Frequent questions about skydiving

Skydiving can be as exciting as intimidating, especially for first-timers. We get all sorts of questions all the time…Is skydiving safe? What if the chute doesn’t work? Will skydiving make me feel sick?

It is normal to feel a bit anxious. We have answered the most common questions on this page. Don’t hesitate to contact us with any other concerns, the safety of our customers is our top priority. You are in safe hands with 1300SKYDIVE, the most experienced skydiving operator in Australia.

There are risks involved in a skydive, but thanks to the advancements in technology, training and regulation, it has become much safer in the last few decades. According to statistics from the USPA the likelihood of having a fatal car accident is far greater than a skydiving fatality. Most skydiving accidents involve experienced solo skydivers performing risky maneuvers or making poor choices. We have a blog post dedicated to answering the question “How safe is skydiving?“

It is a very unlikely scenario. All our skydiving rigs are equipped with a reserve parachute, in case there is a malfunction with the main canopy. In addition to this all our rigs are equipped with an Automatic Activation Device or AAD. In the unlikely event that your instructor is unable to operate any handles, the AAD will trigger the deployment of the parachute at the minimum safety altitude based on freefall speed.

You are in safe hands! At 1300SKYDIVE we require our instructors to have twice the minimum experience set by the Australian Parachute Federation, with a minimum of 800 to 1,000 skydives before they can start their tandem instructor training. Most of our instructors have well over 3 or 4,000 skydives, with years of experience taking passengers in freefall!

At 1300SKYDIVE we use some of the most advanced skydiving gear in the market. All our equipment incorporates the latest technology in the industry. We have in-house specialised riggers whose main job is to take care of all the gear with regular inspections and re-packs of reserve parachutes to make sure our safety is even above standards. We follow the same principles with all our aircraft, which are checked and maintained regularly.

In Australia, by law, 16 years old is the minimum age to do a tandem skydive. All minors require written permission from parents or guardians.

115kg is the maximum weight allowed to skydive. This is a requirement for the safety of everyone involved, passengers and staff. We weigh all our customers at check-in, and weight charges apply over 95kg:

• 95-99kg: +$25
• 100-109kg: +$50
• 110-115kg: +$100

Depending on the location, date and skydiving package, between $309 and $598. At 1300SKYDIVE we want to make skydiving accessible to as many people as possible. We offer the best prices to skydive in Australia. Check out our latest skydiving deals and prices.

Almost anyone over the age of 16 can skydive. For safety reasons we reserve the right to refuse a passenger based on our assessment of health, age and risk factors. Generally, anyone without serious medical conditions can skydive, we often get skydiving passengers in their 70s and 80s! If you are not sure about your particular situation don’t hesitate to contact us.

The most important aspect is footwear. Make sure you bring enclosed shoes like runners, no flip flops or sandals are allowed. Dress for the weather on the day with comfortable casual clothes. Take into account that at 14,000 feet it will be a few degrees colder. If required we can provide you with a jumpsuit to wear over your clothes. You will also get a pair of goggles, with an oversize option if you want to wear glasses.

Under the Australian Parachute Federation regulations, only licensed skydivers with more than 100 jumps are allowed to operate a camera while skydiving. This is for safety reasons, as wearing or operating a camera introduces a number of risk factors, like entanglement with the equipment or obstruction to operate handles and gear. Skydiving instructors receive specific training to address these potential safety issues.

We offer optional video and photo packages at all our dropzones, to make sure you have the opportunity to capture the incredible experience of falling out of a plane. If you come with family or friends they can watch and film you boarding the plane and landing under a parachute.

• AFF Stage 1 from $495
• AFF skydiving full course from $2,399

At 1300SKYDIVE we offer the ground course and AFF Stage 1 from $495 and our AFF course packages start at $2,399, depending on the AFF course location. Check out our skydive licence page to know more. You can learn to skydive at your own pace, with no upfront payment required for the full course. Or you can book one of our AFF course packages and get your licence in just a few days.

Accelerated Free Fall. AFF is the most common path to learning to skydive at most skydiving dropzones in the world. It replaced previous formats like static line skydiving. With the AFF course students learn to safely perform the full skydive, from exiting the aircraft to deploying their parachute. Assisted by skydiving instructors in free fall, AFF students learn to exit the aircraft, have stability and control in free fall, altitude awareness and deployment of the parachute. With radio and visual aid, students learn to steer, navigate and land their parachute.

In Australia, the minimum age to do the AFF course and learn to skydive is 16 years old. No previous experience is required, although it may make it easier to experience a tandem skydive before signing up to the AFF course. There are no specific physical requirements, with a maximum weight allowed of 110kg.

It can take a minimum of 5-7 days, depending on the weather conditions. If you choose to book a full AFF course package you can all skydives and the A licence exam done in just a few days. If you are not in a rush you can choose to complete the course at your own pace. At 1300SKYDIVE we don’t require full payment upfront. You can do two or three skydives per weekend if you wish to do so, and get your skydive licence in a few weeks. To know more visit our AFF course page or contact us

Once you get your skydive licence you will need to work on building your skills, learning to skydive with others and becoming a safer licensed skydiver.

There are several skydiving disciplines you can get into as you progress in the sport. Most of them will require you to have a minimum number of jumps and get specific training by experienced coaches in the discipline you want to learn. For wingsuit skydiving in Australia you need a minimum of 200 jumps in the previous 18 months.