Best Los Angeles Sky Diving Schools
Experience the ultimate adrenaline rush by leaping from a plane and enjoy the storied sites of Los Angeles. If you are not ready to brave the plane, you can also try your hand at indoor sky diving. Regardless of your preference, be sure to explore the thrilling world of skydiving at the best sky-diving schools in the Los Angeles area.
Hours: Mon to Fri 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Sat to Sun 7:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Price: $299
One hour from the Los Angeles metro area in the Inland Empire, Skydive Elsinore operates a private airport to send you off attached to your parachute via DeHavilland Twin Otter aircraft designed to be flown at slow speeds. But first, if you're not AFS qualified, take the level one four-to-six hour ground training class and then get ready to make that first jump with the aid of two instructors, one at each side.
Hours: Mon to Fri 9 a.m. - sunset; Sat to Sun 7:30 a.m. - sunset
Price: $342 for the first jump course
Learn to skydive where the stars learned their skills and count yourself among the likes of Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, Chuck Norris and Patrick Swayze. Jim Wallace Skydiving utilizes various USPA dropzones around the Southland for a variety of environmental views and various terrain experiences.
Hours: Sun to Sat 7:30 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Price: $246 per jump
Before you can be certified to do a solo jump, you will need to start off with tandem jumps. Get these jumps under your belt in style by trying out the wide open spaces of coastal California. Morning is considered the best time to fly over the Pacific, according to this outfit located out of Camarillo Airport about one hour west of Los Angeles. A Cessna 182s will take you up and then it is time to free fall.
Hours: Sun to Sat 7:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.; Tues and Wed closed
Price: $246 for a tandem jump
For a truly Southern California skydiving experience, jump in the car and drive north for three hours to Camarillo. From there, you'll fly out and then jump over a wide vista that not only takes in the downtown Los Angeles skyline, but also the Channel Islands and the bright blue Pacific in between. Opt for a 120 mile per hour freefall or a more leisurely canopy ride.
Hours: Mon to Fri 10:30 a.m. - 9 p.m.; Sat to Sun 10:30 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Price: Packages begin at $59.95 with discounts available to Universal Studios Hollywood season pass holders.
If you are not ready to take the plunge from the plane, start with indoor skydiving. Learn to skydive indoors at iFly at City Walk. The facility's indoor wind tunnel mimics the adrenalin pumping feeling of falling through the air in a parachute. This is a great way to see if you want to pursue a higher level of training for this freedom building sport without plunking down the big bucks for the qualifying course. There is no experience is necessary for this particular high-flying endeavor.
Los Angeles travel writer Jane Lasky contributes to publications such as Travel + Leisure, Vogue and Esquire. Her weekly sojourning column ran in 40 newspapers for 20 years. Jane is anything but an accidental tourist. Check out her articles on Examiner.com.
