Barcelona, the capital city of Spain, I bet you are thinking of sandy beaches, beautiful scenery, small back streets and markets, not to mention the glorious sunny weather, but, what about skydiving here? That temperate climate and beautiful scenery are an excellent reason to make Barcelona your choice of destination for your first ever skydive.

First time skydiving in Barcelona

Skydiving facilities everywhere in the world have to follow strict safety protocols, so even a first time skydiver can take a skydive in Barcelona. All skydiving centres, or Drop Zones, as they are known have their own methods of training, usually a video or a walk through of the procedure. During this you will learn what happens during a skydive and also what to do in the highly unlikely event of an emergency situation, ie. if the instructor passed out during free fall, you would need to know how to react and how to release the parachute and get you both back down safely. Knowing that you have the knowledge to deal with an emergency should it arise is enough and should help to reassure you prior to the skydive itself.

You will also be shown the safety clothing and equipment and the way in which it is to be worn. It is designed with your safety in mind and can be somewhat uncomfortable, so wear loose comfortable clothing underneath, the type you can move and breathe freely in, now is not the time for those skintight jeans.

After the initial training session, you will go to the plane and take off ready to make that all important first skydive.

Type of skydive a first timer can make in Barcelona

For first time skydivers what is known as a Tandem Jump is the best offered option. With this type of skydive, the instructor, or Jumpmaster as they are known, is strapped to your back and they control the whole experience. A Jumpmaster is an experienced and fully trained individual who has completed at least 500 previous skydives and they will make sure that your first skydiving experience is safe, unforgettable and enjoyable.

When the plane reaches the correct altitude, the Jumpmaster will make final equipment checks before strapping themselves to your back ready to jump. Their weight will initially be uncomfortable, but once you jump out of the plane you won’t feel this as you will be in free fall and essentially weightless. It is when it comes down to actually jumping out of the plane that many people have second thoughts, this is a perfectly normal reaction and the Jumpmaster will have the experience to be able to help you deal with these feelings if necessary. They will have the experience to know whether it is just nerves, in which case you may just need a little physical encouragement or whether you really don’t want to jump. Whatever you decide, you will still have to pay for the experience as both the Jumpmasters time and also the plane’s time will have been taken up. This coupled with the fact that the Jumpmaster may well decide to make a solo skydive leaving you to fly back to the Drop Zone alone, can be enough of a motivating factor to push you to actually make the skydive.

Any feelings of fear will disappear once you jump out of the plane and are in free fall, the sheer exhilaration of it all will make you forget everything else. After a few minutes of free fall the Jumpmaster will release the parachute and the descent rate will slow rapidly, this is then the time to really appreciate the beauty of the city beneath you. You may find you enjoy it so much you immediately want to repeat the experience and indeed this may be possible depending on time and Jumpmaster availability, so it’s best to just ask.

The other type of skydive available to first time skydivers is what is known as a Static Line Jump, but this is best suited only to the most daring and adrenalin rush loving types as it is the closest to a solo skydive possible. With a Static Line Jump there is more intensive training and it is more expensive because it involves two instructors, one on the ground guiding and directing the skydive and one tethered to you by means of a long rope. You and the Jumpmaster jump out of the plane separately and will be in constant contact with the Jumpmaster on the ground by Walkie Talkie. You will have the responsibility of releasing your own parachute at the right time, but will have the backup of the Jumpmaster tethered to you to help you out if you panic or forget how to do anything. The Jumpmaster on the ground will be monitoring your descent and also wind speed and direction and will help to guide you both safely down again.

Skydiving facilities available in Barcelona

By now you are probably really keen to give skydiving in Barcelona a try and can’t wait to book a vacation there, but before you book a skydiving experience anywhere there are some things to consider. All skydiving facilities have to follow strict safety procedures and keep safety records, any breach of safety has to be recorded and can cause total shutdown of that particular facility until it has been re assessed. So check out your chosen venue first and only when you are happy with their safety protocols, go ahead and book your experience, you are literally placing your life in their hands after all.

Here are a couple of suggestions to start you off:

Lifestyle Barcelona
http://www.lifestylebarcelona.com/action-activities-barcelona/barcelona-skydive-experience/10396

Skydive Spain
http://www.skydivespain.com/

So why not make your vacation in Barcelona a whole lot more memorable and include the never to be forgotten experience of a first time skydive here. Not only will you get to see a panoramic view of Barcelona which will be breathtaking, you will also be the envy of all your friends.