Skydiving is a thrilling sport and hobby where you jump from plane miles above sea level and return to earth with gravity.
You get to experience an exhilarating free fall and then open the parachute when you get near land.
However, the training and equipment needed to join the hobby are quite expensive.
So, How Expensive Is Skydiving as A Hobby?
Ultimately, if you want to get qualified with proper certifications and have your gear, you will probably spend about $7,500. This expensive hobby costs approximately $250 per tandem jump, and an average of $1,500 for a 7 to 10 jumps package.
However, the particular amount you will end up paying will depend on several factors.
These include;
- Whether you are doing tandem skydiving or solo skydiving
- If you will be using your own equipment or you will be renting
- Whether you will be doing a one-off dive or as a package
- Whether it’s weekend or weekdays
- If you will be adding extra services such as photography or videotaping
- The location you are in the world
- The particular skydiving companies
- Whether you are doing a simulated “Indoor” skydive or a real skydive
What Exactly Do You Need To Pay For?
While skydiving is significantly expensive to get into, ongoing, it won’t be too pricey.
Skydive jump ticket costs are relatively low worldwide.
Although it costs a lot to get into it, it’s definitely worth each penny.
If you have the cash and you want an extreme hobby, skydiving is perfect for you.
Let’s look at the various expenses you will need to cater for if you want to get into skydiving as a hobby.
Skydiving Course
You need to have proper qualifications to skydive by yourself.
An accredited and licensed course includes
- equipment rental
- teaching
- approved multistage instruction programs
- and temporary membership fees.
AFF skydive course is the most popular but costs relatively vary worldwide.
However, you can expect to pay roughly $1250 and $2500 for an accredited course.
Skydiving License
You are still considered a skydiving student until you get an A license.
You must finish the skydiving course and pass a written exam to get a skydiving license.
You will also be required to demonstrate you can land a parachute on a target ten times.
This might involve spending extra costs on ticket skydives and hiring equipment.
Equipment
If you are interested and serious about skydiving as a hobby, you will probably consider investing in your own gear.
This includes;
- parachute system
- skydive rig
- reserve and automatic activation device
- jumpsuit
- goggles
- altimeter
- and helmet.
The cost of a full set of skydiving kits goes for between $2,500 to $7,500. However, you can hire all this at the drop zone, but it will be more expensive if you plan to skydive regularly per year.
Membership
Some countries require you to get an annual membership of an association or federation to jump solo.
For instance, the Australia Parachute Federation charges about 220 Australian dollars annually.
Therefore, you must consider this factor if you are planning to skydive abroad.
Ongoing Training
After you are qualified in training and have a license, it will not end there.
There are lots of different skydiving types you may wish to get into.
For instance, to advance into engaging information skydiving with other skydivers needs extra training.
You can choose to undertake training on different variations of basic skydiving.
These may include;
- jumping with a skyboard and doing tricks
- night jumping
- extreme aspects of skydiving like BASE jumping
- and jumping with maximum speed in free fall.
Skydiving Costs
The cost of skydiving varies depending on the type of skydiving.
1. Tandem skydiving
If you are a skydiving beginner as a hobby and have never jumped before, it’s recommended to start with a tandem jump where you jump with an instructor.
There is not much training involved as the instructor can handle all the technical matters.
Tandem skydiving normally costs between $120 to $250.
This includes the necessary equipment but not the instructor’s tip, usually 10% to 20%.
2. Solo Skydives
You will need to have already trained and acquired a license for solo skydiving.
The cost ranges from $80 to $120 if you rent equipment or as low as $25 if you have your equipment already.
3. Indoor Skydiving
The cost for indoor skydiving goes from approximately $20 to $30 per minute.
The freefall portion lasts from half a minute to a minute.
4. Accelerated Free Fall Training package
The costs go for about $1,500 of a 7 to 10 jumps package along with rides up, training, and gear.
Remember that you need about eight hours of ground training before making your first AFF jump.
How Much Time Do You Need to Learn Skydiving?
So, now that you understand how much you need to get your AFF license, what about time?
The amount of time you require will depend on several factors; the climate, distance from home to the drop zone, and how you take the lessons.
Most of the skydiving courses are fast learning or ‘accelerated,’ meaning you can complete them in a short time.
Therefore, it is recommendable to set aside about a week to finish your AFF skydiving course.
If you want to have, you’re a license instantly; you should at least plan a two-week stay nearest to the drop zone.
After you have your license, your time skydiving will depend on your goals.
But like all other hobbies, practice makes perfect hence spending more time learning and improving your skills will make you better at skydiving.
Seven Ways Of Reducing Skydiving Costs
1. Skydive In A Group
Diving as a group is often cheaper than doing it solo. You will often get a discount of about 15% if you join a group of five people or more.
2. Skydive During Weekdays
Most people book skydiving during the weekend. You can hence get a better and cheaper deal jumping during weekdays.
3. Bring Your Equipment
Although buying a complete parachute kit can go from about $2000 for low-end or used products to $10,000 for the high-end, state-of-the-art kit, it will save money compared to renting equipment if you are planning to do skydiving regularly.
4. Weigh Less
Most skydiving companies charge you more if you weigh more than 200 pounds because it uses more fuel, and it takes more time for the pilot to take you up to the jump altitude.
So, the lesser you weigh, the cheaper the rate.
5. Dive Into Lower-Cost Areas
The cost of skydiving in locations with a lower cost of living is relatively low than in locations with a high cost of living.
For instance, tandem skydiving in Houston goes for about $180 while those in New York City go for around $250.
6. Book Your Next Skydive Immediately After Jumping
By taking advantage of your roller-coaster experience, most skydiving companies will provide you with a good discount on your next jump if you book it the same day.
7. Find Promotional Offers
Some skydiving companies give discounts and special offers, particularly during slow months when it is overcast or cold.
Bottom Line
Skydiving as a hobby is lots of fun and super cool. However, it takes more than audacity.
It is a relatively expensive hobby that requires a lot of money, time commitment, and a clear head.
Once you are okay with that, you can select the best drop zone for your skydiving training, and soon you will be on your way to being a skydiver
. The price is nothing compared to the memorable skydiving experiences.