#1 item on my bucket list and could not have picked a better company to help me accomplish this!
I wanted to jump on my 32nd birthday but due to weather, I was sidelined for 3 days (walls of clouds were coming in) - which leads me to give you all the most important tip- which is to rent a car if you are going to go! I was so happy because the first day I drove up, it was beautiful over in Waikiki, but when you get to the North Shore, the weather is drastically different and can change in a heart beat. If you take a shuttle, you run the risk of having to wait for the clouds to pass. My wife and I left while others had to stay and wait!
I spent the first day waiting 4 hours (7am-11am), then my wife and I left because we didn't want to lose time on our vacation when we could be doing something else . We called early the next morning and it was still cloudy, so we didn't bother wasting the gas or time in fear of pending more time in paradise waiting and watching the clouds pass (we ended up using the car to drive elsewhere to check out spots and we found out that no jumps were made that day, which made us happy we made the right decision). On the 3rd day (and ironically the last day we had rented a car), we said "screw it" and drove up and luckily only had to wait two hours for the clouds to pass and were able to get the "OK" from owner to climb to 14k feet.
My instructor's name was Randy and right off the bat I was happy to meet him. First impressions are everything when your about to have your back strapped to someone you never met and flung out of a perfectly good airplane. I asked around prior to the jump and found out that he was "the go to guy" around the place - from helping at the desk, packing chutes, skydive instructor, to even flying the planes (may want to fact check that last one though as I heard it from someone else who works there). I felt comfortable and more importantly my wife felt comfortable! I remember Randy telling me he had jumped professionally earlier in his career and had in the neighborhood of 14,000 to 15,000 jumps under his belt.
If it is your first time, and you can afford it - it is certainly in your interest to get both the photo and GoPro option - when you get the complete package later on, it will be worth it (I couldn't wait to load it up to YouTube/Facebook and watch the "likes" pile up - which they did)!
On the airplane climb up to 14k feet, Randy was clear and concise about the simple instructions prior to the jump which helped me ease was little tension I had (in all honesty - I was more excited and ready than I thought I would be which in part was due to the professionalism of this establishment).
Manny was the jumper who filmed everything... enthusiastic and fun to be around for sure! Within the first 5 seconds of the jump I saw him flying over my way and immediately gave me the Shocka and stuck his tongue out as if he was the lead singer from KISS or AC/DC! Long story short - he will get you to smile as gravity hurls you 120mph towards the earth! He kept flying circles around us so be sure to keep one eye on him for the pictures and video, but be sure to keep the other eye on the most amazing view you will ever experience.
After 1 - 1&1/2 minutes, the chute deployed and Randy allowed me to take control of the chute to navigate through the sky as if i was a bird (while you navigate, ultimately the instructor is in control, so do not worry or think you will hurt yourself by making a simple turn). As an FYI - this part won't be on film as the jumper has already safely landed.
When I landed, It was all smiles and after watching the video which i will post below when you are done reading here, I noticed that Randy was as serious as could be until we finally landed and then I saw him smile for the first time and throw out a high five! Definitely made my trip back to Oahu for my birthday worth it.
A few others tips I have for anyone reading this are:
1. If you are on a budget, bring some food/sandwiches to snack on because depending on the weather, you may be there for a few hours waiting. HOWEVER if you are not on a budget, bring cash and hit up the food truck next door because their Fish Tacos hit the spot along with everything else on that guy's menu (I forget his name, but was laid back and a great conversationalist).
2. It can get a little chilly at 14k feet above/in the troposphere, so if you want - bring a long sleeve shirt. I didn't care but others might.
3. I paid for the 14kjump & the extra packages, but in all honesty - these instructors are throwing themselves out of the plane with you - all to make sure you have a and amazing time. Go the extra mile and tip them well! I can imagine it is well appreciated on their end as they do not get paid unless you jump (keep in mind they sat there for 2 days prior without being able to jump due to bad weather/clouds!).
Here is the video of my jump :
https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=RyZA read more