The jump aircraft of Taupō Tandem Skydiving on the ground

Compare by activity · 11 drop zones · 10 grounds · altitudes from the operators

Skydiving heights compared: the highest tandem jumps

Every drop zone sells the same fall. What changes is how long it lasts.

Tandem skydiving is the most-searched adventure on the planet, and the number people search for is the height. This page ranks every drop zone on Thrillgrounds by the highest exit altitude the operator sells, with freefall time where they state it. The rule of thumb underneath: about 45 seconds from 13,000 feet, a minute from 15,000, and every extra 1,000 feet is roughly five more seconds.

Ranked by exit altitude

Highest altitude the operator sells · 10 entries

01
18,000 ft^{5,486 m · 17,999 ft}
Skydive Auckland, 18,000 ft
Auckland, New Zealand · Ground 14 · Rotorua, Taupō & the North Island
Pulse 5/5
The highest tandem in New Zealand, and the highest on these grounds: 18,000 feet with oxygen on the climb, from the drop zone west of Auckland. Taupō's standard jump is 15,000 feet over the lake.
Source: Operator figures, see the North Island page (“Highest in NZ: 18,000 ft, from Auckland”)
$188.26Book · ★ 5.0 · 370
02
15,000 ft^{4,572 m · 15,000 ft}
NZONE Skydive, 15,000 ft
Queenstown, New Zealand · Ground 21 · Queenstown
Pulse 5/5
Up to 60 seconds of freefall over the Remarkables and Lake Wakatipu from the top option; 12,000 and 9,000 feet are the cheaper tiers. New Zealand's first skydive operation, from age six.
Who can: 6+, no upper age; from 40 kg, over 95 kg assessed
Source: nzoneskydive.co.nz, FAQs
$205.18Book · ★ 4.8 · 604
03
15,000 ft^{4,572 m · 15,000 ft}
Skydive Taupō, 15,000 ft
Taupō, New Zealand · Ground 14 · Rotorua, Taupō & the North Island
Pulse 5/5
45 to 70 seconds of freefall over the lake and the volcanoes, with 12,000 and 16,500 feet also on the menu.
Source: Operator figures, see the North Island page
$188.26Book · ★ 5.0 · 370
04
13,000 ft^{4,000 m · 13,123 ft}
Skydive Switzerland, Interlaken
Reichenbach, Switzerland · Ground 22 · Interlaken
Pulse 5/5
4,000 metres over the twin lakes with the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau in the window, about 45 seconds at up to 180 km/h. The helicopter version jumps over the Lauterbrunnen valley.
Who can: resellers list 12+, 40–105 kg
Source: outdoor.ch (“45 s Freefall from 4000 m (13000 ft)”)
€451.47Book · ★ 4.9 · 645
05
13,100 ft^{4,000 m · 13,123 ft}
Skydive Voss
Voss, Norway · Ground 20 · Fjord Norway
Pulse 5/5
A parachute club on the Bømoen airfield, 4,000 metres over the fjord country, about 45 seconds of freefall. Daily April to September; sold by the club, not on the platforms.
Who can: 18 (15 with a guardian's consent), up to 105 kg
Source: visitvoss.no; skydivevoss.no
Sold direct
06
13,000 ft^{4,000 m · 13,123 ft}
Skydive Dubai, Palm dropzone
Dubai, UAE · Ground 12 · Dubai & the Emirates
Pulse 5/5
Thirteen thousand feet over the Palm Jumeirah with the whole coast laid out below – the most-searched skydive in the world by name, and the strictest on limits.
Who can: 18 to 75; 90 kg women, 100 kg men
Source: Operator figures, see the Dubai page
€651.69Book · ★ 4.9 · 1,921
07
13,000 ft^{3,962 m · 12,999 ft}
Skydive Moab, 13,000 ft
Moab, Utah · Ground 09 · Moab & Southern Utah
Pulse 5/5
13,000 feet above the ground over red rock, canyons and the Colorado – note above ground, not sea level, so the freefall is the full length. An 8,000-foot option is cheaper. Sold direct.
Source: Operator figures, see the Moab page
Sold direct
08
12,000 ft^{3,658 m · 12,001 ft}
Skydive Cape Town
West Coast, South Africa · Ground 19 · Cape Town
Pulse 5/5
10,000 feet standard and 12,000 as the upgrade, over the West Coast with Table Mountain and Robben Island on the horizon; freefall over 190 km/h.
Source: skydivecapetown.co.za (“10000ft/12000ft AGL”)
$243.16Book · ★ 4.9 · 224
09
10,000 ft^{3,048 m · 10,000 ft}
Skydive Miami & Key West
Homestead and Sugarloaf Key, Florida · Ground 06 · Miami, Keys & Everglades
Pulse 5/5
Ten thousand feet over the Everglades from Homestead, or over the reef and the Keys from Sugarloaf Key – about 40 seconds of freefall, both booked direct.
Source: Operator figures, see the Miami & Keys page
Sold direct
10
10,000 ft^{3,048 m · 10,000 ft}
Skydive Puerto Rico, Arecibo
Arecibo, Puerto Rico · Ground 07 · Puerto Rico
Pulse 5/5
Ten thousand feet over the north coast, 30 to 35 seconds of freefall and five to seven minutes under the canopy above the Atlantic.
Source: Operator figures, see the Puerto Rico page
$249Book · ★ 4.9 · 13

Beyond these grounds

Records we have not measured ourselves – because the ground is not built yet or the operator publishes nothing we can check. Listed so the ranking is honest.

Everest Skydive, Nepal

7,000 m+

Tandem jumps from above 23,000 feet with oxygen, landing at over 4,000 metres near Everest base camp, a few weeks a year. Nepal is not a ground; the price is a multiple of everything on this page.

HALO jumps, United States

30,000 ft

High-altitude tandem jumps with oxygen from around 30,000 feet are sold at a handful of US drop zones. Not on these grounds, and not a first jump.

Before you go

How high is a tandem skydive?

Usually 10,000 to 15,000 feet – 3,000 to 4,600 metres. On these grounds the standard is 13,000 feet in the Alps, Dubai and Moab, 15,000 feet in New Zealand with 18,000 available from Auckland, and 10,000 feet in Florida and Puerto Rico. Higher means longer freefall: about 45 seconds from 13,000 feet, up to a minute from 15,000.

What is the highest skydive in the world?

For a tandem passenger, the Everest jumps in Nepal from above 23,000 feet, and HALO jumps in the United States from around 30,000 feet, both with oxygen. The highest on Thrillgrounds is Auckland's 18,000-foot jump; Queenstown and Taupō sell 15,000.

What is the skydiving weight limit?

Most drop zones stop between 95 and 105 kg and assess heavier passengers individually, because the tandem harness and the canopy are rated for a combined load. Published limits here: NZONE from 40 kg with over 95 kg assessed, Interlaken and Voss up to 105 kg, Dubai 90 kg for women and 100 kg for men. Some charge a surcharge above 90 kg.

How old do you have to be to skydive?

It varies more than people expect: six in New Zealand at NZONE and Taupō, twelve in Interlaken, fifteen with consent or eighteen in Norway, eighteen in Dubai with an upper limit of 75. In the United States the industry rule (USPA) is eighteen. There is no upper age at most drop zones – NZONE has taken a 94-year-old.

How long does the whole thing take?

Two to four hours including briefing and waiting for a slot; the flight up is 15 to 20 minutes, the freefall under a minute, the canopy ride five to seven. Mornings are calmer everywhere: the Cape Doctor grounds Cape Town afternoons and thermals do the same in the Alps.

What does a tandem skydive cost?

On GetYourGuide on the date at the foot of this page, from about $188 in Taupō, $197 in Auckland and $205 in Queenstown, $243 in Cape Town with transfer, $249 in Puerto Rico, about €451 in Interlaken and about €652 in Dubai. Direct prices: CHF 425 in Interlaken, R3,950 in Cape Town, NOK 3,990 in Voss, from $189 in Moab. Higher altitudes and video are always extra.