If I could give zero stars, I would. Do not buy a gift certificate at this place, as you will never get the service and you won't be able to reach them! Check their FB reviews.. they are scamming more than me! While you are checking their reviews, take into consideration the people that have had "near death" experiences because of their lack of safety. We have been calling and emailing all year, with no response from this "business". Save your money and do not risk your life at this place. I wish I had seen these reviews before giving them $350 for a gift certificate that will never be able to be used, as it is now expired after calling them 50+ times throughout the year with no response. This place should be shut down, I can't believe they are allowed to continue to operate after killing someone and scamming others! read more

Skydive Skydown - Skydiving Near Me - Caldwell, Idaho

See all

If I could give more stars I would. The environment when you walk in is top notch really inviting makes you feel apart of their family. Will definitely be back. Jordan and Mike are top notch and extremely informational. Will be back made me a lifer. The reset and relaxation involved is unlike anything else. read more

best place for a first experience. whole staff made the jump feel very safe, everyone had a ton of experience and great personalities. can't wait to start the licensing journey with skydown. Thanks Jordon &Dylan!!! read more

Came through Boise on a road trip and my friend recommended/ convinced me to do my first jump at skydive sky down. I'm so ecstatic with my experience. Mike was my tandem instructor and made me feel really safe and secure. He was so communicative and all around amazing!! Everyone that is apart of this place is high vibrations and good energy. I love this place!!! Highly Recommended read more

Took my son here for his 18th birthday back in April since this was on his bucket list and let me tell you the staff here are amazing on top of the experience itself ! Highly recommend !! read more

I got my dad a Christmas gift certificate to do the 16,000 ft tandem jump. He just did the jump the following September and had a FANTASTIC time. Denise was clear in setting up the appointment and in giving my dad the pre-jump training. The pilot Paul was professional and also did a great job. And, Mike the tandem instructor was top notch. He delivered the second half of the pre-jump training and did the tandem jump with my dad. It was a wonderful experience--one my dad will never forget! Thanks, Sky Down Skydiving ! read more

Skydive Skydown - Dad safely landing! - Skydiving Near Me - Caldwell, Idaho

Main chute did not open!! On June 4 my girlfriend and I both did a tandem skydive at 10,000 ft for her 40th birthday. This was our first jump for both of us so neither of us knew what to expect. We were in the second group of three groups to jump. The plane goes up, people jump, plane lands, repeat. When it was our turn to jump my girlfriend went first, I went second. Falling through the sky everything was great, exactly as I imagined. I knew the main chute was supposed to deploy somewhere around 5,000 ft. As we dropped, I was in the moment, I didn't really realize how low we had gotten. Finally, a chute deployed and we quickly descended. We came down pretty hard in a weed filled area close to the runway of the airport, but neither of us, myself nor the tandem jump instructor, were seriously injured, just some abrasions and scratches. We were nowhere near where we were supposed to land, the parachute time was less than 20 seconds and was supposed to be more like 2 or so minutes and we came down fast and hard so I knew something went wrong. I asked my instructor and he explained what had happened. The main chute didn't open. The reserve chute deployed when the reserve chute's automatic activation device (AAD) deployed the reserve. He was rattled and his hands were shaking. Keep in mind, this is a very seasoned instructor. My impression is that he'd performed thousands of jumps. He said he'd had several "cut aways" in his life, but nothing quite like this. It wasn't until the next couple of days after doing my research I fully grasped what happened. Main chutes fail 1 in 1000, reserve chutes almost never fail. Statistically, I was never in much danger, but I still don't know, nor may I ever, why the AAD had to deploy the reserve and it wasn't deployed manually. I suspect the reserve ripcord wasn't working either, but I can't confirm. I'm thankful for the AAD though, it saved our lives. You would think this would be the end of my review. It's not. What happened above was only the beginning. The worst part was how myself, the tandem jump instructor and my girlfriend were treated afterward by the Skydown Skydiving owners. After we landed in the weed filled area about 10 minutes later the pilot landed the plane and he drove over to us in his truck. His first and only question was, "Where's my chute?" He was referring to the main chute that cut away when the reserve deployed. The skydive instructor replied, "I don't know" and the pilot yelled, "Fu$k!" called the instructor an amateur and some other colorful words and immediately drove off, I guess to look for his chute. Later, the wife of the pilot (the other owner) drove up to collect us. She was nice and asked about us, but basically acted like nothing out of the ordinary just happened. After we got back to the hangar I felt I deserved some sort of refund or compensation for my skydive not going according to plan to say the least. Long story short, the pilot was up in the face of my girlfriend, wagging his finger at her yelling obscenities. The wife of the pilot, although very off in her affect, stayed calm. We tried to work with them, but all they would do is refund our videography. That's fine, we didn't want it anyway. I believe there is a fundamental safety issue with Skydown Skydiving. If you google them you'll find they are being sued for how they employ their team of skydive instructors and chute packers. I could write pages on this, but I believe this employment structure is the root cause of the safety concern. Packers, are paid by the chute. Chutes are reused between groups. If they are busy, they are hurrying. Mistakes are made. I believe my main chute didn't open because the packers made a mistake hurrying to repack the first group's chute. Quality control is seriously lagging. If you do decide to give Skydown Skydiving a chance, I implore you, don't go when they are busy. If something goes wrong, and you do live through it, don't bother to expect anything like good customer service. As rare as these events are, even for Skydown, you'd expect them to realize they should treat people well when things don't go well, but they don't. I do hope they read this review and make changes to how they employ their chute packers and tandem jump instructors and get some better quality control in place, before someone dies. read more

Man what can I say other than what a absolutely kickass way to spend a Saturday morning! Did my first jump here 20 years ago and brought my daughter here today to take her for her first. Everyone was very professional and I can't wait to come back! If you have ever thought about jumping, this is the go to place! read more

As a mom of four 18-23 year olds who wanted to skydive for 2 siblings' birthday, I looked for a well rated/reviewed operator. We were SO pleased with Sky Down Skydiving. Professional, thorough, and fun! Many thanks. They all had a blast! And I had peace of mind. read more

Super nice people!! Very welcoming and easy to talk to! Felt very safe. Would highly recommend! read more

Skydive Skydown - Skydiving Near Me - Caldwell, Idaho

Bought a gift certificate for a friend in late 2019, good for weekdays with an expiration of 12/31/20. My friend tried to use it many times during 2020, but they could not get a jump schedule because their crew went home due to COVID. They kept trying to get them to jump on a weekend, which they couldn't do because they worked all weekend. Totally understandable with COVID and no issue there. The problem came when they wouldn't extend the gift certificate beyond the original expiration date (12/31/20), so we could use it when they were back up to full operation. If you want reasonable flexibility you might want to look at another skydive operation. read more

I jumped for the 13th time with Skydown, I have been in plenty of sky dive sites, none would teach me to dive, the owners were quite helpful and helped me fulfill my dream of becoming a skydiver, since that time they have accommodated many of my friends and family. I would recommend Skydown to anyone interested in a great time and a safe skydive. 20 years of experience speaks for itself, Skydown has a great safety record and long standing history in the community. read more

To anyone thinking of using this jump service think again, they are not accredited with the BBB. The equipment is maintained to the most minimum standards if at all. The owner operator has had to replace several engines in the last year due to poor maintenance and hamfisted operation. Do a background search for Paul Janes arrest record transporting a controlled substance. Look at Matt K 's review, it says it all. The owners are not interested in anything but your cash and once they have it the customer service ends. There have been numerous cutaways and injuries don't put yourself at risk , do some research and find a reputable place that has good equipment. Call the FAA and verify if they have any complaints. Ask to watch the rigger pack your chute if they say no walk out immediately. read more

I had a great experience for my first time skydiving. Thorough instruction, great instructors, wonderful service. Would definitely recommend Sky Down Skydiving! read more

As an experience sky diver with 20 years in the sport I am shocked at how unsafe skydown is. Possibly the worst area is how the airplane and jumping operation is controlled. The owner who is also the pilot and the safety officer seems to want as short of a jump run as possible, possibly to save fuel. In any case, he is the one telling everyone to just get out as soon as they possibly can regardless of good separation practice. There is no adherence to the usual exit order of slower to faster fall rates, and there is very little time between groups. Everyone almost piles out on top of one another. If you aren't getting out fast enough, you will have several people pushing you out. Even the tandems don't give good separation. This lax procedure is an accident waiting to happen. It almost happened on one of the jumps I was on. Only inexperienced jumpers jump there and one of those jumped out ahead of me. He was spiraling head down out of control angling down jump run as I watch from the plane. There was no horizontal separation in the first few seconds. Nonetheless, I was physically pushed from the plane, despite there not even having been 5 seconds of delay. 6 seconds is the minimum no-wind delay. As I am in free fall, I see this inexperienced jumper deploy at 8000 feet. This is a problem, as it presents a hazard, especially if there wasn't adequate horizontal separation. High pullers are supposed to go last. Jump operations that don't require adequate horizontal separation set the stage for a collision. On another jump, the group I was with was so quick to exit that the group wasn't fully ready. I had to rush as I saw the count being given before we were even in our slots. By rushing, my rig caught on the door. It got free, but that too in another circumstance could result in disaster if it caused a premature deployment in the door. I spoke with one of the tandem customers who was quite complimentary about how well her instructor was able to avoid the other tandems in the air. I was horrified to hear this, as there should not be any other tandems in the same airspace. All this potential for collision and disaster could be greatly reduced by extending jump run and being more mindful of prior separation. There were several other unsafe things: 1. Landing area we with many hazards. 2. Very little communication with jumpers to know what is going on. 3. Only inexperienced jumpers so it is the blind leading the blind. Aside from all the safety concerns, it isn't a good drop some for experienced jumpers. It is a tandem mill, so jumpers must wait for tandems, even if there are enough jumpers to fill a load. This means sitting around waiting. They only go 10,000 agl, so you don't get much free fall time for your 28 dollars. Also, since only inexperienced jumpers go there (and very few of even those), the jumps are clusters. read more

Very good business. We went in April had a group of ten coming in from a few hours away and weren't able to jump at our scheduled time because of high winds. The company was very accommodating and worked with us so that the half of our group that was already tired from the drive over could stay the night in Boise and jump the next day (weather was supposed to be great), and the five of us who wanted to get our jumps in that day hung around hoping for the winds to die down. They did, and we were able to make our jumps! It was still windy, but I liked that because we got to whirl around in our parachutes on the way down and zig-zag through the sky instead of falling straight down. In sum, it was a great experience and the company had great customer service. They gave us the group discount even though our group didn't all jump at the same time. The half of our group that stayed in Boise and jumped the next day also heard from locals that Sky Down is one of the better skydiving companies in the area. It was fun watching the videos they took (none of us bought them since they were so expensive but if would have been sorely tempted if they had been available for $50 or less--hopefully lowering the price of their DVDs is something the company will reconsider), and we got cool certificates at the end. To address some of the comments from the one star review (and a negative review I saw on another website): Some of the jumpsuits are old and worn-looking but all are in plenty good condition to dive with. Don't be surprised if yours has a patch over the rear--they see some real use when you hit the ground--mine was clean before the jump but had grass stains after! Ditto for the plane we rode in (it fit five people--the pilot, two of us, and our two tandem instructors) and the hangar itself. From what it looked like to me all their gear is there for function, and not appearance. It worked just great and we all felt totally safe during our dives so don't judge by appearances. Again, we had a great time! They do have more than one tandem instructor. Another instructor was probably just not available to come in for the time he scheduled to jump with his mother. If you want to jump two at a time it might be a good idea to call ahead and let them know that that's what you want to do. From the company's perspective, with only two people jumping it probably made more sense to only have one instructor come in. I also did not think to ask about how many people could jump at a time (lucky we were a big group), so if you're considering skydiving, be sure to ask! Also: don't forget to tip the tandem instructors! (We did and felt horrible afterwards since they company had been so good to us). read more

A goup of my coworkers and myself went skydiving here a few days ago, and it was AWESOME. The instructors were friendly, knowlegeable, and experienced. The jumpsuites we used were clean and in good repair. The weather wasn't holding up too well, but all of the instrucors didn't mind waiting around for it to clear up since this was our only opportuinity to jump that week. The owners, Paul and Denise, are super friendly. I would highly reccommend Sky Down to anyone looking for an awesome skydiving experience!! read more

After doing two tandems and one solo skydive I knew I was hooked on jumping out of airplanes, I wanted to get my skydiving license and be a SKYDIVER. As daunting of a task as that sounds Paul Janes(co-owner, pilot, and 15,000+ jump skydiver) can teach almost anyone to jump out of an airplane with a smile on their face and have them safely float to the ground. After doing my first jump in 2006 just out of highschool the $5000+ price tag to learn how to jump everywhere I looked is what kept me out of the sky for 6 years. After deciding to leave my desk job selling insurance I found Skydownskydiving.com and called Paul, he said with his "A license package deal" he could get me licensed as fast as I wanted to get my 25 jumps done for only $2500! Having 3 jumps in my log book already he gave me a discount on the package deal which was unnecessary considering the amount of coaching it took me to get over kicking and swimming habit leaving the airplane. Once I was able to smile and enjoy the mind clearing 45 seconds of freefall and the beauty of the treasure valley as you float down under canopy for 4-5 minutes I became completely addicted and have made over 1200 jumps with Sky Down in the last 4 years. Now as a Tandem Instructor I have the privilege to strap scared, nervous, and completely excited people to myself everyday and throw them out of an airplane for their first time and show them something that they never thought possible on their own. If you want to jump with some amazing people that just love to teach and show people how amazing the world looks from 10,000+ feet above the ground then give Sky Down and call and let's get you in the air! read more

Skydive Skydown - Idaho's Largest and Fastest jump plane! - Skydiving Near Me - Caldwell, Idaho

This was the best time ever! Of course you are nervous but they make you feel so safe and comfortable there! 10/10 would do it again

I went through the static line course at Skydown and the owners and staff were all extremely helpful. Paul and Denise (the owners) will go out of their way to help you get up in the air. I always feel welcome when I go there, even after long periods of not going. As long as you are clear on what you want to do, they will go out of their way to accommodate that as well... As a student, I would sometimes show up in the middle of the week with little notice and Paul would find a coach to jump with me. I have taken friends to jump with me and they all loved it. Skydown is all about skydiving and safety. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND Skydown. read more

Extremely friendly group! Had a wonderful first time jumping with my new 18yr old. They had an ease about themselves and took a lot of the fear and uncertainty away making it a very calm and relaxing experience! read more

Had an amazing experience. Everyone from the pilot to the instructors were exceptional to work with. I would highly recommend this company.

Great operation! Accommodated us on a experienced load on a rainy Tuesday! Well run, experienced, tandem and static line jumpers will be happy they made jumps here. read more

Don't let the one star review fool you. I've jumped with Skydown a few times over a ten year span and I've always got to jump tandem with friends together. Sure, their appearance is a little folky, but that doesn't mean you should assume that they're not safe. These guys are rock solid veterans and good down to earth people. I do not work for them, nor am I even friends with any of them. This is coming from a real customer with a very satisfied experience. read more

We stopped in a couple times just to check out the business, Sky diving has been on my wife's bucket list for ever. We set up approximate dates for a jump, then confirmed a date different. Paul and Denise drove back from Seattle after working there all day, to make my wife's dream come true. They don't waste a lot of money on frills, but give a safe, exciting, and enjoyable experience. My 64 year old wife is rounding up some friends to jump with her when she is 65. I am content to view the good times from the ground.... read more