0.46deaths per 100,000 jumps · USA 2025
16 civilian fatalities in 2025, up from the record low of 9 in 2024 (0.23 per 100,000 on 3.88 million jumps). For the second year in history, no student died.
Source: USPA, 2025 Fatality Summary
Guide · 15 drop zones · 15 grounds · operators' own rules
Tandem skydiving: weight limit, age, cost and safety
The harness fits most people.
The rules say exactly who.
Every drop zone publishes its own limits, and they are not the same: 100 kg in Cape Town, 250 lb in Hawaii, a BMI cap in Dubai, no age limit at all in Taupō. This guide lists the operators' rules on every ground we have built, the cheapest bookable price at each, and the accident figures from the associations that count them – the United States Parachute Association and British Skydiving. Then you decide.
Who can go
Operators' own limits on 14 grounds
The pattern: almost every drop zone caps tandem passengers between 100 and 115 kg (220–250 lb), and most American ones add a per-pound surcharge from about 200–230 lb because a heavier passenger is harder work for the instructor on opening and landing. Minimum weights (35–40 kg) and minimum heights exist because the harness has to fit. The cap is not about the parachute failing – tandem systems are certified for a combined load of instructor, passenger and gear – it is about opening shock and a controlled landing.
Age is the bigger split: US drop zones require 18 because you sign a legal waiver; New Zealand, Switzerland and South Africa fly children from 6 to 12 with a parent's signature; Dubai stops at 75 without a doctor's letter, Taupō has no upper limit at all. Every operator weighs you on the day, in the clothes you jump in, and the safety officer's call is final.
| Ground | Stop | Weight | Age | Also |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rotorua, Taupō & the North Island | Tandem skydive · Taupō & Auckland | over 100 kg assessed on the day | no age limit; under 18 with written consent | oldest jumper 95; no scuba within 24 h |
| Queenstown | Tandem skydive · NZONE, Queenstown | 40–100 kg; over 95 kg assessed | 6+; under 12 max. 9,000 ft | min. height 1.2 m |
| Sedona & the South Rim | Tandem skydive · Grand Canyon National Park Airport, Tusayan | over 210 lb +$35, over 230 lb +$50, over 250 lb case by case | 18+ | assessment above 95 kg |
| Oahu | Tandem skydive · Skydive Hawaii, Dillingham Airfield, North Shore | up to 250 lb; over 200 lb +$2 per lb | 18+ | |
| Interlaken | Tandem skydive · Reichenbach drop zone, Skydive Switzerland | 40–105 kg (plane); 95 kg helicopter | 12+; under 18 with consent | weighed with clothes and shoes |
| Fjord Norway | Tandem skydive · Skydive Voss, Bømoen | up to 105 kg | 18; 15 with a guardian's consent | April to September |
| Dubai & the Emirates | Tandem skydive · Palm Jumeirah dropzone | 90 kg women / 100 kg men; BMI 27.5 / 30 | 18–75; 70+ with doctor's form | no minimum weight |
| Moab & Southern Utah | Tandem skydive · Canyonlands Field | up to 250 lb, fully clothed | 18+ | |
| Las Vegas | Tandem skydive · Skydive Las Vegas, Jean | up to 230 lb, height-weight proportionate | 18+ with ID | pregnancy not recommended |
| Colorado: Royal Gorge & the Front Range | Tandem skydive · Mile-Hi Skydiving, Longmont | up to 250 lb | 18+ | |
| Cape Town | Tandem skydive · Skydive Cape Town, West Coast | 35–100 kg | 12+ with consent | min. height 1.4 m; must lift legs for landing |
| Miami, Keys & Everglades | Tandem skydive · Homestead & Sugarloaf Key | up to 240 lb; over 200 lb surcharge | 18+ | weighed in jump clothes |
| Puerto Rico | Tandem skydive · Arecibo | up to 250 lb; over 230 lb +$5 per lb | 18+ | no recent surgery or back problems |
| Kauai | Tandem skydive · Skydive Kauai, Port Allen | up to 250 lb; over 215 lb +$2 per lb | 18+ | takes paraplegic passengers |
What it costs
Cheapest bookable offer per ground, as retrieved Sept 25, 2026
The cheapest bookable tandem on our grounds is a 10,000 ft jump in Cape Town for under $250; the most expensive is Dubai's Palm jump at over €650. In the US, count on $250–300 for 10,000–13,000 ft plus a video package sold separately. Several of the best drop zones – Moab, Sedona, Kauai, Miami – sell only direct; we list them anyway and say so.
How dangerous is it
Skydiving is one of the few adventure activities with a full national accident count. In the United States the USPA logs every civilian fatality against the estimated number of jumps: 16 deaths in 2025, 0.46 per 100,000 jumps, after a record low of 9 in 2024. The victims are overwhelmingly experienced solo jumpers – landing errors, low turns, collisions. Tandem passengers appear in that count rarely: none in 2023, three in 2022. British Skydiving's long-run figure for tandems is about 0.15 deaths per 100,000 jumps, and roughly one injury – mostly ankles on landing – per 1,100 jumps. The reserve parachute is not a theoretical backup: USPA members reported using it about once every 726 jumps in 2025.
0tandem student deaths · USA 2023
“No tandem student fatalities in 2023”, after three in 2022; the 2023 rate of 0.27 per 100,000 on about 3.65 million jumps was the lowest in USPA history at the time.
Source: USPA, 2023 Fatality Summary
0.15tandem deaths per 100,000 jumps · UK, all time
About 1 in 653,000 tandem jumps; no tandem fatalities in the UK in the 20-year block 1997–2016. Injury rate about 1 per 1,100 jumps, slightly higher for women.
Source: British Parachute Association 2017, cited by Black Knights Parachute Centre
1 : 726reserve parachute uses per jump · USA 2025
11.8 % of USPA members reported using their reserve in 2025; 5.6 % reported an injury needing medical treatment, most of them on landing.
Source: USPA, How Safe is Skydiving
What to wear
- Shoes: lace-up trainers. No hooks, buckles, sandals or boots with loops – anything that can snag a line is refused at the door.
- Clothes: close-fitting sportswear that a harness can sit over; nothing loose, no scarves, no hoods. Jewellery and watches come off.
- Layers: it is 20–30 °F (10–15 °C) colder at 13,000 ft than on the ground. Long sleeves in summer, a thin fleece in spring and autumn.
- Glasses: fine – the drop zone gives you goggles that fit over them. Contact lenses stay in.
- Eat and drink normally. An empty stomach makes nausea more likely, not less; alcohol within 24 hours means no jump, at every drop zone we list.
Source: Operator guidance, e.g. Skydive Midwest, Start Skydiving; the temperature lapse of about 2 °C per 300 m is standard atmosphere.
First time
- Ground school lasts 15–30 minutes: the arch position, where your hands go on exit, legs up for landing. The instructor does everything else.
- Freefall is 30–70 seconds depending on altitude – about 45 s from 13,000 ft, a minute from 15,000. It feels like wind, not falling; the stomach-drop moment is only the first two seconds.
- Five to seven minutes under canopy after opening at around 5,000 ft. Ask before the jump if you want a gentle ride or spirals.
- Book the first slot of the day. Weather holds are normal; morning slots wait less and the air is calmer.
- Video is sold separately almost everywhere and costs $100–200 on top. Decide before you board, not after.
Before you go
What is the weight limit for tandem skydiving?
Most drop zones cap passengers at 100–115 kg (220–250 lb), weighed on the day in jump clothes. Many American operators add a surcharge of $2–5 per pound above roughly 200–230 lb. Dubai uses 90 kg for women and 100 kg for men plus a BMI cap; Cape Town stops at 100 kg. Minimum weights are 35–40 kg so the harness fits.
How old do you have to be to skydive?
In the US you must be 18 to sign the waiver – no exceptions for parental consent. New Zealand's NZONE takes children from 6 (max. 9,000 ft under 12), Interlaken and Cape Town from 12 with a parent's signature, Taupō has no age limit at all. Upper limits are rare: Dubai stops at 75 unless a doctor signs a fitness form.
How much does a tandem skydive cost?
On our grounds the cheapest bookable jump is about $240 in Cape Town (10,000 ft), typical US prices are $250–300, New Zealand $190–210 for 15,000 ft, Interlaken about €450 and Dubai over €650 for the Palm view. Video packages cost $100–200 extra almost everywhere. See the price table above – it is pulled live from the offers on each ground page.
How dangerous is skydiving?
The USPA recorded 16 deaths in 3.5 million US jumps in 2025 (0.46 per 100,000) and 9 in 2024, almost all experienced solo jumpers. Tandem passengers appear in that count rarely – none in 2023, three in 2022 – and the UK's long-run tandem rate is about 0.15 per 100,000 jumps. Injuries are more common: roughly one per 1,100 tandem jumps, mostly twisted ankles on landing.
Can you skydive with a medical condition?
Every operator asks. Heart conditions, recent surgery, back or neck problems, epilepsy and pregnancy are the usual exclusions or need a doctor's letter; Dubai requires a signed Declaration of Fitness from age 70. Skydive Kauai says it regularly takes paraplegic passengers. If in doubt, email the drop zone before you book – the safety officer's decision on the day is final and non-refundable at most places.
What should I wear for skydiving?
Lace-up trainers without hooks, close-fitting sportswear, no jewellery or scarves, and a layer more than the ground temperature suggests – it is 10–15 °C colder at 13,000 ft. Glasses are fine under the goggles provided.
Which is the highest tandem skydive?
On our grounds it is Auckland at 18,000 ft (Taupō sells 16,500), then Skydive the Grand Canyon at 16,000 ft and Queenstown at 15,000. See the ranked list linked below.
Ranked by the numbers: Skydiving heights compared: the highest tandem jumps →