Those of you saying it's expensive, could you elaborate? What kind of money are we talking about it for someone starting out, as well as for more serious skydivers?
If you're training, expect to pay between one hundred fifty, and two hundred dollars for a tandem skydive. Video us usually between forty and seventy five dollars a skydive. Video is highly recommended; you'll want to show it off, but it's also a valueable learning tool.
Accelerated free fall involves going out the door with your own parachute and one or two (almost always two) jumpmasters. These individuals follow up on class room training to teach you to freefall in real time. You'll pull your own cord, and go through a series of awareness drills on the way down. You'll have fun. Cost is typically about 180.00 a skydive; your time on student status as an AFF student may be seven or more coached skydives.
You may also go through a static line and freefall program in which you have nobody in the air with you; you're on your own. When I started, we went out the door in green and cold air, with dazed and confused people dangling all over under big green round parachutes. Today, you seldom see that, outside the military. Back then, we did freefall training on our own, nobody else in the air around us, with very big packs, chest mount reserves, and bulky round PC canopies (which required a lot more attention to detail in packing than todays square ram-air canopies). Again, you're far better off with the AFF training programs today; they're a little more expensive, but you get a far better education, and it's a whole lot safer.
Once you are off student status, you're normally paying for the ride to altitude, and gear rental. The cost of the ride to altitude varies. Most places it's about eighteen bucks to fifteen or eighteen thousand feet (MSL), though a lot of DZ's go out at 12,000 AGL. A good share of my jumping has been in mountainous terrain, so other than low level deployments, it's jump altitudes have been typically 18,000 or better. Your gear rental will cost about thirty bucks.
You're better off renting gear at first until you find something you like. Someone mentioned not borrowing gear. I disagree; you can often borrow rigs initially while trying different canopies and rigs, until you find what suits you. Borrow from trusted folks at the DZ, and follow the counsel of the drop zone owner and safety (DZO), training advisor (S&TA), and jumpmasters. Today, going with too small a canopy, or too high a performance canopy, is what hurts a lot of low time jumpers. Take it slow. I still jump "grandpa" equipment by most jumpers standards...it may not be the hottest canopy on the DZ, but it's very comfortable, very managable, and it's hard to enjoy a skydive while being buried, or nursing a compound fracture. Skydiving shouldn't hurt.
As far as equipment costs go, that's up to you. Buy new, and expect to pay 4,500 or better for a rig and equipment. That's two new parachute canopies (main, reserve) at 1,500 to 1,800 each--or more), a new container at 1,400 or more, plus jump suit (200 bucks) helmet (two hundred bucks), altimeter (two hundred to five hundred bucks), and a common piece of equipment that a lot of jumpers use today called an automatic activation device (or automatic opening device). The most commonly used is a Cypress, and plan on fifteen hundred bucks for that. New can add up quickly.
Having said that, buying used can be a good place for your first rig. I've purchased and used several rigs from ebay. Done with caution and a very thorough inspection by a trusted rigger, that can be a good way to go, using escrow services or other protection. I've always had good luck, and still have a rig I jump that I purchased on ebay. Used rigs can often be had for a thousand dollars to twenty two hundred dollars. My ebay rig cost about nine hundred bucks, is an older vector, PD190 canopy, with a Raven II reserve. I have a couple other mains I throw in when the mood strikes.
What that means for you is that once you have your own gear, you're only paying for a reserve repack every four months, and the ride to altitude (and emergency room bills if you get stupid). Rides to altitude vary, from the eighteen bucks mentioned before to two dollars for the ride, plus a dollar for every thousand feet of altitude.
When I've been rushed or couldn't risk being up too long, I've spent the summer doing hops and pops...up to 3,000 and out the door. Five seconds or so of freefall, open, land. Cheap skydives, good for clearing your head. I've always thought the exit was one of the best parts, anyway.
A lot of skydivers won't pack their own canopies. Some DZ's have kids that thrive on packing parachutes for everyone else. Pack jobs run from five bucks to twenty bucks or more...some people feel it's worth it. Part of your student training should include training on packing a ram air canopy; I feel it's very important in understanding the parachute, it's operation, the deployment sequence, and emergencies. It's far from difficult, and something you can do yourself (not your reserve; that gets packed by a FAA certificated rigger). It saves you money, and you always have control over how it's packed, and how it opens.
Blue skies.
Black death.
