[Updated] Skydiving -Tandem and Solo in Mysore, India

Updated- 27 Nov:

• Skydiving slots are all sold out till 5th of December. Indicates the growing demand
• One should be above 18 years, should weight less than 85 kg for tandem and 90 for static
• One has to get a medical form signed by a doctor
• Tandem jump is a 2 day activity, one has to report by 8AM on previous day
• Camp is likely to be extended till March if there's good demand

Updated- 25 Nov:
1. The amount is inclusive of tax.
2. AFF has a per-qualification. One should have done minimum 2 static or one tandem jump before AFF and also need a group.
3. Prior permission will be required for people to enter the premise, hence advance communication will be required if you're taking guests. No walk in is possible

Original post
I usually do not publish press releases as a blog post, as they don't add much value to my readers. This is mainly because a press release filled with 'great features of a product' or 'what CEO said during the launch' or other marketing contents don't really qualify as a blog post. Also, without getting to experience the product or service, it won't be right for me to blindly advocate the same to my readers.

Above: My during my tandem jump free fall, above Mysore airport. View more photos and experience account here

Last week I got a mail on skydiving in India. It detailed of upcoming skydiving camp in Mysore, Karnataka, starting 28 Nov, till 31 Dec 2013. It included a media invite, which had nothing complementary. (It said your entry to the site is free, but you pay for everything else, including travel, ride etc etc and then give us free publicity on the blog). I would have typically ignored such press releases, but decided to make an exception for this one, as I felt this information could be of some use to enthusiastic public who have some spare money and a flair for adventure.

Skydiving involves jumping off from an aircraft and landing safely using a parachute. Mysore airport is a perfect place for that, since airport is now almost defunct. (Kingfisher and spicejet used to fly to and from Mysore and both have stopped their operations now- Read about Kingfisher Mysore-Bengaluru activation)

If you have some interest in adventure sports and if you have 20,000-40,000 INR to spare, read this post further.

Kakini Enterprises, one of the largest adventure sports companies in India, are organizing skydiving camp in Mysore, Karnataka (160kms from Bengaluru). If you fancy jumping off an aircraft, you can pick from below options

Option 1: Static Jump: Cheapest of all jumps and costs Rs 16500. This involves jumping off from a lower height, with parachute deployed instantly after the jump. Doesn't let you enjoy free fall, but is extremely easy and safe.

Option 2: Tandem Jump: Involves jumping off the aircraft with an instructor, who will be controlling your fall throughout, including deployment of parachute. This costs another 10k more at Rs 25500 (week days). Rs 27500 on weekends. This jump is done from a height of 10000 feet and free fall lasts for about 40 seconds.

Option 3 is AFF or accelerated free fall- This is the most thrilling dive, which involves free fall during the first part and parachute guided safe landing in the second part. Diver has to use his discretion on best time to deploy the parachute- deploy it too early and you'll miss the fun, deploy it too late and you could injure yourself during landing. This costs close to 30k for a dive.

If you want a video of your dive, add Rs 4000 to the cost (Rs 500 for static jump)


In essence, if you have 20-40k to spare and fancy few seconds of adventure, which is sure to be a lifetime memory, consider taking this up. If this excites you, check out http://www.skydivinginindia.com/ . But their reservation page didn't list AFF and had only static and tandem jump. Nor could I find their future camps.

I was trying to ascertain if the prices are cheaper than abroad or more. It looks like it is on the higher side. For instance, Miami Skydiving centre in US charges USD 249 for a weekend tandem fall and $ 209 during weekdays (close to 15k INR, about 10k cheaper than what's charged at Mysore camp.). But you can't go to Miami just for this, so unless you have some plans to go abroad, it makes sense to try it out here.

If only the sports had been more popular, the cost per ride would have come down. Organizers need to pay the airport, aircraft, trainers among other things, most of which are fixed expenses. If they get too less customers, they incur a loss. If they get lots of customers, they tend to gain and eventually be able to reduce per jump cost. But it is a catch 22 situation here unlike abroad.

I was tempted to give it a try, but high costs are turning me off. Let me see.

Updated: 23 Dec: I successfully completed by Tandem jump... If you feel sky diving is expensive, read this post. More details coming up