Modern equipment, strict procedures and experienced instructors give it a strong safety record. A tandem jump puts you with a professional who has done it thousands of times.

Tandem or solo for a first jump?

Tandem. You are attached to an instructor who controls the jump, so you can just enjoy it. Solo training comes later if you are keen.

How high are the jumps?

Tandem jumps are often from around 10,000 to 15,000 feet, giving a long freefall. The operator confirms the altitude.

Are there weight or age limits?

Yes, weight and age limits apply for safety and equipment. The operator will give you the exact figures.

What does freefall feel like?

Less like falling and more like floating on a wall of air, loud and intense. Then the canopy opens and it goes quiet and calm.

Can I do it if I am scared of heights?

Many jumpers are. Oddly, the height feels less real from a plane than from a tall building, and the instructor guides you through it.

Skydiving in United Arab Emirates

The UAE turns desert and warm Gulf water into year-round adventure. Powerboat and snorkel the coast, kitesurf off Dubai and Abu Dhabi, dune-board and fat-bike Liwa, via-ferrata and zipline Jebel Jais and dive Fujairah. Modern and sunny, with instructors and centres on Adventuro from coast to mountains.

Skydiving is exactly as mad as it sounds and somehow better. You leave the aircraft, fall through the sky for the better part of a minute, then the canopy opens, the noise stops, and you float down with a view nobody else gets. The freefall is the bit that rewires your brain.

Most first-timers go tandem, strapped to an experienced instructor who handles everything, so there is almost nothing to learn beforehand. If you catch the bug, you can train towards solo jumps from there.

The operators on adventuro run tandem jumps and training with experienced instructors and rigorously checked kit. The hardest part is the shuffle to the door. After that, gravity does the work.