Is Group Skydiving or Couple Skydiving Possible?

Skydiving is a life-changing experience that will change the way you look at everything, from yourself to the world. You’ll come away from your jump a different person with newfound confidence and an unforgettable memory. Sounds amazing, right? That’s because it is! 

The only thing that could make it even more special is to share it with your loved ones by going group skydiving or by taking your most important person with you on a couple skydiving adventure. You can even make the day one for the history books and pop the question with a skydiving marriage proposal! 

No matter who you bring, having people you care about most with you to experience the jump will only enhance the joy you’ll feel. Supporting each other through the emotional roller coaster of skydiving for the first time will create a bond that will last the rest of your lives. 

And if the emotional tug of skydiving with your favourite people isn’t enough, there are plenty of skydiving group deals to make it even more appealing! Group skydiving packages can help reduce the cost of skydiving by applying a discount to each jump. The more people you bring, the cheaper it gets (so start texting your friends)!

No matter the reason your group decides to skydive, there’s a lot to know about what group skydiving will look like. We’ll go over some of the important points you’ll need to know ahead of time so that all you have to do is show up and have fun with your friends! 

Group Size and Plane Accommodations

As the saying goes, the more the merrier. But with bigger groups comes more considerations. Our top-notch facilities are capable of supporting whatever size group you throw at us, but fitting in the airplane is another story. 

If you’ve ever flown before, you know that there are a limited number of spots available in any size plane. And the same goes for skydiving aircraft – even after we’ve removed the actual seats from our airplanes. 

We fly a Cessna C208B Grand Caravan that can take up to 16 skydivers to altitude at a time. That’s a lot of room for friends! But even with all of that space, we do have limited capacity to accommodate people of the same group on the same flight. 

Groups larger than three people are not guaranteed to go together in the same airplane. The reason for this is that there are a lot of people waiting to skydive on any given day, including other groups! A lot of factors go into which airplane load you’ll be on, including arrival time, group size, and instructor availability. If you have any questions about why your group has been organized the way it has, don’t hesitate to ask!  

Even-numbered groups, particularly groups of four, tend to be the easiest to accommodate. Each person still gets a partner even if we have to split you up!

Arrangement and Order of Jumps

There’s nothing more exhilarating (and possibly terrifying!) than watching your friend disappear out of an airplane door just before you do so yourself! Which is exactly what will happen if you go skydiving with a group. 

Every member of your group that’s on the same flight will get to see whoever is in front of them leave the plane door. That’s when things get really real! Your group’s position on the plane and in the exit order will be determined by the jump altitude selected, whether or not video is included (tandems with video go first), and safety protocols, but you will have input as to what order you exit in within your own group. 

Maybe you’re extremely nervous and want to be the first to take the leap, or maybe you want to see all your friend’s faces as they are catapulted out of the plane. Talk amongst your group and decide who wants what position in line, and then let your instructor know! 

But don’t expect to leave the plane right next to each other. There will be a bit of a delay between each jumper to create a safe amount of distance between the tandem students in the sky. This time delay is determined by the wind conditions, but ranges anywhere from about 5 to 10 seconds. 

The reason for the delay is to avoid any collisions in the sky. Think about how much it would hurt to run straight into another person at full speed. Now imagine two bodies traveling at 200 km/h colliding with each other. Ouch! That’s a situation we’d like to avoid at all costs. Parachute Ottawa actually utilizes an exit separation calculator for accuracy and safety, so don’t worry too much about your friends and trust that your instructor is getting out of the plane at the exact right time. 

Visibility and Interaction During Freefall

The result of this time delay and separation in the sky is limited visibility of others in your group during freefall. Tandem students generally can’t see each other during the freefall portion of the skydive because they are too far away from each other to be within view. (As previously mentioned, that’s a good thing!)

Besides, freefall is your time! Your buddies will all be enjoying themselves, so focus on taking in all your jump has to offer. The sensations, the views, the adrenaline, these are all things you’ve probably never experienced before! Take these 60 glorious seconds and focus on being present in the moment. There’ll be plenty of time to reconnect with your group after you land. 

You’ll most likely be able to catch a glimpse of the other members of your group once your parachute opens anyway. Your instructor can point out the other canopies in the air, and you might even fly close enough that you can wave and yell at each other! 

Video Filming and Footage

Video footage and social media posts are a huge part of our culture and connections. Pics or it didn’t happen! Luckily, we have a team of professional videographers at Parachute Ottawa who are standing by (or flying by, more like it) to capture every moment of your skydive so that you can share it with the world. 

You are the star of your skydiving video, even if you come with a group of companions. Videos are purchased and filmed per person and only include that person’s skydive. We know that the people who tagged along are important to you and your videographer will be more than happy to include them in any filming done on the ground and in the airplane, but the nature of tandem skydiving makes it impossible to capture more than one skydive at a time. 

As you now know, separation between jumpers is extremely important to the safety of everyone on the skydive. This time and space between jumpers doesn’t allow for one videographer to capture multiple jumps, even if they are the best in the business. You are the main character from the moment you leave the airplane to when your toes touch back down on Earth. 

Enjoy it! Skydiving can be an intensely personal experience that will change your life even if you do it with friends. And that just means that you can each get your own custom video and share them with each other later while you’re reminiscing. 

Safety Considerations and Customer Input

Every little detail surrounding your jump is scrutinized in the name of safety, all the way down to the weather. We have a saying in skydiving: it’s better to be on the ground wishing you were in the air than to be in the air wishing you were on the ground! And we take the responsibility of keeping every single one of our skydivers, both new and experienced, as safe as possible. 

The reason that your group may be split up is often due to this commitment to safety. If we do need to unexpectedly split your group, we’ll communicate with you about the reasons for the separation so that everyone is on the same page before the jump. We know skydiving for the first time can be anxiety-inducing. We don’t want to add to that! 

Deciding how groups are split and what order each individual jumper will exit is a collaborative effort that we want your input on. This is your day, and we’re here to help you make it amazing. Of course, we’ll make suggestions and give advice where necessary, but our office staff, instructors, and your group will all work together to fully satisfy the safety and fun requirements! 

Are you ready to create unforgettable memories with your favourite peeps?! Book your group or couple skydive today! Blue skies!