I'm still new to the sport but I've been to 4 DZ's so keep that in mind.
I called ahead and made the trip down from Toronto on a Friday with two buddies. The DZ was pretty easy to find even if it is somewhat secluded. I was looking to do a student jump and my friends wanted to do tandems. We showed up and walked through the hanger by accident but we met Slade, Sky and Tim and everyone was super friendly. My friends went and did their paperwork and I talked with the coaches about my jump history etc.
Cut to an hour later and my friends had already paid, watched the tandem video, and were suited up and manifested on the first load of the day (C.182). I went through some basics with my coach, did a dirt dive, familiarized myself with the landing area, looked over the gear and showed my EP's etc. Next thing I know my friends are taxiing out and I relaxed outside until the plane was headed back down.
Everything went smooth for my friends and I had my best jump to date, except I ended up going way long on my landing but their was so much space it didn't really matter. One of the best parts of the whole experience though was the view on the way to altitude of Niagara falls - it blew my mind. I'm not from the area and that was my first time seeing it and it was incredible.
Overall my friends and I had a great time. Everything went smooth, safety felt like a top priority, and the vibe was all about having a great time. It wasn't busy when we went (2 students and some tandems) which I think helped make it more personal. If I had to nitpick and complain about one thing it would be that my coach had to jump on another load before we could review my video and sign my log book (pretty trivial but we had other plans which made it the only blemish on our entire experience). I have no idea what camping is like but if I was from the area (or visiting) I definitely think making a trip once or twice a week would be well worth it. Also, they said the tunnel in Niagara is a joke so if you planned on doing that maybe put the cash towards more jumps or wait till your closer to a better tunnel.
Niagara Skydive Center Inc.
in Ontario
I called ahead and made the trip down from Toronto on a Friday with two buddies. The DZ was pretty easy to find even if it is somewhat secluded. I was looking to do a student jump and my friends wanted to do tandems. We showed up and walked through the hanger by accident but we met Slade, Sky and Tim and everyone was super friendly. My friends went and did their paperwork and I talked with the coaches about my jump history etc.
Cut to an hour later and my friends had already paid, watched the tandem video, and were suited up and manifested on the first load of the day (C.182). I went through some basics with my coach, did a dirt dive, familiarized myself with the landing area, looked over the gear and showed my EP's etc. Next thing I know my friends are taxiing out and I relaxed outside until the plane was headed back down.
Everything went smooth for my friends and I had my best jump to date, except I ended up going way long on my landing but their was so much space it didn't really matter. One of the best parts of the whole experience though was the view on the way to altitude of Niagara falls - it blew my mind. I'm not from the area and that was my first time seeing it and it was incredible.
Overall my friends and I had a great time. Everything went smooth, safety felt like a top priority, and the vibe was all about having a great time. It wasn't busy when we went (2 students and some tandems) which I think helped make it more personal. If I had to nitpick and complain about one thing it would be that my coach had to jump on another load before we could review my video and sign my log book (pretty trivial but we had other plans which made it the only blemish on our entire experience). I have no idea what camping is like but if I was from the area (or visiting) I definitely think making a trip once or twice a week would be well worth it. Also, they said the tunnel in Niagara is a joke so if you planned on doing that maybe put the cash towards more jumps or wait till your closer to a better tunnel.