Bumper season for sky diving business

January 18th, 2013
[by David Armstrong]

Trudi makes a great landing, helpers close at hand

If you thought you've been seeing more people falling out of the sky this summer, you're not wrong. The December business figures at Motueka-based Skydive Abel Tasman have seen the largest number of customers in the firm's 21-year history.

Although it's too early to give clear reasons, marketing manager Lisa Chambers believes it is largely due to more promotion being given within the local tourism industry, along with a lot more specific marketing work by the firm.

Skydive Abel Tasman now employs 15 full-time staff and also uses a few contractors to help with taking videos and other specialist tasks, making it an important local employer.

Lisa says that the general feel at the airport is that businesses there are growing. Skydive Abel Tasman has seen about 15 percent growth in its business over the past four months. She says the skydiving industry talk suggests that most operators in other parts of New Zealand are finding it a bit more of a struggle.

Motueka's weather is likely to play a part in supporting business, with people planning a jump more likely to choose this part of the country because of a greater likelihood that the weather will be right on the day.

The firm offers dives from three heights: 9,000ft ($249), 13,000ft ($299) and 16,500ft ($399). If you jump with a videographer to record the free-fall for a personal DVD, you pay an extra $199.

Lots of Motueka residents have told this writer that they enjoy spotting the planes when they are approaching the jump zone, seeing the tiny white dots suddenly falling from the planes, tracking them visually as they plummet in freefall (along with some ecstatic "Yee-ha's" if the wind is in the right direction to carry the sound), then seeing and, a few seconds later, hearing the chutes open, and perhaps a videographer separating off and falling further.

They are also amazed to see how steeply the planes descend to beat the jumpers back to earth, including the final dive to the end of the airstrip before flattening off to land.

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