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When I think about what scares me in life, Skydiving isn’t one of them. I have a fear of living a life with few adventures, always staying in my comfort zone & never trying new things. That’s why during my recent trip to the Whitsundays, I was so excited to work with Skydive Australia and experience a jump from Airlie Beach. Keep reading as I share the ultimate guide to Skydiving Airlie Beach, with Skydive Australia.
I had jumped twice before while traveling so I knew skydiving would give me the rush and feeling of freedom I was craving. There are very few experiences in life that are as exhilarating as jumping out of a perfectly good plane!
So, are you ready to experience life while free-falling from 15,000ft? Either way, keep reading because I have all the information you need. And, I’m keen to convince anyone who’s in doubt.
My time wasn’t all smooth sailing, there was bad weather, delayed jumps, and even a tangled parachute! But I can assure you it was all smiling in the end and Skydive Australia made this whole experience very memorable. Let me tell you what happened!
Free-Fall in Airlie Beach with SkyDive Australia
How to get to Airlie Beach:
Airlie Beach is on the east coast of Australia in the state of Queensland & is the gateway to the Whitsunday Islands. It is such a fun part of Queensland and looking out to so many incredible islands, it’s hard to imagine a better place than Airlie Beach to go skydiving.
The closest airport is Proserpine Airport (PPP) & there’re daily flights departing from Brisbane, And, from the airport it’s about a 30-minute drive into town.
My Experience Jumping with Skydive Australia:
My jump was booked in for 06:15 am and I was getting picked up by Skydive Australia’s transport at 6 am. But that morning I woke up at 3 to the sound of heavy rain and wondered if I’d be jumping? Thankfully Skydive Australia updated me via text & advised the jump had been postponed and to standby for more information. Throughout the morning I received a few more of these messages. But the weather in Airlie wasn’t improving. Then around 11 am the Skydive was officially canceled for the day.
The team at Skydive Australia was quick to contact me & my friends who had also booked, and our jumps were rescheduled for Friday morning.
Friday came, there were only a few scattered clouds in the sky and I was even more ready to feel the rush of free-falling at over 200km/hr.
When I arrived at the airport it was a quick process to check-in then everyone was introduced to their instructor. I was jumping with Sergio and his fun energy made me even more excited and calmed any nerves.
Before getting into the plane I was fitted with my harness and given very basic instructions on how to position myself when jumping (basically just bend like a banana) and how to have my legs when landing. And, basic instructions are all you really need. With Tandem Skydiving the instructor does all the hard work so you just have to make sure you don’t freak out!
Once we were in the plane Sergio started to connect our harnesses, he double-checked our equipment & ensured I was comfortable and felt fully connected to him. I had complete trust in the process and the Skydiving team.
Sergio and I were going to be the first ones to jump, I was more than happy with this as seeing your friends just disappear out of a plane can be the scariest part.
Once we reached 15,000ft I took a few deep breaths before we shuffled over towards the roller door. Then the door was pushed up and I needed to hang my legs outside the plane! OMG…. Leaning my head back, a quick nervous smile to the camera, and Sergio pushed us both out into the sky. I didn’t realize it was possible to scream so loud with that much wind in your face. But wow this is one hell of an experience. After the initial leap, it’s nothing but excitement and pure joy! I was having the time of my life.
Skydiving Tip; When you’re free-falling you should have your mouth open, smile, or scream. This way your face tightens & your skin won’t be flapping around in the wind so much.
We would have been free-falling for close to 60 seconds but it felt much quicker than that. Then Sergio did a 5-second countdown with his fingers towards the camera, 5 4 3 2 1, the parachute quickly opened and we were pulled to an upright position. At this point, I was feeling pretty relaxed. For the next 7 minutes, we cruised around the sky, enjoying the view, and could easily talk to each other.
Skydiving doesn’t give you that feeling of falling, you literally feel like you’re flying.
When it was nearly time to land I noticed everyone else was already on the ground. I was the first out then the last one on the ground? I don’t know how that works but I was more than happy to fly for as long as possible. As we were landing I needed to hold my knees up and push my legs forward. Then we had the smoothest landing, Sergio landed us safely, and after he took a few steps I could put my feet straight on the ground.
With the biggest smile on my face, I would have been ready to do it all over again. The whole experience was so much fun.
Unfortunately, due to high winds that morning we were unable to land at the drop zone closest to the coast in Airlie Beach. Which would have provided the best views of the Whitsunday Islands. We still departed from the Whitsundays Airport, but our landing spot had to be changed to a location more inland, closer to Proserpine Airport. The staff did advise me of this prior to leaving, which I appreciated.
So, the view from the plane during take-off & while climbing to jumping altitude was still amazing, but when it came to jumping the views were of the surrounding mountains and fields. It wasn’t exactly skydiving over Airlie Beach, but apart from that everything was awesome.
Your loved ones can be waiting for you at the drop zone, so it is important to confirm on the day where this will be.
A Couple of Recommendations for Skydiving in Airlie Beach
I recommend booking your jump for around 6 am for two main reasons. At this time you’ll wake up, get ready and be on your way. There will be no time to sit around and get nervous. And, jumping this early means you’ll be enjoying around 6-7 minutes of cruising around the sky just after the sun has risen.
Also, even though it’s pretty expensive I would recommend getting the video and photo package, especially if it’s your first jump. It all goes very fast so it’s great to have something to look back on and relive the moment. Plus, seeing your facial expressions as you jump is hilarious.
What to Wear Skydiving
The most important thing is to wear is a comfortable outfit, that won’t restrict your movement. I wore activewear-type pants, a thin jumper, and runners. But, as long as you’re comfortable and nothing is going to get caught on any of the harness straps.
Also, keep in mind your outfit might get a bit dirty from the harness or during the Landing, so maybe don’t wear white.
What Happens When the Parachute Fails to Open Correctly?
This is a question many people new to skydiving ask. There’s no doubt jumping out of a plane comes with risk, but the team at Skydive Australia are highly trained and I think it’s just part of this insane experience that we put all our trust in them.
Statistically, they say 1 in 1,000 parachutes don’t open! But that doesn’t mean it’s all over & you go flying towards the ground. All skydivers have a reserve parachute, which acts as a backup if the first one fails to open correctly.
This actually happened to my friend Keesha, who was jumping at the same time as me. I was completely unaware until she told me about it once we were all safely on the ground. When their parachute opened two of the ropes stuck together, causing them to start spinning in circles towards the ground. So Keesha’s instructor cut the ropes of the first chute before opening up the reserve parachute. She was unaware of what was going on until Mitch handed her the cut-off handles, and calmly explained the situation.
I couldn’t believe it when she was telling the story but by then it was all laughter & no fear. 😆
Where Else Can You Skydive in Australia?
Skydive Australia has 14 drop zones across Australia and New Zealand. The other skydiving locations in Queensland are in Cairns, Mission Beach, Noosa & Surfers Paradise. The Surfers Paradise jump is Australias only tandem Heli skydive!
Check out their website for the full list of locations.
How Much Does Skydiving Cost in Australia
The price of each location can vary and this also depends on what day of the week you jump, mid-week being cheapest. The price for Skydiving in Airlie Beach, from 15,000ft starts at $269.
Skydive Australia
Well, I believed I could fly, so that is what I did. And, it was seriously amazing. You don’t even need to be a full-on “thrill-seeker” to try tandem Skydiving, you just need to be up for an adventure. For sure at times Skydiving is scary, but feel the fear and do it anyway because the incredible rush you’ll experience when you jump is so worth it.
Are you so excited about Skydiving in Airlie Beach now?
If you have any more questions or have been Skydiving before, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below.
Thanks for reading,
Happy Travels
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Elyse is the author & content creator behind A World To Live. After traveling to over 40 countries, she has a passion for discovering new places. Elyse is a money-conscious traveller who loves writing independent travel guides to help her readers get the most out of their travels.
Oh my gosh! This was so fun to read. What a jump of a lifetime and thrilling adventure. I loved seeing all of these photos. Great share! I don’t know if I would do that these days. Haha
haha thank you so much Ashlee
This looks absolutely terrifying haha!! My partner would be well up for it though – one for the list when we visit Aussie.
Ah, my mom would absolutely love this skydiving experience. It’s high on her list of things to do – I would take a lot more convincing! It’s good to hear the recommendations for the video/photo package too – I don’t think I would’ve considered how fast the fall goes by.
Oh, that’s awesome. It would actually be a great thing you can do together 😉 haha. Thanks so much for your comment
I actually really like heights but jumping out of a plane is a little disconcerting. That being said, it’s on the bucket-list! And I travel around Australia when I can so maybe when things open up a bit more, this will be my next adventure haha…
Sounds like a great idea Lol the jump to celebrate the world opening up 🤗 Thanks so much for your comment
You have some great pictures captured here! Australia is somewhere I haven’t been yet but I really want to!
I am going skydiving for the first time soon! Next time I’ll have to try it in Australia 🙂
Oh how exciting, I’m sure you’ll love it
You’re so brave! I could never skydive… I would be too scared to do the “fall” part, haha. Thanks for sharing your experience!
What an epic experience – really enjoyed reading the details! Skydiving is something I´d love to try (but also afraid of lol ) but you´re right – life begins at the end of our comfort zone! Thanks for the inspiration
I’m so glad you enjoyed reading. It is scary but way more fun, so worth it…
Sky diving is so much fun! I always try to explain to people that it, like bungy jumping, feels more like floating than falling, but they never believe me, haha.
hahaha I know what you mean, doesn’t give you that nasty falling feeling
Hi Elyse! I loved reading this posts. The way your wrote it, the fun just jumped off the page! I have always wanted to try skydiving. I like your tip on going early so you don’t get nervous and get to see the sunrise. Great idea! Thanks for this.
Aww appreciate that, thanks heaps Trea. You should definitely try it, so much fun 🙂
We’ve never been skydiving at all! Going somewhere like Australia would be so fun – getting to see that kind of terrain from up high would be amazing!
Yeah it’s definitely more exciting when jumping from a new destination. Thanks Shelbs