Last Updated on March 6, 2024 by Jamie Marshall
For the adrenalin junkie there is no feeling comparable to that of jumping out of a plane 10,000 feet up in the sky, wind gushing through your hair and the earth below rushing up to meet you. There are few extreme sports that can hold a candle to skydiving.
Although divers are required to sign a lengthy, liability waiver that unequivocally states that skydiving is an extremely risky sport, there are many adventurers who feel that the feeling of freedom and exhilaration when you’re falling through the sky at speeds upwards of 220 kmph are well worth the risk.
Fortunately there are a few places in and around Dubai where you can enjoy skydiving and the one thing you can be sure of is that the views on a clear Dubai day are breathtaking!
The actual diving experience is fairly simple; most centers will make you watch a short video on the sky diving process and experience, you will be given simple instructions on how to work with your tandem dive instructor and the rest is pure adventure. So if you love the adrenalin rush and have a few thousand dirhams to spare, read on to find out about the best places in Dubai to skydive.
Facts to know about Skydiving in Dubai
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Divers must be above 18 years of age
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All divers are required to sign a liability waiver form that informs them of the risks of the dive
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People with neck, shoulder and back problems are advised against sky diving
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Divers must weigh 100 kg (212 lbs) or less for safety reasons
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All divers must wear suitable athletic gear for the dive including trainers
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Allow at least three hours for the entire diving experience
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Weather is a key factor in the success of a dive so bad weather may lengthen dive time or may result in a dive being cancelled
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A sky dive with video and digital photos is likely to cost close to AED 2000
Where to Skydive in Dubai?
The premier skydiving destination within Dubai is Skydive Dubai. The vision of H.E. Nasser El Neyadi, a diving enthusiast, he began his training with a helicopter and a wind tunnel and today has provided the people of Dubai with a safe, welcoming environment staffed with expert pilots, coaches and instructors.
A one-stop shop for sky divers, Skydive Dubai has developed an excellent reputation for professionalism, efficiency and safety. The dive center has two locations; the Palm Zone in the heart of Dubai near the world-famous Palm Jumeirah islands and a desert campus 35km away from the city in Margam off the Al-Ain road.
The Palm Zone (PZ) facility is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, a gear store with all the necessities and a café where you can sit and enjoy divers come in for the landing. Skydive Dubai operates under strict safety guidelines set by the International Air Sport Federation. (FAI). Their jumpers love doing what they do, are dedicated to pleasing their clients and have accreditation both internationally as well as locally from the United States Parachuting Association (USPA) and the Emirates Aviation Association (EAA) respectively.
Skydive Dubai have strict regulations on weight limits as well as clothing requirements for their divers. First time divers with no prior experience can enjoy the thrills of a dive by doing a tandem jump harnessed to one of the center’s professional tandem instructors. More information on the dive and regulations can be found here.
For those who would like to learn how to skydive, the Skydive School provides training under the Accelerated Free Fall (AFF) program, which combines instruction on the ground with training jumps.
Located at the desert campus in Margam, the school is situated in a heritage village with lots of local treasures to discover and provides the perfect location for learning to skydive. Highly experienced, world-class instructors lead you through the program, in which initial jumps begin with two instructors who are gradually pulled back as the student becomes more knowledgeable and confident in their jumps.
Once divers have completed 500 jumps they can opt to complete the professional course to become instructors themselves, teach students how to skydive or become tandem jumpers. More details can be found here.
The only other location to get your skydiving fix is at the Umm-al-Quwain Aeroclub located 40 kms north of Dubai in the emirate of Umm-al-Quwain. The aeroclub has its own drop zone at this location with wonderful views, although being inland, you may not get the same breathtaking views that you would from the Palm Zone at Skydive Dubai. However, this is another skydive center that also trains jumpers who are interested in becoming instructors and they also have tandem jumps for inexperienced divers.