Skydiving in Ontario, Canada

The glossy silver panel of the Great Lakes provides a spectacular backdrop for a skydive. Luckily, eager tandem passengers, students and experienced skydivers can all snag a piece of sky over southern Ontario. Following up with a plate of poutine is optional -- but encouraged.

Skydiving in Canada

• If you're an experienced skydiver who holds a current, valid United States Parachute Association license, you can jump in Canada. Be aware, however, that you may be asked to buy an additional membership in the Canadian Sport Parachuting Association. Call the drop zone to check on the facility's policy before you arrive.

Grand Bend Sport Parachuting Center

• Grand Bend's Sport Parachuting Center has been flying over the beautiful scenery of southern Ontario since the early 1980s. The drop zone operates two lovingly maintained Cessna aircraft -- a 182 and a 206 -- from which they drop tandem pairs, students and experienced jumpers from an altitude of 10,000 feet to a wide, grassy landing area. Accuracy specialists may use the DZ's tuffet to train their bulls-eye touchdowns. Views from altitude sweep over Lake Huron and its surrounding farm communities.

  The Grand Bend Sport Parachuting Center offers experienced skydivers gear rentals, sales, rigging, packing and coaching. Traveling jumpers may stay on site in the bunkhouse, RV hookups and tent campsites. Shower facilities are on site.

  Spectators find ample entertainment on the ground, either in the town of Grand Bend five minutes down the road, on the surrounding lakeshore or at the neighboring golf course.

Skydive Toronto

• At the Cookstown Airport, just 45 minutes from central Toronto, Skydive Toronto flies a Cessna Caravan and a souped-up Cessna 182 aircraft to spectacular views over the lake and city before opening the door and sending excited skydivers into the Canadian sky. As well as offering tandem experiences, the drop zone trains new skydivers to earn their solo licenses and coaches experienced skydivers to build skill in their chosen disciplines -- including accuracy, for which the DZ has a tuffet. Experienced skydivers and students may rent gear from the facility's shop, which also offers gear sales, packing and rigging. Visiting skydivers may camp and shower on site. The on-DZ Ragtop Café operates daily during spring and summer.

Warning

• Tandem passengers need not worry, but potential students and experienced skydivers should take note of Skydive Toronto's non-beginner landing area. The landing area is noticeably hilly, introduces a few obstacles and becomes distinctly muddy in the rain. These issues are not important for skydivers very confident under canopy, but should be taken under consideration by those who are not.

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Tandem Skydiving in Hawaii

Visitors to Hawaii may ache to see America's island paradise from the air. For those who would rather not kick off their skydiving career with a solo jump, Oahu's North Shore offers tandem experiences. In a tandem skydive, starry-eyed passengers are free to stare at the islands from the aircraft window, knowing that their instructor will cheerfully see to their health and safety, then leap confidently into the skies over the Aloha State for a once-in-a-lifetime free fall.

What to Expect

• In a tandem skydive, the instructor -- a highly experienced, licensed and certified skydiver -- wears a parachute large enough to fly safely with the combined weight of two passengers. The tandem student wears a specialized harness with four metal attachment points. During the ride to altitude, the instructor connects the passenger to him. The pair leave the plane at the predetermined altitude, free fall over the islands for up to 60 seconds, then touch down in the grassy landing area after approximately five minutes of canopy flight.

Where to Go

• Hawaii's two tandem operations are at Waialua's semirustic Dillingham Airfield. Aircraft taking off from Dillingham fly over the sandy ribbon seam between the North Shore's turquoise ocean and soaring mountain range. From the airplane ride to altitude to the parachute ride back down to the landing area, jumpers are treated to sweeping views of Oahu's Diamond Head, Kaena Point and Pearl Harbor. On a clear day in the right season, skydivers can even whale watch from their seats on the plane.

Jump Altitudes

• Tandem skydives can take place from heights of up to 20,000 feet over Oahu. Though experiences from that altitude cost close to $1,000, the views are once-in-a-lifetime: At that altitude, on a clear day, eager skydivers can see not only the entire island of Oahu below the plane, but the surrounding archipelago as well. Less-expensive tandem rides are available at more standard altitudes of 12,000 and 14,000 feet.

Warning

• If you're planning to scuba dive as well on your sojourn in Hawaii, take care: To be safe, you must leave ample time between your enjoyment of the two sports. The human body requires about 24 hours to release the nitrogen that builds up during scuba diving, and the very serious condition called caisson sickness -- "the bends" -- results if the body has not finished the process of releasing that compressed gas. Plan accordingly.

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Skydiving in Northern Michigan

Whether you're a "bucket list" jumper or an experienced diver, the drop zones of northern Michigan offer some of the most spectacular skydiving views around. Enjoy the pristine beauty of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, local landmarks and coastal forests from two miles above the earth, during a tandem or solo jump with licensed and United States Parachute Association-certified instructors.

Taking the Plunge

• Tandem jumps are best suited for first-time skydivers and those who want a one-time experience. Very little preparation or equipment is needed and a short class prepares jumpers for what to expect. During the jump, you will be securely strapped to an instructor who will guide you through the entire process, including making the jump, monitoring the free fall, pulling the parachute cord and steering into the drop zone. Skydive Harbor Springs, located at the Harbor Springs Airport, offers tandem jumps seven days a week, depending on the weather, and jumpers are flown over the Mackinac Bridge, Beaver Island and Grand Traverse Bay as part of the experience. The jump is also videotaped and photographed, with 360-degree camera angles and panoramic shots of the beautiful scenery.

The High Dive

• If you were bitten by the skydiving bug during a tandem jump, you may want to move onto further instruction. Accelerated free fall courses allow jumpers to fly solo, with side-by-side assistance from instructors. By the end of the course, jumpers can earn certification from the U.S.P.A. and take on solo jumps without assistance. Skydive Harbor Springs offers AFF classes and once certified, jumpers can do solo dives for as low as $25 per jump. An alternative to AFF courses is static line training, where the student completes extensive ground training before doing a solo jump with radio assistance from the instructor. A line of flexible cable attaches to the parachute to help with deployment. Premier Skydiving, located at Municipal Airport in Freemont, offers static line training courses as well as tandem jumps with U.S.P.A.-certified instructors.

Drop Zone Parties

• Customize your view by planning ahead and attending one of Skydive Harbor Springs' special events. View the "Great Turtle" and the Mackinac Bridge during the Mackinac Island skydiving special. Take a break from the National Cherry Festival in early July and skydive over the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Drop over Drummond Island, one of Lake Huron's largest islands or Beaver Island, nicknamed the "unsalted Caribbean." Those wanting to see the upper peninsula in miniature, take advantage of the July dive in Escanaba, over Little Bay de Noc.

The Fine Print

• When booking your reservation, inquire of the current weight limit. Skydive Harbor Springs will work to accommodate as many people as they can, but for safety reasons individuals weighing 200 pounds or more may not be eligible to jump. Premier Skydiving will accept all healthy jumpers up to 250 pounds. The weather must be clear for safe skydiving, but on most days the jump can be delayed by a few hours while the skies clear. The state of Michigan requires jumpers to be at least 18 years of age and, no matter what your age, you will need to sign a waiver before taking off in the aircraft.

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Skydiving in Belen, New Mexico

Along Highway 25, a lush ribbon of artificial green slashes the stark, surface-of-the-moon terrain of the American Southwest from Albuquerque to the Mexican border. Parallel to that, the incongruously verdant east slopes of the East Mountains describe a perfect rain shadow when viewed from overhead. The effect is arresting. If you'd like to see it for yourself, don't try to peer from the window of a plane -- head to Belen, where you can leap out over the scenery and drink in the view on the way down.

Location

• Skydive New Mexico is a small drop zone, lovingly run by a club of sport skydivers. Their facility is located in a hangar on Belen's Alexander Airport, about a half hour south of Albuquerque. The desert landscape provides more than interesting views: since the terrain is wide open and the airport is quiet, skydivers enjoy access to two roomy landing areas that safely accommodate less-than-accurate landings.

Facilities

• Experienced skydivers can rent or purchase from the on-site gear shop. The drop zone also offers an on-DZ canteen, rigging services, a packing area shielded from the scathing desert sun, coaching, load organizing and packing. Travelers are welcome to camp overnight on the drop zone property, though no RV hookups are available.
• Aircraft

• Skydive New Mexico's small fleet includes two Super Cessna 182 aircraft. Though small planes, the Cessnas have been modified with larger engines and extended wingtips to reach altitude in record time -- just over 20 minutes. In a "normal" Cessna, that ride can take more than a half hour.

Instruction

• Naturally, Skydive New Mexico offers tandem rides for thrill seekers who'd rather not operate their own parachute. For students who'd prefer to go it alone, the drop zone trains newbies to jump solo using the Instructor-Assisted Deployment method. IAD students wear their own parachute system and perform a safe solo skydive with the assistance of a rated instructor. Beyond the first jump, students in Belen may complete a multi-jump program to earn their solo "A" license through the United States Parachute Association.

Considerations

• As it's perched in the lofty elevations of the high desert -- the airfield sits at 5200 feet above mean sea level -- Skydive New Mexico is categorized as a high-altitude drop zone. When the air is thinner -- like it is at this altitude -- parachutes move faster. Experienced jumpers who visit Belen from lower-elevation drop zones must be aware that their landings will be faster than they're accustomed to.

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