Your First
Tandem Skydive

You must be at least 16 years of age to do a tandem skydive with us. If you’re under the age of majority in Ontario (18), you’ll need parental consent and your parent or legal guardian must be present on the day of your skydive.

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As long as you’re healthy and have no physical restrictions, there’s no upper age limit at Skydive Burnaby.

There are weight considerations based on height, body composition, range of motion and overall health. The most important factor is that your height and weight are proportionate to ensure the equipment fits properly and safely.

• Men must weigh no more than 225 pounds (102 kg)
• Women must weigh no more than 200 pounds (91 kg)

Proportionate body type means your weight is more or less evenly distributed throughout your body. For example, someone who is 5’ 1” tall and weighs 190 pounds would be advised not to jump because their weight isn’t proportionate to their height.

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Weight limits are strictly enforced and everyone is weighed prior to their skydive. Every parachute system is rated for a maximum weight in order to function properly and safely. Skydive Burnaby uses the best tandem skydiving equipment available and adheres to all manufacturer recommendations for use.

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If you have questions for your specific case, please contact us before making your reservation.

Your reservation time is your arrival time, not your jump time. You’re welcome to arrive earlier to get started on paperwork but not a requirement.

In general, comfortable pants, shorts or athletic wear are best, but you’ll want to dress for the weather that day. If it's hot, a t-shirt is just fine. If it's cold, a sweater or sweatshirt is best. If the sun is shining, it never hurts to wear sunscreen. Ladies, bring a hair tie!

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Please wear sneakers or shoes that you know will stay on your feet. No sandals or open-toe shoes will be allowed for tandem skydiving. Please avoid boots, or shoes with large buckles or “quick laces” hooks.

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We will provide a jumpsuit, goggles, altimeter and helmet for your jump.

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Please plan to leave valuables like phones, wallets, watches and jewelry in your car. We can hold your keys and hats for you on the ground during the jump. Don't jump with anything in your pockets that you can't afford to lose.

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The training class will last 15-20 minutes, which combines video training and 1-on-1 ground training with your tandem skydive instructor.

The “ram-air” parachutes used for skydiving today are not like the classic “umbrella” round parachutes of years past. Ram-air parachutes are rectangular in shape and, when open, act like an airplane wing or a glider. This wing shape provides the maneuverability to allow the skydiver to land anywhere he/she wishes, which makes the tiptoe-soft landings possible.

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Our new Dual Hawk Tandem System is the best and safest in the industry. Period.

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The patented equipment is manufactured by Strong Enterprises, an industry leader with over 50 years of experience manufacturing world-class tandem skydive parachutes and equipment.

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Each of our parachutes are equipped with an Automatic Activation Device (AAD) and are regularly inspected to meet the high safety standards of the Canadian Sport Parachuting Association (CSPA).

To become a skydiving instructor, a jumper must meet qualifications for a number of completed jumps, a number of years in the sport and go through an instructor training program. Tandem skydive instructors must earn ratings from both the Canadian Sport Parachuting Association (CSPA) as well as the manufacturer of the gear they’ll be using to complete tandem skydives.

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At Skydive Burnaby, we don’t hire anyone who simply meets the minimum qualifications. Our staff has years of experience, and must have a proven track record of safety and skill. Skydivers training to earn instructional ratings are mentored by our current staff long before they begin the process of becoming an instructor. We have many loyal staff members who return year after year, which is not common in our industry. It speaks to our safety standards and professional business practices. We are able to recruit some of the best jumpers in the world to work at Skydive Burnaby. Our instructors have made thousands of jumps and received extensive training. Some members of our staff have made well over 12,000 skydives.

All of Skydive Burnaby’s parachutes are equipped with an Automatic Activation Device (AAD). This device constantly measures your speed and altitude during a skydive and — if you are going too fast, too low — it will deploy a parachute for you.

All of our tandem skydiving equipment has a main parachute and a reserve parachute. As a tandem skydiving student, you’re attached to a trained professional who knows how to handle a malfunction and deploy the reserve parachute if necessary.

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While you may have heard stories about parachutes failing to open, that phrase is often a misguided summary of an incident used by the media who are unfamiliar with how parachutes actually function. It’s true that sometimes a parachute can encounter a problem during deployment or flight making it unsuitable for a safe landing, but that's why there's a backup plan! Some parachute malfunctions are minor problems and can be corrected quickly for a safe landing. Others cannot be fixed in time for landing, so the reserve parachute is used instead. Your instructor is trained to recognize these situations and make an immediate decision. Remember, you’re connected and you're in this together, so your instructor has a vested interest in completing the jump safely.

Neither. The feeling of leaving the plane is similar to when you've just jumped on a trampoline and you're in mid air, starting to descend back down. It only takes a few seconds after leaving the plane for your body to reach terminal velocity. After that, it feels more like moving down a cushion of air. You can feel the pressure of the wind on your body.

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Next time you're riding in a car, stick your hand out the window. You can feel some pressure of the wind hitting your hand. If the car moves faster, there's more pressure. The same concept applies during a skydive.

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That "stomach drop" feeling you get on a roller coaster comes from accelerating from no movement at the top of a hill to building up the speed. On a skydive, you aren't starting from a standing still point, you're leaving an aircraft traveling 135 km/h. It takes a few seconds for you to build up enough speed to reach terminal velocity, but it's a steady increase in your speed, not a sudden drop out of the plane.

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Some people who struggle with motion sickness have said doing aggressive turns under the parachute can give them a queasy feeling. If you think you may be sick, ask your instructor to avoid unnecessary turns or spiralling the canopy. We are happy to accommodate your request by making fewer turns and doing them gently.

No. You’ll be securely attached to a tandem instructor during the jump, who will be there every step of the way to guide you through the process and introduce you to the sport with hands-on professional guidance.

A good deal of acrophobia (the fear of heights) has to do with relativity — seeing objects moving in relation to one another. At 14,000 feet, the ground is far away and it looks more like a picture than something you can fall onto. It's very different from climbing a ladder where you can see objects near you and gauge your distance from them.

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Shortly after the plane takes off, the feeling goes away for most people.

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Think about it this way, if you stood on the side of the highway and watched cars rush by at 160 km/h, everything would seem really fast and you’d feel fear about the immediate threat of impact. But if you stood on a mountain a few kilometers away and looked at the very same spot on the very same highway, the cars would appear to be moving much slower and you wouldn't feel the same fear. That's relativity.

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It's human nature to feel some fear, and you know better than anyone what you can handle. But most people who claim to fear heights don't have trouble with skydiving.

The maximum speed for a tandem skydive, known as terminal velocity, is approximately 200 km/h (125 miles per hour).

The duration of a skydive depends on the type of aircraft, exit altitude, body weight and surface area.

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At Skydive Burnaby, you can expect up to 60 seconds in freefall and 5-8 minutes under parachute.

It's too loud to carry on a conversation, but not loud enough that you have to wear earplugs in freefall. Once the parachute opens, it's actually quite peaceful and quiet, with the sound of a light breeze. You’ll be able to speak in a normal voice/tone with your instructor while flying the parachute.

Due to the change in pressure during freefall, some tandem students experience the feeling of plugged ears after their skydive, which is similar to what you may experience while flying on a commercial aircraft. To help avoid this, try to keep your ears equalized on the flight to altitude by yawning or moving your jaw.

Yes! Some people tend to hold their breath when they feel nervous or get a sudden rush of adrenaline. You just have to remember to inhale and exhale — the air is all around you.

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Sometimes we tell tandem students to scream if they feel like they can't breathe. This action forces you to exhale and then inhale again when you're done... then you can go back to smiling for the camera :)

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No, it doesn't hurt. The harness is adjusted and tightened to your body before your jump so that there's no opening shock or discomfort when the parachute opens.

With the modern “ram-air” parachutes, landings are quite soft, with most people doing a gentle stand-up landing. Under certain conditions and at the discretion of the instructor, some people make a soft sliding sit-down landing.

Yes. Skydive Burnaby has a special offer for your second tandem skydive: save $50 if you pay for it the same day as your first jump. You can use it that same day (based on schedule availability) or save it for a later date (within the same season / calendar year).

Yes. HD video and high resolution digital still photos are available for any skydive at Skydive Burnaby.

When you purchase a multimedia package, a professional aerial photographer will join you and your instructor to capture every moment of your first tandem skydive! The photographer flies along with you throughout your freefall and films your parachute deployment, then meets you on the ground to film your landing.

When you make a tandem skydive, you are considered a student skydiver. As per the rules of the Canadian Sport Parachuting Association (CSPA), student skydivers cannot jump with any kind of video or photography equipment. For the safety of you and your instructor, unlicensed skydivers will not be permitted to bring along a camera, even a small format sports camera like a GoPro.

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Your skydive videographer can record your jump for you. Rest assured that these are professional skydivers trained to use their cameras in the sky while also maintaining the proper safety procedures during a skydive.

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No, this is not possible.

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Each tandem pair exits the aircraft with 5 to 10 seconds of separation to ensure that parachutes will not be deploying in close proximity to each other, and this separation prevents an aerial photographer from being able to film more than one tandem skydive at a time.

Tips are never expected, but always appreciated. If you feel your instructor, photographer or pilot has done a great job, please let our customer care team know about it.

Skydive Burnaby is open May through October, and we have both weekday and weekend times available.

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You can make a tandem skydive reservation online anytime, where you’ll see a calendar of all available dates and times.

We suggest having a light meal before you jump. Most people who complain about feeling sick also admit to jumping on an empty stomach. Also, drink plenty of water! Being dehydrated can lead to feeling light-headed.

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Absolutely no alcohol or drugs may be consumed prior to a skydive. For the safety of you, your instructor and all our guests, you will not be permitted to board the plane unless you are sober. This is a zero tolerance policy and refunds will not be given to guests who arrive at their appointment under the influence of any substances.

Prior to driving to Skydive Burnaby, please call our customer care team on the day of your reservation to check local weather conditions. In the event of bad weather conditions (see below), we’ll reschedule your reservation for another available date that works best for you.

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All deposits are non-refundable unless you cancel within 48 hours of your original scheduled reservation. If we have to reschedule your skydive due to weather conditions, the deposit will follow you to your rescheduled reservation.

Heavy Clouds: If cloud conditions are thick and do not allow jumpers / instructors to see the ground from the exit altitude, then skydiving is delayed until the clouds clear and visibility improves. The exception to this is if the cloud cover is above an altitude of 13,000 feet.

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Rain: Jumping in the rain can be an unpleasant experience. We don’t operate when it's raining, and you’ll thank us for that.

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Wind: If ground winds are in excess of 35 km/h or if upper altitude winds are excessively high.

Full payment is due before your jump, and once you board the plane, the full amount is non-refundable (including deposit).

Yes! Skydive Burnaby is a great place to spend the day with family and friends.

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The spectator area has picnic tables and shade trees in full view of the landing area, so your family and friends will be able to watch you land in comfort.

Yes. There are a number of variables that affect groups being able to skydive from the same plane load, but we can typically accommodate smaller groups of 2 people for weekday reservations and 3-4 people for weekend reservations.

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With advanced notice, we can try to accommodate larger groups in the same plane load. For larger groups, you’ll always be able to jump with someone from your group, but you may be asked to form smaller sub-groups.

Yes, we are pet friendly. For the safety of other jumpers in the landing area, please keep your dog on a leash and supervised at all times.