Best Skydiving in Georgia

If Googling the term “Best Skydiving in Georgia”, it’s safe to say your search will result in a long list of places to jump from Atlanta to Athens, but how do you discern “best?” To our knowledge, Consumer Reports has yet to churn out their “Best Places to Skydive” edition, so we’ll use our own digital real estate to help educate you on the best place to skydive in Georgia and share some intangible advantages that make us uniquely different from many of the skydiving options around Atlanta.

Georgia Skydiving – Best Place to Jump?

• Altitude

• Aircraft Type

• Customer Experience

• Safety Culture

Altitude

In terms of free fall, the difference between jumping from a skydiving altitude of 10,000 feet and 14,000 feet is about 30 seconds. In skydiving terms, that’s a huge difference. As anyone who has jumped will tell you, the free fall is the best part and it literally flies by! If searching for the best tandem skydiving experience, then higher is better.

Some skydiving centers only fly to a height of 10,000 feet, so be sure to determine exit altitude before booking.

If you plan to jump with a group, it’s ideal to jump at a dropzone with a plane that has more capacity than four seats, and which can fly to a higher altitude at a quicker rate. At Skydive Monroe, we fly a 14-passenger, lightning-fast, King Air that’s perfect for groups.

One of the most important variables for a great skydiving experience is your instructor. Having an instructor who cares about you and your experience is the difference between “meh” and LIFE-CHANGING. It’s not uncommon to find instructors who are burnt out because they jump all day, everyday. To get a good read on the customer experience, it’s a good idea to read the customer reviews on the dropzone’s website and also on Google, Facebook and Yelp.

If you’re unfamiliar with skydiving it’s hard to discern what an exemplary safety culture looks like, but if you want to get the scoop on a place, it’s best to a) Ask skydivers, and b) Look for trends.

Skydivers love to talk about skydiving and there are many Facebook groups that can help steer you in the right direction. A good place to start is the Beginner Skydivers Forum which has many experienced skydivers who moderate and answer any questions and concerns newbies may have. That said, it is social media, so be prepared for myriad answers and opinions.

Between feedback from skydivers on Facebook, doing Google research on all of the dropzones in Georgia, you’ll start noticing trends of where to go and not go.

If you’ve met our owner Bill Scott, you may notice he’s got some grey in his beard and that’s a good thing (you don’t get to grow grey whiskers by being careless in this sport). Bill is a seasoned veteran of skydiving with more than 10,000 jumps and in his career, he’s seen it all. Because Bill has been on the scene for more decades than he’d care to mention, he has developed a simple safety philosophy known as: Don’t Hurt Bill. As a pilot and active instructor, Bill needs to ensure that everyone understands and correctly executes his philosophies on safety because Bill loves his life as much as his customers!

So, when it comes to safety, Bill is no-nonsense. Ever.

Once Bill is happy that everyone is on board with the “Don’t Hurt Bill” protocol then it’s all about fun which leads us to our next key advantage: Bill loves skydiving.

The quiet truth about owning and operating a skydiving center is the toll it can take on the business owner. Many dropzone owners start their businesses because they love skydiving, but that passion usually wanes through the years because of the stress (mostly financial). This business is expensive to operate and suffers to the whims of the weather, fuel costs, aircraft maintenance expenses, a limited employee pool, and the trust that skydivers will fly their parachutes in a safe manner. These variables add up to high stress and diminished joy which flows down to everyone in the organization.

Bill is different because Bill doesn’t rely on the success of Skydive Monroe to make his living. Bill is a sought-after general contractor and could close the hangar doors at Skydive Monroe at any time. But Bill dutifully shows up at his dropzone every weekend because he absolutely loves skydiving. Freefall is in his veins and the smell of jet fuel is his morning joe. Bill’s passion flows down to everyone in the organization, and that is why Skydive Monroe continues to thrive. The enthusiasm of everyone is off the charts!

If you had the choice of buying a loaf of bread from your local supermarket or from a local artisan baker which would you choose? The answer depends on what matters to you. If wishing to pay the lowest price, then it’s the supermarket bread all day long. If a great-tasting bread without preservatives is most important, then it’s the artisan baker.

We at Skydive Monroe are the artisan baker who loves making bread!

We’re not trying to be in every “supermarket” and be available all the time because we know the passion for our craft will diminish. Skydive Monroe is only open three days a week offering limited times for jumping. Our focus is to build relationships and help facilitate the goals of our guests. This approach is so rewarding for us and keeps the passion burning bright.

It’s a huge difference. Because the health of our financial freedom isn’t tied to how much we jump, it allows us to approach the business of skydiving differently. We don’t have to skydive; we get to skydive.