You will jump with a USPA Certified instructor with years of skydiving experience. One of the requirements for becoming a tandem instructor is 500 jumps, but all of our tandem instructors have between 1,500 to 7,000 skydives.
one tandem jumpAt Skydive California, we recommend one tandem jump prior to going solo, so you can get a sense of what's to come, then it's off to solo! In our Accelerated Freefall program (AFF), you will begin with an extensive 4-6 hour class and begin your solo 'category' jumps.
25 skydivesHow Many Jumps for a Skydiving License? You must possess a minimum of 25 skydives to receive skydive certification. Though, by the time you reach that all hallowed A license, you may have accrued more. These jumps are accumulated through both an individual's progression through AFF and through self-supervised skydives.
between 5,000 and 6,000 feetThe industry standard for tandem skydiving is considered to be between 5,000 and 6,000 feet. Licensed skydivers usually deploy or “pull” their parachutes at 3,000 feet.
Is it possible to skydive alone the first time you jump? The short answer is no. Skydiving alone requires a license, and it's also a crucial part of becoming a skydiving instructor.
200 jumpsThe United States Parachute Association recommends that each person making their first wingsuit skydive have made at least 200 jumps in the past 18 months. If you've logged fewer than that, you'll have a dickens of a time finding any worthwhile teacher.
How many jumps can I make in a day? You will only make 1-2 AFF jumps your first day, as the First Jump Course takes 4-6 hours. On subsequent days, you can make 1-4 AFF jumps, depending on many factors. Once you are cleared to solo status, you'll easily make 3+ jumps a day if you make the time and prepare properly.
At Skydive Orange, we offer a United States Parachute Association endorsed program known as Accelerated Free Fall (AFF). After a 6-8-hour first jump course, during which you will receive a thorough ground training to fully prepare you to take flight, you will complete your first solo skydive.
Before you even start jumping, you'll need to complete ground training, which takes 6-8 hours and covers everything you need to know about flying your body and controlling your parachute.
about 60 secondsThe parachute is deployed at 5000ft so the 'freefall' or skydive lasts for the time it takes to fall from the jump height minus the parachute deployment height. So jumping from 15,000ft minus 5000ft when the parchute is deployed gives you a freefall distance of 10,000ft which on average takes about 60 seconds to cover.
around 60 secondsOnce falling at terminal velocity you will be covering a distance of approximately 1000 feet every 6.5 seconds. Your tandem instructor will deploy the parachute at 5000 feet, meaning on a 14000 feet tandem skydive you'll have around 60 seconds of adrenalin fuelled freefall.
approximately 30 secondsFrom 10,000 feet, this means you'll be in freefall for approximately 30 seconds. From 14,000 feet, you'll fall for 60 seconds. From 18,000 feet, it's about 90 seconds. The longest recorded freefall was over 4 minutes by Joe Kittinger, who jumped from 102,000 feet in the 1960s.