Everyone is weighed at check in. If you weigh over 94kgs with the clothes and shoes you are wearing for your jump, a surcharge will apply.
At Skydive Australia, we want to help everyone experience the absolute thrill that comes with tandem skydiving. That said, there are some limitations on who can jump. We know it can be an uncomfortable experience to pay extra due to your weight, which is why we wanted to let everyone know the reasons why we have to charge this fee.
ONLY THE BEST TANDEM MASTERS ARE FIT FOR THE JOB
Skydiving is a very physically demanding job for our tandem masters, and this job is made harder with every extra kilogram they have to carry. Only highly experienced tandem masters are qualified and capable of taking customers over the 94kg threshold, and these are usually the ones who are the strongest and most physically fit. Some of them may even claim to be able to bench-press double your weight… and if they do, please challenge them to it!
OUR GEAR CAN’T KEEP UP
Just like our tandem masters, the gear we used for tandem skydiving (such as our harnesses, parachutes, etc) are also put under extra stress with every additional kilogram. When your canopy opens, the gear strapped to you that keeps you safe all the way up there is stretched. The more it is stretched, the sooner it needs to be replaced.
THE SQUAD IS HUNGRY
It ain’t cheap to fuel a plane, and the more weight on board the plane, the thirstier it gets and the more fuel it burns through. It is kind of the same with our tandem masters – they have bigger appetites when they have to work harder!
IT’S A FINE BALANCING ACT
Flying is a delicate art, and the weight balance of an aircraft is integral to a safe flight. If a plane load is comprised of heavier customers, we have to shuffle the whole plane around and are sometimes required to take less passengers on board to keep within our legal operating weight limits. On occasion, we even have to use a different aircraft to accommodate extra heavy loads. It is the exact same reason that commercial airlines charge for extra baggage!
We hope the above helps you understand the reasons why we need to have a weight surcharge. If you have any other questions, please reach out to our awesome Skydive Australia crew!
