Skydive Dubai, the experience to jump over the Palm
When I decided to go to Dubai, when researching about the best things to do in the city, I remembered seeing pictures of people skydiving over The Palm Island. OMG, this seems like an experience I’d love to include in my bucket list! But my mind was full of questions: can I afford to book the Skydive? Do I have the courage to do it? But guess what? I jumped out of the plane and had the time of my life! In this blog post, I want to share with you my experience Skydiving in Dubai and some tips on how to have an amazing experience as a first-time diver.
Skydive over the Palm in Dubai
Skydive Dubai is the official company to experience a breathtaking freefall and parachute ride in Dubai. Its premium location is The Palm Dropzone, located above the iconic Palm Jumeirah, the other one is the Desert Dropzone, located about 35 km outside the city, where visitors can see the emirate from an entirely different perspective. As you may imagine, the first one is more expensive but also more scenic. The third option Skydive Dubai also offers is the Gyrocopter flight. After making the decision, in addition to starting dreaming about that picture over the Palm, the next step is to book the experience.
THOSE WHO DON’T JUMP WILL NEVER FLY!
-Leena Ahmad Almashat.
How is the Experience at Skydive Dubai
Because I booked the first time in the morning, I didn’t sleep that much the night before. Skydiving Dubai was literally in front of my hotel, but you need to get there by car. Once I got there, I thought the building was a little bit hard to find. Maybe because I was nervous!
Talking about being late. The time mentioned in your booking confirmation email is your arrival time, not necessarily your Skydive time. I selected a slot 6 am, and I arrived at 6 am to check in, (afraid of missing the flight), but there were a few groups before me. So, be prepared to wait your turn and plan to spend between three to four hours to complete your Skydive experience. We left the place around 10am.
At the check in, you need to sign a waiver, they also check your BMI and weight. Then you kind of sit around and wait until someone calls your name. In the building, there is a small café, a gift shop and benches and tables for everyone to wait. My husband was with me, and because he saw I was getting nervous, we decided to go outside to take some pictures. The sunrise view behind all those buildings you can see from Skydive Dubai is stunning. Please, don’t miss it! We waited for about an hour for my turn.
Each plane has around 10 people and everyone must watch a video and listen to the safe instructions about what to do before jumping and landing.
Getting ready for skydiving over the Palm
I tried to concentrate on flying and not falling, but OMG, I had butterflies in my stomach! It was a mix of feelings. I was scared, anxious, worried, happy all at the same time. The instructors will guide you through the whole process including a demonstration before even setting foot on a plane. He or she (Yes, there was a woman as an instructor too) will explain how to position your body for the fall and how to land correctly.
The packages include photographs and videos. Yes! In addition to the instructor, someone will jump with you just to register this moment. Can You believe it?
Before and after the experience, the camera person (who is also an instructor) comes around and asks you some questions to record the best moments of your experience. It was amazing to see my legs shaking later on the video. The team was great and my instructor Flavio, who coincidentally was from Brazil, was amazing answering my questions and explaining the details. I knew Skydive Dubai has the best qualified instructors to gently guide you back on to the ground So, at that time, I decided to trust them with all my life! 😀
My experience skydiving in Dubai
Once you receive all the instructions, you, your instructor, the other skydiver/instructor responsible for the memories get on a bus to the area where you board the plane. Once you get on the plane, you put on a pair of goggles that you need to wear to protect your eyes. The plane’s ascend took a lot longer than I expected and up there I could see the breathtaking views of the iconic Palm Jumerah Island from 13.000 ft.
Now that’s where the scary part starts! I was the last one to enter and the first to jump out of the plane. I preferred to be the first to avoid regretting! The instructor lets you know when you have to get strapped to him. As I was standing at the open plane door, I was super scared but glad the instructor does all the decision-making for us. When you see the green light, you free fall at over 120 miles per hour for about 60 seconds! The instructor touches your shoulder when you can open your arms and interact with the camera, fews seconds later he opens the parachute, invites you to guide for a while and you will start gliding slowly towards the ground. At the end he manages the maneuvers to go straight to the track. The landing was beautiful!
At the ground, it’s all happiness! I was feeling awesome! The most courageous person on Earth!
How to book the skydive in Dubai
The experience is called tandem skydive and given the popularity you must book in advance at Skydive Dubai website.
How much cost the Skydive in Dubai
Well, this lifetime experience has a price and it’s not cheap! The tandem package at the Palm Dropzone, costs AED 2,299 and the Desert Dropzone AED 1,799, plus taxes, which is about $650. Once you select the date, you can see the slots available and then just need to fill the details to book your experience. Every customer who purchases a tandem package will receive photographs and the standard edited video via email, within 48 hours of completing their skydive, for an extra fee you can also add 1minute video for Instagram. After all, what’s the point of risking your life, if you don’t show your friends, right? The package also includes medical insurance, just in case! 😉
Everything you need to know before skydiving in Dubai
What to bring? You basically just need your ID and credit card. They offer lockers if you need to keep anything safe during your experience.
What to wear? An outfit suitable for sports. Comfortable clothes and shoes, preferably with sleeves.
How to pay? Any kind of credit/ debit card or UAE Dirhams. You will pay 50% in advance and 50% at the check in. They do not accept any currency other than UAE Dirhams.
When to book? If you are visiting Dubai, consider to schedule your skydive for the beginning of your trip in case it needs to be rescheduled due to bad weather. Skydiving is a weather-dependent sport, which means high-speed winds, poor visibility, rain or low clouds, are just some of the reasons that can delay, or even cancel the skydiving operation. The company is not liable for any costs in these cases, so plan in advance.
When do you receive the video? They send you the photos and videos 48h later via Dropbox. The material is available for download for 30 days. I loved all the material.
This is the experience I will remember for the rest of my life! Skydive Dubai just checked from my Bucket list?
What about you? Do you have courage? Let me know in the comments.
Now that’s where the scary part starts! I was the last one to enter and the first to jump out of the plane. I preferred to be the first to avoid regretting! The instructor lets you know when you have to get strapped to him. As I was standing at the open plane door, I was super scared but glad the instructor does all the decision-making for us. When you see the green light, you free fall at over 120 miles per hour for about 60 seconds! The instructor touches your shoulder when you can open your arms and interact with the camera, fews seconds later he opens the parachute, invites you to guide for a while and you will start gliding slowly towards the ground. At the end he manages the maneuvers to go straight to the track. The landing was beautiful!
At the ground, it’s all happiness! I was feeling awesome! The most courageous person on Earth!
