but you will be jumping in the most beautiful place in the world,with the most fun people . good choice. des

have fun in the real world of aff instruction guys. good students are easy. des

kooralbyn is very good,but is definately 2nd best. i know it sounds good,but go to ramblers. either way you will not regret your decision. it will be a great experience.you are 100% correct about "a" licence in 10 days ,or so ,very stressfull.i would recommend, 5-6 days for aff course,(9 jumps in oz),take a weeks holiday at the barrier reef or something,then go back for your "a" licence qualification,which is way less stress than the aff course.enjoy. des

yes, i have to say you cannot go past ramblers dz,in toogoolawah .qld. they have very high quality instructors,the best dzo,and chief instructor i've ever met,fulltime facilities for accommodation(either bunkhouse or private rooms,some with ensuites), fulltime caravan,all jumps at least 12000 agl,fulltime herd of kangaroos,with many visiting koalas,cafe,swimming pool etc. it is really a world class facility,not to mention really,really friendly,happy people. they have great weather ,comfortable all year round. shit! now i wanna go back! sydney skydivers at picton is also very good. ramblers has excellent equipment,all cypress equipped ,of course,and 140 acres of nice clear rolling country in the brisbane valley. it is 1 1/2 hrs nw of brisbane ,but can organise pick up and transfer to the dz.haven't been there for 3 years,but i am 100% sure it is better than i left it. it's really some place!go there! des

ooooh ,that cold is scary! did my certification in palau,60 or so dives now, in palau,saipan ,and philippines,and never worn a wetsuit! cold water sucks! try the tropics. for all other fellow deviates, if boat scuba dives,and all night muff dives ,for $20 each,on a really nice tropical resort,about $20,a room,sounds good,contact me for details,(i'm going back real soon) des

ooooh ,that cold is scary! did my certification in palau,60 or so dives now, in palau,saipan ,and philippines,and never worn a wetsuit! cold water sucks!try the tropics.

"filipinas get $130 a pop over there". somebody doesn't want you in the philippines. just got home from there,the most expensive in manila was $80 ,anywhere else ,$20 ,and that's for the whole night.and hot damn ! they're all gorgeous.

coral coast skydivers,in townsville/ayr,is also very good . dzo richard pym was on the oz world record 16 way team (16 pts i think),and just loves to skydive with anyone. very close to barrier reef too. des

yep. ramblers at toogoolawah is one of the best.been around a bit in my time,(incl usa),and never seen better. resident kangaroos,koalas,and parrots.great parties ,with the best people,and the best dzo in the world. mcevoy is god! guaranteed fun time! no shit. btw, fulltime caravan. don't miss it. des

ask wendell,or preferably do some canopy exercises with him. he's there most weekends.