Both places give you the thrill of a tandem skydive, but they make for very different days. The Cairns skydive keeps you close to the city and takes three to four hours. The Mission Beach option is a full-day trip from Cairns and ends with a beach landing.
Choose Cairns when you want to fit skydiving around the rest of your holiday. Choose Mission Beach when the coastal setting and beach landing are a big part of why you want to skydive there. The main differences are the time commitment, the views and where you land.
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Both products offer tandem skydives from up to 15,000 feet and promote reef and rainforest views.
With the Cairns Tandem Skydive Experience with Transfers, you stay close to your Cairns base. The Mission Beach Tandem Skydive Experience from Cairns includes the longer journey south and finishes with a beach landing.
The Cairns experience begins at Reef Fleet Terminal. From there, you travel with the operator to the nearby take-off area. The jump finishes at the designated landing area in Edmonton, and a transfer takes you back to Cairns. Everything happens close to the city, so the whole experience takes three to four hours.
The advertised views on the Cairns skydive include Cairns, tropical rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef. If Cairns is your holiday base and you want to see the city, rainforest and reef from the air, this is the better choice.
You land at the Cairns drop zone rather than on a beach. If a beach landing is not essential, Cairns gives you a much shorter day.
Return transfers from Cairns are included, and the road journey takes about two hours each way. Keep the whole day free for this trip.
The advertised Mission Beach views include the coastline, reef, offshore islands and rainforest. Unlike the Cairns experience, this jump finishes with a beach landing.
The operator uses several approved landing areas along the Mission Beach coastline. The exact section depends on the operating conditions, but you still finish on the sand.
At Mission Beach, you start at the Porter Promenade drop zone. A local shuttle takes you about 25 minutes to Tully Airport, where all Mission Beach skydives take off. After the flight and tandem jump, you land on one of the approved beach sections.
The included return transfer means you can do Mission Beach from Cairns without a car. You can settle in for the journey south without having to drive back to Cairns after your jump.
If your itinerary is tight, the difference in total time matters most.
The Cairns experience is listed at three to four hours. That leaves room for a meal or something else you can do at your own pace. Wind, cloud and air traffic can affect the finish time, so do not book another timed tour straight afterwards.
From Cairns, Mission Beach is a full-day experience. The return road journey accounts for about four hours, with additional time at the drop zone and Tully Airport.
Make skydiving your main plan for the day, so you are not watching the clock on the return transfer or worrying about another booking.
Freefall lasts up to about a minute on either jump, but the views and landing are different. The Cairns skydive advertises views of the city, rainforest and reef offshore. Mission Beach advertises coastline, reef, offshore islands and rainforest, then finishes with a beach landing.
At check-in, your weight is checked before you put on your harness and receive instructions for freefall and landing. You then meet your instructor and head to the aircraft. The climb to altitude takes about 15 minutes. Freefall lasts up to 60 seconds, followed by roughly five to six minutes beneath the parachute.
You do not need any previous skydiving experience. Your instructor remains attached throughout the jump and handles the technical side in the air. Your part is to follow the body-position and landing instructions from the briefing.
Bring a valid government-issued photo ID. The minimum age for these tandem skydives is 16. Anyone aged 16 or 17 needs a parent or legal guardian at the drop zone to complete and sign the required forms.
Do not scuba dive within 24 hours before your scheduled skydive. If you want to do both during your Cairns trip, skydive first and leave the scuba dive for a later day.
Personal cameras, GoPros and other electronic recording gear are not permitted on the aircraft or during the jump. Instructor photo and video packages are available separately, so choose one before the jump if you want footage of the experience.
Choose Cairns when you have only a few days in town or want to keep time for the reef, Kuranda or the Tablelands. It offers a tandem skydive from up to 15,000 feet and leaves more of the day free for other plans.
Choose Mission Beach when you want a full-day coastal trip and a beach landing. Keep it as the main event of the day so you can enjoy the coastal setting without having to rush back for another booking.
