Experiences.com: Why do people choose to jump out of a perfectly good airplane at Skydive DeLand?
Firstly, there is no such thing as a perfectly good airplane – that is why they have safety belts! People generally choose to skydive as a way of experiencing something fun and crazy, totally out of the ordinary.
Experiences.com: I’m curious, maybe even fascinated, by the idea of skydiving . . but I’m hesitant. What’s my next move, short of a jump?
The only way to truly experience skydiving is to actually do it. You could always try the indoor simulated skydiving, but it is not the same. You would not feel the adrenaline rush or see the world from a new perspective.
Experiences.com: If I’m going to jump out of an airplane I want to know I’m harnessed into the best, state of the art equipment by the most qualified staff. What can you tell me about COMPANY’S equipment and staff that would reassure me?
It is encouraging that the design of the tandem equipment we use has not changed much in the last decade. The manufacturers do not feel the need to mess with something that is tried and tested! The tandem and the equipment was conceived here in DeLand.
Experiences.com: So, I’ve jumped once. If I stop at “only once” what am I missing?
Obviously a lot of fun skydiving! Once you are licensed, you can travel the world, and wherever you go you would have something in common with people. It is an easy way to make new friends.
Experiences.com: Skydiving as a team building, character building or courage building experience? Yes or no? Have you seen it in action? What can you tell us?
For many people, making their first jump is a personal achievement. It is
an intensely personal sport, but depending on which discipline you choose, you can become part of a team. The formation work in skydiving only works with a lot of training and reliance on your team mates.
Experiences.com: Do you offer skydiving experiences for more experienced or adventurous divers? What’s entailed?
No. Skydiving is just like any other sport. You work on building your proficiency in the areas that interest you. You start with a ground school, and usually go through the Accelerated Freefall course (AFF) . This equips you with the skills you need to be able to jump on your own. Once you graduate you can get coaching to help you move into the discipline that interest you, such as freeflying or relative work.
Experiences.com: Spring, summer or Fall jump? How is the experience different?
Only the temperatures are different, and hence the amount of clothing you want to wear.
Experiences.com: Does your company offer skydiving “gift certificates”? How do most people react? Any funny stories or “happy endings” (beyond expectations) where a jump-gift changed someone’s life?
We do offer gift certificates, and lots of people who receive them as gifts are surprised, but usually do jump. They are refundable if the recipient refuses to jump. Quite a few of the couples making a tandem jump with us have proposed on the ground after landing. So far nobody has said no.
Experiences.com: I know that weather and wind play a role in whether a scheduled jump takes place. If a jump has to be canceled on the scheduled day what other activities do you recommend in your jump area?
We are less than 30 minutes from Daytona Beach, and about an hour from the Orlando theme parks and the Kennedy Space Center.
Experiences.com: Is there anything else you would like to share about the skydiving experience or COMPANY?
If you are considering making a jump, but still a little hesitant, rest assured that we have the longest history of tandems in the world, since this is where they first began! Our instructors are all really experienced, with thousands of jumps.
Special thanks to Skydive DeLand for this informative interview on skydiving in Florida