Parachuting or Skydiving?

Posted: 11th September 2015

“What’s the difference between a parachute jump and a tandem skydive?” is one of the most commonly asked questions we get asked here at Go Skydive. To clarify, every jump from our planes is a parachute jump - a tandem skydive decent ends via parachute - you definitely wouldn’t want to be without one (unless you’re daredevil Luke Aikins).

The skydiving part of it is all about the what you do before your experienced instructor pulls the parachute cord - the incredible freefall experience!

Beginners sometimes get confused by the different types of jumps which require different amounts of training and experience. Here’s a brief description of three ways to leap out of a plane:

Tandem Skydiving:

Training: 15 mins session including simulated freefall.

Experience: Leap and experience exhilarating free-fall from 15,000ft with an experienced instructor who will be in control of the technical parts of your descent including parachute deployment and landing using a dual harness system.

Pros/Cons: Inexpensive, safety with instructor, no technical worries & you're ground-to-sky in minutes!

Static Line Jump:

Training: 6 hours of ground training

Experience: Jump at 3,500ft, parachute deploys as soon as you leave the aircraft, steer down into landing area

Pros/Cons: More expensive, no freefall, lowest jump height, but you get to jump alone.

Accelerated Freefall:

Training: Intensive course requiring a full day’s training before jumping

Experience: Jump assisted by two instructors holding on to you from 12,000ft

Pros/Cons: The most expensive option, but is part of the AFF qualification course

For first time jumpers we believe that tandem skydiving combines the best of freefall with value for money; you get to take the leap from 15,000ft with quick no-hassle training and jump with a highly experienced professional trained to the highest safety standards, with no worries about the technicalities of skydiving - that’s why we’re the UK’s leading tandem specialist skydiving center!

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A must do experience!

Reveiwed 07 May 2021

Wow! Never thought I would jump out of a plane at 10 feet, let alone 15,000! An amazing experience, recommend it for anyone, and a great place to do it too. Staff were friendly, confidence building... Read full review

Awesome first ever skydive :D

Reveiwed 01 May 2021

I can’t believe I’ve just jumped out of a plane! Words cannot describe how amazing that feeling was. The whole experience was incredible. I jumped from 15,000 for charity and I was so nervous. The... Read full review

Awesome!!

Reveiwed 29 April 2021

I can't find the right words to explain how incredible my experience was! All I can say is, book and find out for yourself..you can thank me later!! I highly recommend the 15,000ft so you get the 60... Read full review

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