Just two and a half hours from Manilva, you could be jumping out of a plane at 15,000 feet, living a once in a lifetime experience! Have you ever thought about what flying would feel like? Well this is the closest you’re going to get!
My daughter, her friend and I did this just last weekend to raise money for a mitochondrial disease charity and I could not recommend it enough!
WHO IS THE COMPANY?
Skydive Spain is based 20 minutes from Seville and offers a range of experiences depending on whether you are wanting to jump in tandem or enrol in a course to carry out a solo skydive. It is part of the “Swallow Group Dropzones” including other skydiving centres in different parts of the world. It is open 365 days a year
WHERE DO I START?
As I recently went through this process myself, I will walk you through exactly what steps you would have to follow and what to expect on the day for a tandem Skydive.
BEFORE THE DAY
- Book your jump on the website: https://www.skydivespain.com/. You can choose to buy a 10,000 feet tandem jump or a 15,000 feet tandem jump (highest you are allowed to jump in Europe). You can also choose whether to pay extra for a professional video and photos. If it is your first jump, I highly recommend doing so!
- You will be able to pay a deposit of 30 euros or you could pay the jump in full. If you decide to pay the deposit (non-refundable), you will pay the remainder of the jump on the day before you skydive. They take both cash and card payments.
- You will be asked to verify your email address.
- You will be asked to fill out an electronic waiver before the day.
ON THE DAY
- Wear comfy clothes such as leggings and a t-shirt. If it is very hot, you could wear shorts.
- Arrive at the place on time or if possible, early. It runs on a first come first serve basis, so to avoid waiting, get there early.
- The staff are extremely friendly and instantly you feel more at ease when you understand how used to jumping they are and how professional they are. The person that jumped with me had jumped more than 10,000 times!
- Once you have paid, they will take you into a room where they will give you a quick 15 minute training, explaining what will happen and what you have to do when in the air. This includes what position you have to be in when you jump and when you land.
- You are told who you are going to jump with and you can speak to them and ask as many questions as you want!
- You are geared up. They give you a yellow jumpsuit and they put the harness on you and tighten it. You are also told what flight you will be on.
- Once your flight arrives, you are taken to the plane. You all sit very closely together. The instructor jumping with you, will be sat behind you and will attach himself/herself to you before you take off. You will also be handed goggles to put on just before the jump.
- The plane takes off and you wait for it to reach the right altitude. Once this occurs, you jump out in the order that you are sat. Something to note is that you don’t actually jump, it is the instructor that does absolutely everything. Just remember to focus on your breathing and have fun. Many people worry because they are afraid of heights, but when you jump your stomach doesn’t drop and you are so high up that everything down below is abstract so your brain doesn’t see it as a height.
- The first part of the jump is the free fall. We free fell for 1 minute, whereas people jumping from 10,000 feet only free fell for 30 seconds. This bit is incredible. You are going so quickly but it doesn’t feel like you are falling. If you buy the video, someone else will also jump with you and will be filming you.
- After the free fall, the parachute will open and you will feel a small tug, and suddenly you will feel so still. The only way I can describe this as is peaceful. You can take in the beautiful view and talk to the instructor about anything. It is wonderful.
- You are allowed to pull two hooks: one on your right and one on your left. You will tilt in the same direction as the hook you pull.
- Then it is time for landing. The instructor will ask you to put your legs up and will let you know what to do. The landing should be very smooth and there are other instructors there to ensure everything goes well.
I hope I have inspired you to skydive one day! It is such an incredible experience!! Please watch the following video to see mine and my daughter’s skydive: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6_O5c3DvS4