At Skydive Wanaka, we’re here to help you have the ultimate New Zealand skydiving experience, where you’ll experience the absolute thrill of freefall in one of the most picturesque destinations in the world.
If you’re joining us for your very first skydiving experience, we can understand that you may want to know exactly what is going to happen each step of the way. Whether you’re looking to ease your nerves, or you just like to know what to expect, we’ve got you covered!
Arriving at the drop zone
You’ll be greeted by our friendly drop zone staff, who are ready and waiting to start your epic adventure. First up is a safety briefing video, which will give you a run down of the skydive itself, as well as explain the video & photo packages that we have available for purchase.
Once you’ve been checked in, you’ll pay any outstanding balances before meeting your skydiving instructor. Your instructor has many (literally thousands) of skydives under their belt, and is ready to ensure you have the best skydive in New Zealand. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!
Boarding the skydive plane
You take to the skies in our orange & white skydive plane – a Cessna Caravan, offering a comfortable, quick flight to altitude and maximum opportunity to take in the jaw-dropping views on the way up to your chosen skydive altitude.
The flight to jump altitude is around 10-15 minutes, during which you can enjoy unrivalled and uninterrupted views of Wanaka’s world-renowned lakes and mountains, the Upper Clutha river, and, on a clear day, Mount Cook. The views are truly spectacular, but they only get better from here…
Taking the ultimate leap
The moment you’ve been waiting for has finally arrived – it’s time to jump!
Your tandem skydive instructor (or camera flyer if you’ve booked an outside camera package) will be capturing every second of your thrilling skydive experience, so make sure to look at the camera and give your best freefall smile. These are memories that you’ll look back on forever!
Your tandem skydive instructor will help you shuffle to the edge of the plane, giving you a brief second to take in your surroundings before you both tumble forward and begin the unreal rush of freefall. There are no words to describe the feeling of falling through the sky at over 200km/hr, but make sure that you don’t forget to smile – you’re on camera!
Floating back to ground
After roughly one minute of epic freefall time, depending on your chosen altitude, your tandem skydive instructor will deploy your parachute, slowing the world right back down again. Here, you can take a moment to catch your breath and enjoy the view as you float – exhilarated – toward the ground.
As you lift your legs, the ground will get closer and closer until your feet touch the earth. You’re safely back on the ground after a smooth landing!
Post-skydive euphoria
Here, you can take a moment to take in what you just did. You just did something that makes no sense – you jumped out of a plane thousands of feet in the air. But now you understand why skydiving is so special, why it actually makes all sorts of sense.
Don’t forget to visit our drop zone shop to grab some awesome Skydive Wanaka merch to help you remember your experience. We’ve got t-shirts, hoodies, hats & more available for you to purchase and show off to the world that you took the plunge and skydived over Lake Wanaka!
