How to Prepare for Your First Skydive: What to Expect

Key Takeaways
Expect flexibility in scheduling due to weather, gear, and instructor availability. Prepare physically with sleep, hydration, light meals, and comfortable athletic clothing. Support your mental readiness through visualization, research, and calming routines. Follow key dos and don’ts to ensure a safe, enjoyable first skydive.

New experiences can be stressful, and skydiving for the first time is no exception! But knowing how to prepare to skydive can remove a lot of the unknown that tends to cause anxiety. Luckily, there are plenty of first-time skydiving tips out there to teach you how to prepare for a skydive. 

Let’s dig in and explore the answer to: How do I prepare for my first skydiving experience?

What to Expect on Your First Skydive

It’s hard to know what to expect out of something you’ve never experienced before, but there are a few things that you can be sure of before you even arrive. For starters, skydiving will be like nothing you’ve ever done. You’ll feel adrenaline, excitement, and nerves that will challenge your mind and body, and also liberate you in life-changing ways. But there are more concrete things you can expect out of your day as well. 

Flexibility is the name of the game with jumping out of airplanes. There are many moving parts like instructor availability, other skydivers, gear, and aircraft, and even things we can’t control like the weather. The time you schedule your booking for is your arrival time, not the time you will be boarding the aircraft.

A lot goes on behind the scenes to ensure an excellent experience for you. Our instructors want to give each customer the best experience, and we don’t want to rush them! We need you to arrive at a set time so that we can get you checked in, trained, and geared up before it’s time to jump. 

Weather can also be unpredictable, from low clouds to questionable winds, and we have your experience and safety in mind, so we won’t put you in the air until the weather is cooperating with our plans.

If you expect to spend a few hours on-site and plan accordingly, you probably won’t even notice the time passing.

How to Prepare Yourself for Skydiving

People often wonder what to do the night before skydiving in order to make the day go as smoothly as possible. Sometimes the best thing to do when you’re nervous is focus on what you can control – yourself. If you know you’ve prepared the best you can, it’ll remove a lot of the stress from the equation.

What to Eat Before Skydiving

Find a good balance between comfort and nutrition. You want to eat a healthy, balanced meal that will sustain you into your day, but not leave you feeling too full. It’s also important that you stay hydrated and not drink alcohol.

What to Wear Skydiving

Again, choosing your outfit is a balance. You want to dress in athletic clothing that’s weather appropriate – so cool, comfortable clothing for hot days and warm layers for cooler temps – while also making sure you have full range of movement. Think of a gym fit that you can wear outdoors. Athletic shoes that lace up are best; no boots with hooks or open-toed shoes.

What to Bring to Your Jump

You must present your valid, government-issued photo ID that proves you are over age 18. Feel free to bring some snacks and water for your time hanging out before and after your jump. It also helps to bring friends for support!

Skydiving Landing Tips

The landing is one of the most important parts of your skydive. You need to lift your legs from the hip so your instructor can maneuver the landing. Don’t worry – you’ll go over the exact positioning during pre-jump training.

How to Mentally Prepare for Skydiving Day

Physical preparation isn’t the only key to a successful skydive – getting yourself in a good headspace is equally important. Here are some tips for how to mentally prepare for skydiving:

Visualize things going well

Imagine yourself on the skydive, loving every moment of it and taking it all in. The more you see yourself having fun, the less stressed you’ll be when it comes time for the real thing. 

Watch videos online

If you see enough other people rocking their own first skydive, you’ll start to realize it’s not as scary as you might think! 

Take some time for yourself

The day of your skydive is going to be a whirlwind. Set some time aside before you leave in the morning to meditate, have a nice glass of tea, go for a run, or do whatever gets you in a good state of mind. 

Don’t be afraid to ask questions

We don’t expect you to know exactly what to do or where to go, and we are here to help! We know your nerves might be a bit wracked, so feel free to reach out to us for answers. 

Skydiving Dos and Don’ts for Beginners

Having a quick list of skydiving dos and don’ts to reference can be helpful when the moment gets real. Here are some things to think about when you’re preparing for skydiving:

What should you do before skydiving?

• Get a good night’s rest 
• Eat as normal; bring snacks
• Drink plenty of water
• Listen to your instructor
• Ask questions

What should you not do before skydiving?

• Don’t forget your ID – no ID; no jump
• Don’t consume alcohol or drugs
• Don’t skip meals
• Don’t overschedule the day of your skydive

Feeling ready to take the leap? Book your jump today! 

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