Portuguese77

It’s been only one week since I arrived in Venezuela and it has been, so far, a very positive experience. I am a bit of a DZ "Bum" and I just arrived here from spending the last 3 months in Russia (Kolomna). For me, the best DZ in Europe, by far. The problem with Russia is that after September you will surely freeze your ass off and when the winter begins, you can expect temperatures of minus 30. Not good jumping conditions in any language. So, where to go from September on? I picked Skydive Venezuela as it is in the Southern hemisphere and the season is starting where in the rest of Europe is finishing. Arriving to Venezuela - I was picked up from the airport free of charge by Giancarlo, one of the Co-owners, free of charge and stayed in his house for a couple of days. I’m not sure this is usual treatment for all tourists but it was a good surprise and a nice welcome note to the country. The DZ - I arrived on the scorching heat with my shorts on Saturday morning. A few loads were already up. Getting all the paper work done and getting clearance to jump took me about 30 minutes. There are 2 big packing areas, one restaurant, one little shop, restrooms with full equipped showers a equipment and souvenir shop upstairs and a good few tables outside where tourists sit and point up and the manifest (Which has permanent air conditioning in case you need to cool down: this place is hot!) Planes - The plane they have here is the Antonov 28 with tailgate, one of my favorites and will get you to 13.500 in about 13 minutes. They also have a Cessna 206 that will go as high as 10.000 The DZ is open every day of the week as long as there are enough people to operate the plane. This means that the more people you travel with, the more chance you will get to jump every day. Just 2 weeks before I arrived there was a big Brazilian group here, and they actually got a second Antonov to accommodate for it. In case there are not enough people to operate the Antonov you can always jump the 206 and get your "adrenaline dosage" from it. People- The people are really nice and friendly and are ready to help you when you need it. I arrived here with no accommodation booked and have been staying in the house of the DZ people, and was made feel welcomed all the time. Already went to a couple of barbecue parties with DZ crowd and there is a good vibe within this dropzone. Also, thera are some of the best freeflyers in the world here and you can sure learn a lot from them. Ah... lets not forget the bikinis. It’s always good to have some eye candy in between jumps :) Money - BRING CASH with you (euros or dollars preferred) and DONT USE CREDIT CARDS or you will be screwed by the Venezuelan banks and the exchange rates. The official Euro/VB rate today was 1 Euro/ 3089VB. I got some money changed yesterday with the help of the DZ people for 1 Euro = 6000VB Accommodation - There are a few places to rent around the DZ. There is also a bunkhouse in the DZ itself and they got a new 7 bedroom house to rent in the centre of Higuerote for around 20 usd per night per person. (And it comes with a swimming pool) Overall - This is Venezuela. It is bathed by the Caribbean Sea, its average temperature is around 30 degrees, and has Chavez as president! This DZ is a reflection of all of this and much more I expect to discover over the next 5 months I’ll be spending here. You can’t expect to do 15 jumps per day and get everything working clockwise. Actually, I hope they don’t. If I wanted maximum efficiency and everything working as clockwise I would have joined the army. You have to relax and get into the pace of things, this is the Caribbean! This is also one of the reasons of its uniqueness and charm. So far, highly recommended! I’ll get back to you in 5 months Blue Skies

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Great advice. Will def take this into consideration. The only reason it seems I'm "Jumping" canopies quickly is because I will be making so many jumps in a short space of time, but point taken...to do the jumps I need to be alive! Think then the Sabre 2 150 is the winner. Can explore it to the max and then change to higher (quicker) flights. What would be a good deal for a 300 - 400 jumps old Sabre 2 150?

Hi, I am buying (Finally) my own equipment. Will be getting a 150 but not sure which one to choose. I'm taking 6 months to do a lot of jumps in the next year (over 700) and am interested in taking the first steps in swooping. Some people advised me to buy a sabre2 150, some a stiletto 150 some a vengeance 150 because its cross braced. I just dont know what to get and at what would be a good price for a second hand canopy with say... 300-400 jumps I have 300 jumps so far and most of them were made with a Spinaker 175 (russian). The smallest one I ever jumped was a sabre2 150 in nill winds and had no problems with it. Any advice?

Hi. Currently in Russia. Spent 2 months already jumping in Kolomna. Great DZ!!!!!! Now its time to do some travel. Going to St. Petersburg now. Can anyone tell me whats the best dropzone there? Prices, what days are they open, etc. Blue skies!

Thanks Max! I think I will have enough time though... Will be spending over 4 months in total in Russia! 2.5 months around Moscow and 1.5 monhs in St Petersburg (probably). So I have time to shop around .I might have the time, not sure if I have the money...not for rentals anyway. Well, I'm sure I'll be seeing you at the DZ. If by any chance you come across a cheap system (container+ 170 main + any reserve- (that works of course)+ Cypres) for 1500-1700 Eur (my limit) , put my name on the list. I'm 1.83CM tall, 80Kg. I'll be arriving in Kolomna probably on the 26th May. Find me that and I'll be paying you Vodka for the whole summer!:-) Thanks again! blue skies

Hi Max, I will be there this summer but have no gear. (rig)! Want to get one in there or order through web... (not many around in Ireland) My question: is it easy to get used gear though Kolomna Aerograad? I'm just recently off student status but want to jump there between 400-500. As for accomodation: Tent is my choice... always!

I'm thinking about buying between a Flexon (1995 -1000 jump) with Sabre 170 (1995 -1000 jumps) or Prestige (1995- ? jumps) With Jedei 170(1996-300 Jumps). The price for these 2 systems is pretty much the same but want to know what you experienced flyers have to say about it. I just got my A licence (44 jumps) but will be doing between 400-500 jumps in Russia in the next 4 months. Both containers will fit me as both jumpers have my height. I'm 6'tall + 176 lbs (80kg). Any advice?