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Skydive New England
- Good for Kids:
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19 reviews for Skydive New England
19 reviews in English
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Review from Kris C.
Somerville, MA
9/21/2011 2 photos
What a killer day I had up here. Everyone should skydive and this is the place to do it! For my birthday, I did my first tandem with Dan at Skydive New England. Ahhhh-mazing to say the least. The atmosphere is laid back and everyone here makes you feel nothing but comfort and excitement about falling from a plane at 14,000 feet!
GET A VIDEO - so worth it. I feel like I barely remember the actual jump and freefall, I love watching it over and over to relive the experience...plus my video came out awesome :) AND they gave me 118 still photos that are all sweet!!
http://www.youtube.com... -
Review from Kelsey F.
9/18/2011
"Oh my god" is all I can say about my experience with Sky Dive New England. What an awesome and unreal experience!
My best friend and I decided for our birthday's we would go sky diving since we have wanted to do it for a while now. We always wanted to do it somewhere "cool" like in another country or over water, etc...but I am so happy we chose to jump in Maine with SNE. The views were amazing. You could see the White Mountains in NH all the way to the Boston Skyline on the horizon!!
Our class started at 12PM and we jumped around 2. They move everything really quickly and efficiently - they have it down to a science pretty much. While you are waiting there is a restaurant, picnic tables, and of course jumpers falling from the sky every 20 minutes! I would assume if you book earlier in the day you don't have to wait as long.
I jumped with Jason, who was great! He has been jumping for about 10 years and made me feel really comfortable and safe. My entire experience with Sky Dive New England was perfect.
Oh and GET A VIDEO!! The video guys are great - put it together in about 20 minutes and then upload it to Youtube! http://www.youtube.com... -
Review from Erin R.
8/21/2011 1 photo
"Holy @$%&" is just about the only phrase that can appropriately describe the experience of your first skydive. It's terrifying, exhilarating, and just plain awesome! It's definitely not something I'll ever forget, and I'm really glad I chose to do my first jump with Skydive New England.
Originally, we were supposed to do our jump back in June. We drove the 2.5 hours up, set up our tent, had some drinks with some really awesome SNE employees, sat around the bonfire, and were made to feel right at home. Unfortunately, it then proceeded to rain on us all night and all day the next day, and we had to take a rain check for our jumps. We did still get to take our training class on our scheduled day, though... which made things move along a lot faster when we came back to do our jumps.
We arrived around 7am on our second attempt. There was some lingering fog from the cool, wet night before, but we only had to hang around for about an hour while it burned off. SNE won't send their plane up unless they're 100% sure that it's safe to do so, which I obviously appreciated. Every single employee I met was extremely chill, and made the whole process a lot less nerve wracking. Upon having our names called, we were harnessed up, introduced to our instructors and videographers, and then up up and away we went! I wasn't nearly as terrified as I thought I'd be, and I think it was because I genuinely trusted everyone I interacted with during my skydiving experience. I'll tell ya, though... when that plane door opens and you start moving toward it, despite every part of you screaming "OH MY GOD, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? GET AWAY FROM THAT DOOR!" things get real... really fast.
As far as the jump goes, as soon as you leave the plane, somehow every bit of doubt and worry completely vanishes, and it's the most incredible rush you can experience! It's cold, it's windy, you're thousands of feet in the air, and it all goes by in a snap. You free fall for the fastest minute of your life, the chute gets pulled, and you think "Holy @$%&, I just jumped out of an airplane, and I'm probably going to live!" The next few minutes are spent soaring through the air under the canopy, and the views are unbeatable. From leaving the plane to landing on the ground, it's about 6 minutes, but it was definitely the fastest 6 minutes of my life!
Do yourself a HUGE favor and pay for the video. Sure, $100 seems like a lot, but you'll get to do some extra tricks with your videographer in the sky, you'll get to relive the terror and the excitement from start to finish, you'll get to see how ridiculous your face looks when all of your skin is being squashed back, and best of all, you can share your video with all of your friends and family. It's pretty priceless!
Skydive New England threw me out of an airplane and I lived to tell the tale. And for that, they get 5 well-earned stars. To Dan - my tandem instructor, Mike - my videographer, and everyone at SNE: Thanks for the thrill of my life! -
Review from Meghan H.
Boston, MA
7/25/2011
I can barely put into words how great this place is, and how unreal the whole experience was. If you're even potentially considering the idea of maybe possibly skydiving, all I can say is: DO IT! And if you're in the New England area, DO IT AT SKYDIVE NEW ENGLAND!
Giving in to our quarter life crises, my two roommates and I drove up to Lebanon, ME last Saturday. It was easily the best time I've ever had in my life, and a lot of other posts explain why. That said, here are some things I wish I had known before skydiving for the first time at Skydive New England:
1) Plan to make a day of it - Rain in the morning set jump times back a couple of hours. We arrived around 1:00pm and didn't jump until a little past 5:00. This was in no way a turn off, we were fine hanging out at the on-site cafe, but I just wished I had mentally prepared for lounging around instead of just psyching myself up to jump.
2) Plan to make a night of it - No alcohol is allowed on the premises while jumps are taking place (for obvious reason), but as soon as the last plane is grounded for the day, an all-night bonfire and party ensues. Campsites are available for $5 if you have your own tent or you can get a room for $25. We desperately wished we had planned to stay, we didn't realize what an awesome time we would have hanging out all day with everyone and wanted it to continue into the night.
3) You won't be as scared as you think you'll be - On the drive up, we vowed to only eat Cheez-Its in an attempt to settle worried stomachs. Within 20 minutes of reaching the Drop Zone oasis, all my nervous butterflies had vanished. The staff is so chill, they make jumping out of a plane at 14,000 feet seem as normal as walking to the mailbox.
4) GET. A. VIDEO. - You just drove 2.5 hours to a campsite out in Lebanon, ME. You paid 100+ bucks to strap yourself to a perfect stranger and jump out of a plane with him at 14,000 feet. You land safely and are now obsessed with the thrill of skydiving. Only problem? You can't even upload a Facebook pic, let alone huddle your whole family around the TV to watch you twirl and fly through the sky at 125 mph. Don't let this be you. Get the video.
For all other intents and purposes, staff and facility are top-notch. Professional, experienced, and overall great people. THANK YOU Dave Cole and Jason Struthers for the best first skydiving experience ever! -
Review from Brandon A.
Kennebunk, ME
3/30/2011
From a fun jumper's perspective, Skydive New England is as good as it gets. Awesome scenery, amazing bonfires, great landscaping, and fantastic people.
Skydiving is more than just falling from a plane. It's about a lot of people with the shared interest of having a great time. So it stands to reason there are always plenty of smiles to go around. If you're coming out for a tandem, I suggest coming out the night before and setting up a tent and joining everyone around the bonfire. Once the lights go down, if the sky is clear, you'll be amazed at how many stars you can see with so little ambient light.
Make a trip out of it. Get to know some people. Hang out and enjoy yourself. And don't make the same mistake I did - get a video of your first tandem jump. I've regretted it ever since. -
Review from Seth C.
Millville, MA
3/30/2011
I had always planned to skydive when I was younger and finally got a group of myself and 4 friends to go on our first tandem jump last june. The staff was very friendly and informed us that we should plan on spending the day because they can't control the weather. After our 30 minute tandem class we waited around in the Ripcord Cafe talking to some "fun" jumpers and eating some good food while we waited our turn. When it was finally time to jump 3 of my friend went up in the plane and me and another friend watched as they tumbled through the sky before safely landing on the ground. The look of exhilaration on their faces pumped me up even more.
Sadly, it was too close to sunset for my friend and I to jump that day. Skydive New England took the initiative to give us ALL free T-Shirts and let us camp there for the night on the house for the inconvenience. That night there was a giant bonfire with instructors, "fun" jumpers and other tandem jumpers telling stories, making friends, sharing drinks it was an amazing experience.
The next morning I had the jump of my life and vowed to go back again.
6 weeks later I was there with 3 people I had jumped tandem with and 2 new people. The three of us that had jumped did our first level AFF course and the other 2 did a tandem jump. Now they want to start training to get their license too.
Bottom Line:
AMAZING STAFF, AMAZING EXPERIENCE
It's something you can do forever, I'm planning on getting my full 'A' license this summer and have recommended about a dozen friends who have all had the same great experience.
OH AND GET A VIDEO worth WAY MORE than $100 -
Review from Julie W.
Brookline, MA
11/29/2011
Had a great experience! Signed up for a Monday morning @ 9am..beautiful spring day! We were in "class" (consisted of signing waivers, watching a video, and going over safety) by 930am and by 10am we were suiting up with our instructor. We took a small bus to the airplane, boarded and left by 1015am. It was about a 15 minute plane ride and then...JUMPING! It was amazing..the instructors were great and told us EVERYTHING..and also said if we didn't remember ANYTHING..just have fun..they'd keep us safe! Everyone had an AMAZING time!
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Review from Cha Cha W.
Cambridge, MA
8/27/2008
Reminiscences on my first tandem:
Instructor: Lifts me up by the harness, sat me down squarely in his lap and straps us together tightly. Too tightly for comfort.
Me: Heart jumping out of chest, starting to feel faint.
Instructor: "Take a peak outside."
Me: Weakly..."okay." Sees all the way to the next state over. What a nice day to die.
Instructor shoves me out the door.
Me: "Not faaaaaaaaaaair! Argh!"
Reminiscences on my second tandem:
Me: "No funny business."
Instructor: "Sure, sure. Whatever you like."
Instructor: straps me in tight and we crawl to the door.
Instructor: "Want to walk out to the wing and hang out a bit?"
Me: "Riggggghhhht."
Instructor: "Okay." We fall out the door.
Me: "Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"
Reminiscences on my third tandem:
Me: "You must get tired of these jumps Paolo. Tricks, flips, aerial stunts, let's do it! Give it to me!"
Instructor: Looks at me like a crazed person...(In gorgeous Italian accent)..."Your wish is my command."
Instructor: Straps me in. "Hold on, hold on those people have to go first. Wait, no it's not our turn yet."
Me: Drags instructor to the door.
Instructor: "Okay, okay. One, Two, Thr...." We somersault out the door.
Me: "Hello God! Did ya miss me? Wahoooooo!"
Stats on Skydive New England:
- Distance from Boston: 80 Miles
- Auto transit time to drop site: 1.5 hours
- Altitude: 13,000 feet
- Flight transit time to jump altitude: under 5 minutes
- Speed of freefall: 200 mph
- Total time in freefall: approx. 1 minute
- Time to ground: Well, just how chicken are you?Listed in: The Active Life
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Review from Julie T.
Boston, MA
4/27/2009
I went skydiving yesterday, April 26, and it was the most exhilarating moment of my life. I can't say it enough. As scared as I was, these people made me feel incredibly safe and secure. I'm honestly not quite sure what to say. The rush is like nothing else and people are so fun and make you get totally pumped before jumping. I was with Paulo who incidentally forgot about me as we were sitting on the bus ready to go (he was on the couch eating an apple). My camera guy, Jason, was totally awesome.
Don't forget to tell them if you want the "crazy" ride with all the tricks. Otherwise, it'll be relatively simple. From Boston, the drive is about two hours, but totally worth it.
There's also a little food stand right next to that place so if you wanna grab a bite to eat before or after you jump, it's there. They say you should eat something before, otherwise, you'll feel more queasy so don't starve yourself.
The view was amazing up there and this is one of those reviews where I'm saying all of this, but it doesn't matter. Just go up and try. I can't recommend it enough. Even if you're scared of heights. I was and I still went and I'm ready to go again. I also recommend getting a video. Though very expensive, it's a great keepsake and it's nice to laugh at yourself when your cheeks are blowing in the wind.
Feel free to check out my pics and video:
http://flickr.com/phot...
Enjoy. -
Review from Stacy R.
Cambridge, MA
8/2/2010
Had such a blast yesterday @ Sky dive new england! Everyone was so helpful & made us feel as comfortable as one can feel about jumping out of a plane @ 14000 ft.
My tandem instructor Dan was great, and very willing to do all sorts of flips, tricks & let me steer. I however was not all that willing to steer (Hello! I don't know how to steer a parachute!), and Dan did an awesome job of steering and getting us to the ground safely. Yay Dan!
A couple of things to note, due to weather or other issues that may arise you should plan to spend as much time there as need be. Our class time was @ 1:30 but we didn't end up jumping 'til around 5:00 because of clouds & there being tons of solo jumpers that day.
Also, I went with a group of five and we had to get split up, so be ready to not be able to jump with the person you were hoping would hold your hand on the way up! In the end it worked out nicely, because my bf & I each got to watch the other land safely instead of flying around in the sky at the same time having no idea what was going on with the other.
Please note that I am TERRIFIED of heights... so if I can do it, so can you!
Great food @ the rip cord cafe while you are waiting around for your jump time, but they only take cash. The gear store has all kinds of stuff you could want to remember or celebrate your skydiving day... everything from diving goggles to Trojan condoms. I suppose we all celebrate in our own way ;) -
Review from Alena D.
Allston, MA
6/9/2008
Skydive New England is a great place to not only skydive for the first time but also as a place to eventually work towards your license.
That being said, transportation to Skydive New England is a lot more complicated than I had originally believed it to be.
When traveling from Boston if you have a car, use it. If you have a motorcycle, use it. If you have none of these things and are a longtime masochist of the public transportation system, plan an entire day for one jump.
To Wit: You will take the Amtrak ($18 one way) to Dover, NH. On a hot day, the Amtrak will be, at least, 45 min late. Then you will take a cab to Lebanon, Maine where the skydive center is ($30 one way). You will wait for your class, then a time to jump, and this can be anywhere from an hour and a half to five hours. Then take the cab back to the Amtrak train only to realize that the last train leaves at 9:12. Oh, and again, this train will also most likely be 45 min. late. Transportation cost: about $96, not including taxi tips.
Other than that, it's a fantastic experience, everyone who works at Skydive NE seems to be very nice. It has a small burger joint out in the open so you can watch people skydive right next to you. Nice lawn to camp on. Lovely.
Have fun... rent a car. -
Review from Meaghan F.
Somerville, MA
7/11/2008 1 photo
On my 28th birthday, I opened up a present and my stomach plummeted. I was holding a gift certificate to Skydive New England in my hands. Apparently my gift giver didn't realize that I just like to talk about wanting to do things. I don't actually DO them. After almost two years of pretending I never got the gift certificate, I actually had to make an appointment for my tandem jump before the gift expired. I booked a class for 11 am on the weekend of the 4th of July.
The drive to Skydive New England took between 90 minutes and two hours. After checking in, we went outside to walk around and calm my nerves. This was a bad idea. Within minutes, 10 skydivers came swooping out of the sky traveling approximately 70 mph. I was about to back out of the experience when I realized that I hadn't seen any tandems land. Several minutes later, I saw two tandem jumpers slowly glide in and land gently on the grass. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.
At 11 o'clock, my class was announced over the loud speaker. We were brought into a frat house looking room complete with mismatching pieces of sectional couching from the 80s. We got a quick overview of the jumping process and then watched a video of someone taking their first jump. After the video, we spent 10 or 15 minutes signing our lives away. Make sure you bring photo ID with you. No ID, no jump. You also need to be 18 and weigh less than 250 pounds.
Once the class was over we were told to sit outside and wait for our name to be called. Apparently on a busy weekend, this can take up to four hours. Fortunately, we were there on a holiday weekend and only had to wait about 45 minutes. Once our names were called, we met our tandem guys and our photographers. I jumped with Chad and my friend was paired up with "Big Jim". They got us some jump suits, rigged up our harnesses and went over what we needed to do. After a couple of cloud delays, we were taking off in the plane.
The flight was definitely the scariest part of the experience. We crammed into a plane with about 15 other people for about 15 or 20 minutes. As the trees got smaller and smaller, my heart was racing faster and faster. Once we reached jumping altitude, the solo jumpers took off first. They reach the ground first, so they get to leave the plane first.
The jump itself was amazing. Once I took the step out of the plane, I wasn't scared anymore. I was having too much fun to be scared! There was about 1 minute of freefall at speeds over 100 mph. It was ridiculously fun. You can talk to your tandem guy before hand if there's anything specific you want to do during your freefall - flips, spins, tracking, etc.
Once the canopy was opened, Chad unhooked and loosened some of the harness to make the experience more comfortable. It's pretty terrifying to feel yourself being unhooked when you are that high in the air but I just kept my eyes on the scenery instead of paying attention to what was going on behind me.
After about 5 minutes of gently gliding through the air, we had a nice and smooth landing. Just lift your legs up and land on your butt. This is one place where wearing the jump suit comes in handy. Get grass stains on their clothes, not yours.
I definitely recommend getting the video. They'll film you before, during and after your jump. They also give you a CD with about 20 still shots. If you go with a friend, make sure you jump out first so their photographer gets some shots of you leaving the plane. Getting the video costs an extra $109 but it's totally worth it. You're already paying just over $200 for the jump so why not spend the extra money so you can relive the experience over and over. Once the jump is over, it takes them about 20 minutes to edit all the footage. Grab some food at the Ripcord Café while you wait. Once they bring it to you, you can put it on one of the TVs and watch it while you eat.
Overall, my jump was an amazing experience that I highly recommend. It's definitely worth the money and the drive to Maine. -
Review from Beck N.
1/21/2010 1 photo
Went here last summer & had a total blast! Be prepared to make a day of it if you're a first timer - you'll need to go to class, sign a ton of waivers & then wait for your jump time. It is also important to note that it is ~2.5hrs from Boston with traffic on a Saturday afternoon.
The staff is awesome - especially the camera guys (& it's well worth the $ to get a video/pics of your first dive). & the Ripcord Cafe is a great place to grab some grub while you watch the other jumpers roll in. I can't wait to go back! -
Review from joy a.
Brookline, MA
8/10/2010
We did not have a good experience with this company. We went to celebrate our son's 21st, the weather was poor, which we had been told might happen. What we were not told is that people who arrived after us might jump before us. So having waited all day, once the clouds cleared people that only waited a couple of hours jumped before us.
This experience might have been a rare exception but not refunding my deposit or replying to my letters is not acceptable. -
Review from Chris L.
Boxford, MA
7/25/2011
Awesome experience! Great place to go for your first jump, I went with 4 other friends and we all loved it we expected to be there all day but they moved everything along very quickly. If youre thinking about skydiving this is the place to go
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Review from Joe P.
Orange, MA
10/5/2010
This is one semi-expensive thing I have done that is worth every penny. Instructors were very professional and made me feel comfortable. They are all very experienced. I did a backflip out of the plane (the sole reason being I didn't want to face the ground while I jumped!) and it was pretty cool. Tumbling out and then straightening into a freefall for about a minute. That was one of the most awesome moments of my life. Its worth getting the dvd and pictures for your first jump. It is a memory that will last forever. If you are going, bring some close friends, and enjoy the time of your life!
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Review from K J.
Brookline, MA
7/27/2008
My first experience of sky diving here can be expressed this way,
"I am looking for a way to give it 6 stars on Yelp, but I don't know how"
The drive to this place is about 90 minutes from Boston. And once you are in there, you have to go through a registration and wait till they call you for the instruction class which is a simple 30 minute session where they show you some videos(of a long bearded guy who invented the jumpsuit system. You will not be convinced that it is safe looking at him though). After you sign like a gazillion disclaimers, you can pay and then wait for your name to be called.
Once your turn is up, you are strapped on to the harness and explained everything by your personal tandem jumper. My personal tandem jumper was Matt and the video was done by Mikey (he has a crazy hair do all the time apparently, and this time he colored his hair orange). Once suited up, do the pre-jump video, take the ride on a truck to the plane and follow the tandem jumpers instructions. The plane took us to an altitude of 14000 ft before we took the jump. Once the door opens........
A few helpful hints though if you are a first time jumper and want to get the maximum fun out of it.
The guys who do the jumps with you are totally the coolest you can ever meet (not more than the Yelpers..... duh) . Feel free to tell them that you want to go crazy with your jump. They will love you for that. I did the back flip out of the plane and during the free fall you can do the Superman. And also go around and talk to some of the experienced folks who are part of the school. They are more than happy to tell you everything about sky diving. I met a guy who has been doing this for 25+ years (who I hope was not permanently wheel chair bound ) who was so forthcoming about his stories. Talk to them, but in my view do not ask them everything about how the jump would be. You got experience it.
Do not look directly below at anytime during the jump if you are afraid of heights. Look at the vast landscape, the electric lines that run through the middle of the forest, the houses with the nice swimming pools.....
Get the jumpsuit. it will be slightly colder up in the sky, but it also does not make you look like a total rookie.
Get some food with you. It will be some time before you go up. So you will be hungry.
I only wish the place was a bit closer and a little more affordable. -
Review from Gabriel L.
Elkins, NH
6/22/2011
This was my first jump with Skydive New England and I had a blast. My instructor was really nice and made the experience so much fun. I was only there for a day jump but am looking forward to spending the weekend camping and hanging out. Can't wait to start my AFF class.
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Review from Dan C.
9/12/2009
holy SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII(50 seconds later)TTTTTTTTTTT!
Listed in: How to Get Back Out There and…
