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Skydive San Diego
Rating Details »
Category: Active Life [Edit]
13531 Otay Lakes RdJamul, CA 91935
(619) 216-8416
Free Video!
Bring this coupon in and get a Basic Video of your…
Announced 1 week agoMore »
- Hours:
Mon-Fri. 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Sat-Sun. 8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
- Good for Kids:
- No
18 reviews for Skydive San Diego
For all of you thrill seekers out there... SKYDIVING is possibly the most fun I've had in a LONG time! The guys at Skydive San Diego are professional, friendly and FUN!! Besides, SD is a great place to jump out of a plane because you have the Pacific Ocean on one side and Mexico on the other. The view doesn't get more scenic than this!
My ex surprised me a few years ago by taking me skydiving for my birthday. While I'm not scared of heights, riding on roller coasters certainly does not top the list of my favorite past time activities. So, I was excited to skydive... but I was also really scared when we got there. Luckily, my instructor (Nick) was a total cutie and made the whole experience a very memorable one. From the initial training to putting on the gear to jumping out of the plane, he made sure I was having fun. Apparently, he had skydived hundreds of times and he even took his mom skydiving on her 60th birthday. Awww... isn't that sweet?! Well - it definitely made me feel much better that I was in good hands.
Oh, and splurge to get a photographer to document (video and photograph) the experience! You'll be glad to have the proof to show your grand kids someday!
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A long, long time ago,,,,
I went skydiving.
I would again given the same experience that I had here. Both the Static Line and the Accelerated Freefall experiences were and safe, informative, and pleasant as any training to be had anywhere.
Obviously the jumps are fun. But I was glad to know at the back end of the fun I was going to make it out alive and smiling.
Thanks for the great times!
For anyone reading this,, make sure you wear at least jeans and a long shirt. It's gets cold at altitude.
BTW,, I just called them up again to check their prices. They offer a group rate of $179 for 10 people.
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I'll start the with positives:
- Convenient location
- Nice instructors
- And jumping out of a plane is just plain friggin awesome!
What I didn't like about my experience was:
- Poor customer service from the sales counter. The girl working there, Cindy, had a bad attitude and negative disposition.
- Hustlers, Cindy seemed to be making up their financial policy on the spot. "It's $209 with a reservation." "What about if I pay cash, it's $189 right?" "Yeah." "Okay, I'll pay cash and I have a coupon from the reader for $10.00 off my video but I couldn't print it. I have it pulled on my phone, can I give you the coupon number to get the discount?" "No, you have to have it printed." "Okay, I'm early so I have time to run and get a Reader. I'll be right back." "Okay." (Ten minutes later, just as I'm heading back to the place with Reader in tote I get a voicemail from Cindy.) "Um, just wanted to let you know you can't get the cash price and use a coupon at the same time. You have to pick one or the other. So let me know what you're going to do."
- They're nickel and dime'ing it here folks and it can add up. Because I wanted to go into my jump with a somewhat positive attitude I didn't even bother arguing with her about it. But seriously, the website, nor did the coupon say - not valid with cash price."
- Then she charged me the full price in cash though my credit card had already had a $60.00 deposit charged to it that was supposed to go towards my jump. I did bring that to her attention a few minutes later when I caught it and luckily she was rational enough about that not to put up a fight and gave me my $60 back.
- Regarding the jump, it was fun but we received NO training beforehand and we were supposed to. We went to the training area and everything and instead of training us, they strapped us up and put us on the plane. As we were heading to the plane our instructors asked if we received the training and when we said no replied, "good it's better that way!" Not sure if that's a true statement. I started kicking when we first started to free fall and wasn't sure how to handle all of the air thrusting into my face. I couldn't breathe because it was so much air forcing it's way up my nose and in my mouth and I was sure I was going to pass out if it didn't stop soon. Luckily, just short of fainting from suffocation, we pulled chute and then it was smooth gliding over beautiful San Diego.
My suggestions for your experience:
- Get a Reader and go on Sunday and you'll get a free video with coupon. ($60 value)
- Pay cash and it's only $189 with a reservation, opposed to $209.
- Bring ear plugs to wear for the the free fall.
- Make sure they give you the training, so you know what to expect. Especially if it's your first time.
- Don't kick your instructor when you jump out the plane, believe it or not you can't swim in the air. (I tried, lol)
- I think they have military discounts though it wasn't advertised so remember to ask if that applies to you.
- They are not going to try to give you the best deal, so you have to do your homework and ask to get it.
- Have fun!
I'll probably give one of their competitors a try to before I go back, so I can have a reference point to compare experiences, but all in all, I'd go here again. (Just with my guard up for the vultures behind the "customer service" counter.)
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Awesome.... seriously the most fun I could imagine having!
My husband and I went skydiving for my birthday this weekend and we were very impressed with this place. Very efficient, we were signed in, harnessed up, thrown out of a plane and driving home in less than 2 hours. Granted this was on a Friday, I imagine the weekends are a bit more hectic. The staff was great, the instructors were wonderful, and the experience... well indescribable; I don't know... exciting, amazing, thrilling, LOVED IT!!!!! My husband did a jump a couple years back in Elsinore and was thoroughly impressed with SD comparatively, having nothing to compare it to, I just think it was awesome.
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I went earlier this month. What an awesome experience!! Great venue, well-informed staff, and a fun and friendly atmosphere. I can't wait to go again!!
Definitely go for the Deluxe Video package if you can. Although I'm a little jealous that my friends pictures came out better, mine are still awesome too and I am very happy with both the photos and video that I got.
And bring your friends and family! There is an area where you can hang out before you take off. There are a few tables and chairs, but if they want to bring a lawn chair then they'll be guaranteed a seat. Plus, they can take pictures too! It will add to all the great memories.
Tip: Go earlier in the day. Some of the staff seemed a little bit "bored" by the end of the day. Both my tandem instructor and videographer were yawning the entire flight up.
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I just went here with my dad to go sky diving for our first times. It was a great experience overall, however here are a few things to keep in mind when you go:
1. make sure the goggles fit your face, mine did not and after spending that much money i wish i would have been able to relax more when I was free falling
2. be care what you wear. I recommend running shorts and shirt for women. you get a jumpsuit if you ask (free) and its probably the best way to go
3. be ready to wait a bit, we went there at 11 and jumped at close to 12:45
It is definitely an awesome experience and i would recommend it to anyone, I just wanted to give some pointers so your experience can be as amazing as possible! Enjoy!
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I debated giving this place 4 or 5 stars, and decided to round up, based on skydiving being five-star-cool, and my own five star performance (meaning I did not defecate in my pants, and I stuck the landing).
I got there at like 2:05 for a 2:00 appointment, and I was harnessed in at 2:20 (after signing a stack of waivers as thick as a Les Miserables book), and was up in the plane at about 2:35. What I'm trying to say is that it was LIGHTNING quick. Round trip from PB was 2 hours and 15 minutes.
One of the best things I thought was that they were really good about me not wanting the video. They asked, I said no, and that was that. I was expecting to have to throw down, but the were super chill. Another amazing thing was the view - TJ, SD, the ocean, the mountains (it was crystal clear when I went) were GORGEOUS.
My guy was Josh and I would totally recommend him. He was really excited about going up, really experienced, and he let me steer.
The only thing I would have taken off a star for is not having the AFF available that Saturday (Normally people go tandem their first time, but AFF is a way that you can jump by yourself the first time). I didn't call ahead and reserve it though, so it's my bad.
TIP FOR THE GUYS - MAKE SURE THAT HARNESS IS COMFY. The harness goes on your shoulders and right up by your junk - make sure that you can lift your legs and put your legs together comfortably. When the chute deployed and I lifted my legs up there was a pinch pinch PINCH and it felt like god himself had my little right crown jewel in his forceps. For a second it felt like I had ovaried myself. Other than that though, it was A+ all the way.
ANOTHER TIP - I hear the sunset jump is breathtaking.
PS No kids (18+) and no bigguns (less than 230 lbs.)
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I still can't believe I jumped out of a plane... now if someone ever says, "Go jump out of a plane", I can say, "I've already done that." Skydive San Diego was very cool. I did the video & pictures, which I highly recommend. They mailed me a DVD of my jump and posted it online. Totally worth doing it at least once.
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I finally did it. I went skydiving! Skydive San Diego was the place, and the overall experience was good, not to mention a fantastic skydive! I surprised my fiance by taking him skydiving yesterday, literally telling him as we drove into the driveway of the place! The location is a bit in the cuts, but that's good considering the nature of the sport. The front office area was very laid back and the girls behind the desk seemed a bit nutty. We filled out the pages and pages of paperwork, basically signing our lives away, standard skydiving procedure. Then came payment...that's the crappy part. It cost about $600 for two of us to jump tandem with video/photos. I guess in the end it was worth it.
The 'training' was very quick and we were suiting up in no time. The lack of training kinda scared me, but I asked a million more questions before actually going through with it so I aws able to get a bit more information. It was freezing so they let us wear the jumpsuits as added protection. My fiance's videographer was right there and got a bunch of pre-jump commentary, but my guy was in the middle of a jump with someone else so he didn't get too much of me before we boarded the plane. Oh, well, we'll see how the videos turn out when we get them in about a week.
The plane looked ghetto inside. These things are not built for comfort! Dave was my instructor/tandem buddy and he was super helpful and definitely calmed me down. Luckily he was a tall guy so I felt comfortable being with him, and the fact that he definitely knew his stuff. My 6'1", 220 fiance jumped with a guy who was about 5'6", 150 so that was a bit comical.
Then came the jump...
Ready...
Set...
GO!
And we're out of the plane. Holy freakin' cow! What an amazing feeling! This coming from the girl who is scared of heights! Cold air whipping the face like needles, and yet I had a smile on my face as evidenced in the photos. The parachute ride was awesome, and Dave guided me to safety on the ground.
Pure exhilaration. Skydive San Diego was laid back, which might scare you considering the danger of the sport, but everyone who jumped really knew what they were doing and put me at ease. I would go back, so long as someone else is paying!
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I went yesterday to do something I have wanted to do for years. The whole experience at Skydive San Diego was amazing. My instructor Andre was nice, witty and just help put my mind at ease while on the plane ride up. That was the scarest part for me was going up in the little tiny plane. Once the opened the door and the solo divers had at it I was ready to get out of the plane and glide across Jamul.
I cannot even describe the experience. You just have to do it yourself to understand. What a great time. I am ready to go back for more. If you are getting the video you can find a $10.00 off coupon in the SD Reader. I think someone else mentioned that. Also if you jump during the week you get some sort of discount AND if you pay cash you get 10.00 off the bill.
I ended up getting the deluxe video which also included a roll of 35 MM film. I had to have some photos of me so high in the sky. I only got the video because my dad wanted it.
If you are ready to jump check this place out!
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View from your local asian guy
The positive: Cant go wrong with jumping out of a plane. That was quite awesome. I cant lie about that. The feeling you get from the free fall out of the plane is great.
The negative: Well. They dont tell you to dress warm because you dont get a jump suit here they just put you on a harness and strap y ou to an instructor so i was stuck wearing shorts and a tshirt 13000 ft in the air. Which sucks cause it's freezing that high up.
PRIOR TO OUR JUMP A GIRL SLAMMED INTO THE GROUND AND HAD TO BE CARTED OFF BY AN AMBULANCE.... now i dont consider that their fault however what was distrubing was that they didnt even wait to get her off the field before they started filing us onto the plane.. this place seems like they just want your money and to get you up and down as soon as possible. Paid for the video and was told we would get an e-mail of it. which we did.. but they wont give you a file format that would allow you to post it on youtube or myspace videos... instead they have a video box on their webpage and that is it. Which is a little disappointing when y ou pay an extra 100 bucks for it.
Overall: Grreat experience... just wish they were more considerate to their clientel.
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I always wanted to skydive so when one of my birthdays rolled around, we decided to jump. I wanted to do the Accelerated Freefall (solo) but they wouldn't let me so I had to do the Tandem. Talk about lame. I went 2 yrs ago but I think some places now will let you go by yourself on your first jump. !@#$
The hardest part of the whole experience is getting your mind to allow your body to actual get out of the plane. My little toes had a mind of their own and were taking forever to inch closer and closer to the door of the plane to jump. Once you've jumped, the impact of the wind is pretty intense but once you're at an altitude where it's more stable for you, relax and enjoy the view.
I've never been bungee jumping but this seems a lot different since you're just in the air without being attached to anything except your parachute. The feeling when you're just sort of floating in the sky is indescribable.
They'll even give you a DVD and also pictures of your entire experience. You'll have to pay a lot extra but if you're only going to do it once, why not pay a little more? There's a $10 off coupon in the SD Reader. I didn't use the coupon but you can google it.
Also, don't bring anyone with bad vibes with you, don't even let them come to watch. Not even in the parking lot. They'll kill the experience for you.
Coincidentally, one of my co-workers was here looking into places where he could store a plane that he had just purchased.
The next day at the office, he comes up to me telling me how he saw some girl that looked exactly like me who was getting into a plane to jump...I just laughed. What a trip.
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I went skydiving here on Sunday for my 25th birthday and will definitely be back soon. I can't stop thinking about how amazing it was, I think I'm addicted! Give yourself time if you go on a weekend, it was pretty busy and I had reservations for 12:30 but didn't go up until 2. The wait time isn't bad because there's a BBQ going and you get to watch the drop zone from the grass.
My instructor was Josh, he was really cool and when I do go back I will ask to have him again. My brother had a guy named "Scary", I think his name is Sean Carey? Anyway he was really cool also. I can't think of the other guy who someone in my group had but he was really really funny! He was a smaller Brazilian guy...I think.
Overall the instructors my group had seemed very experienced and down to earth, 5 stars because of the free fall which was AMAZING! The girl that checked us in could've been a bit more friendly but oh well maybe she was having a bad day.
Go here ask to jump with Josh, Scary or the Brazilian guy if you want to have a fabulous time!
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The first time I went skydiving was in August of 2005, and it was at this airfield. Skydive San Diego has a great safety record, so if you're eager to jump out of a plane and have a great view of the Pacific Ocean (and the U.S./Mexico border), while at the same time being confident that your safety is in good hands, SDSD is the place to go.
The downside of going to Skydive San Diego, which may be the result of its popularity and safety record, is that you have to wait quite a while to get strapped to a harness and board the plane. I had to wait 2 hours before I went onto the aircraft...and waiting for 2 hours isn't a good thing when you're understandably nervous because you're about to do something that may lead to your death. You have to sign waivers after you pay by the way...to ensure your family members or relatives don't sue the facility if something tragic (but hopefully unlikely) occurs.
The advantage of going to Skydive San Diego, as mentioned earlier, is that you have a great view of the Pacific Ocean on one side and Tijuana on the other (SDSD is pretty much located along the U.S./Mexico border..at Otay Lake). While you're parachuting back to the ground, you can also see the Olympic training facility down below. I wonder if Michael Phelps went there once. Nevermind. A really cool moment when you're parachuting back to the ground is when you catch a glimpse of the aircraft you jumped out of landing on the runway BELOW you. The fact that you're in the air, but not in the confines of an aircraft, which is thousands of feet below you, is a kick-arse experience.
All-in-all, Skydive San Diego is a reliable place to go to, to try out this extreme sport. You get a certificate for free, and pay extra if you want 35mm photos and a DVD copy of your jump. The extra cost is well worth it. Unless you're deciding to become a certified skydiver, you should be willing to pay a little extra to chronicle something that may most likely be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for ya.
Me? I went skydiving a second time in May of 2006. Read my review of Perris Valley Skydiving for details. =P
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In the Summer of 2005, I did seven jumps here. The first two were tandems (wherein one is attached to an experienced instructor and hurled downward from 13,500 feet). The remaining five were assisted solos in the Accelerated Free Fall program. I also rode the plane down once (on what was to be my first assisted solo) because I was just too damn scared to jump.
Skydiving is the scariest thing I've ever done in my life but at the same time, it was one of the most rewarding. In some respects, after you've tossed yourself out of a twin-engine plane, deployed your own parachute and safely guided yourself to the ground, nothing else in life really seems all that frightening anymore. It's also the most incredible adrenaline rush I can ever imagine experiencing, and an incredible way to enjoy the scenery of a place.
As far as Skydive San Diego, itself, I can say that my experience with the place and most of the staff there was absolutely wonderful. They have a full house of experienced jumpers who care about the safety of newbies. The AFF instruction is also very thorough (and Jen, the woman who runs the AFF program, takes it very seriously). Brook Balkin, one of the senior AFF instructors, took incredibly good care of me through a tandem jump and many of my assisted solos. Patrick is also great (both jumping with him and his video/photography work). Dave is also an excellent videographer and when I was there, he was at 11,000 jumps and counting!
Skydive San Diego prides itself on an excellent safety record with no fatalities... ever. The only thing that keeps me from rating it with a full five stars is a definite aura of dropzone politics/drama and a couple of hotshot younger instructors who may or may not take things seriously enough.
People always ask me why I stopped jumping and my answer is always the same: I just wasn't ready to live with the risks that are inherent to this sport, and I wasn't ready to make the people who love me live with them. But my seven jumps were an experience I would not trade for anything. If you're inclined to try skydiving, even only once, I'd highly recommend this dropzone.
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I know, I know, I'm pretty crazy to agree to do this. It was all my husband's idea - he's been talking about it for years and this year I said I'd take him for his birthday. At first I planned to just cheer from the ground, but then I realized that if he landed saying how awesome it was I would be kicking myself later for not joining him.
Everyone at Skydive San Diego was very friendly and helpful, but the "triaining" was only about 5 min long! I felt safe though, and my instructor, Andre, was very cool. We also each got the camera guy who jumps out with you to take video, and they give you a roll of film too. I received the video via email as well, but my husband didn't for some reason.
The adrenaline was amazing and that first minute of freefall was the longest and most exciting of my life, so it was all worth it. I would recommend that everyone try this at least once. I give Skydive San Diejo 4 stars because it was was safe and professional, but I felt like they could have prepared us more and the whole thing was over so fast. (Once your done they pretty much take off your straps and leave). It's true that they don't give you a suit or a helmet, so dress warm. Take a deep breath and jump!
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I first skydived 2 years ago at SSD, it was a great experience. I booked the AF (tandem is lame) and I had to go there at 7am in the morning. Started with Trainning classes about the parachute, how to open, how to check your parachute, when to open the backup parachute, how to land, how not to land, studied the aerial maps about the landing sites...etc etc. The staffs were friendly & they took care of all your questions and worries.
I got to jump at around 3pm & it was 1 of the best experience in life so far. I think everybody should try skydiving once in their life time, I liked it alot.
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I skydived for the first time here a couple months back. My instructor and camera guy were both extremely cool and friendly...and very experienced. I felt very safe!
They also sell burgers and stuff if you have to wait or if you have friends with you that are hungry...which I did.
The whole experience was great!
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