When I decided I was going to take on my biggest fears in New Zealand, my two biggest concerns were bungee jumps and skydives.
PROS AND CONS
The thought of doing a skydive is scary because it’s such a great height to fall from. You’re freefalling for about one minute, which in everyday life might not seem like a long time, but when you’re plummeting towards the earth, is enough time to process thoughts like ‘I hope the parachute opens!’
A bungee jump, on the other hand, is over in seconds, but relies on your mental ability to actually jump. There’s no expert strapped to your back and you have to have one hell of a lot of will power. Not to mention the fact that you fall head first and the ground comes rushing up to greet you far too quickly!
SKYDIVE WANAKA
By the time I arrived in Wanaka, I’d already got the Auckland Harbour Bridge bungee out of the way and had flown a stunt plane in loops, but that feeling of dread associated with anything involving heights or falling hadn’t lessened one bit. As we neared the Skydive Wanaka air field, the butterflies in my stomach were dancing with more gusto than ever before.
PREPARATION
I had to sign a few forms stating that I understood the risks and had no medical conditions – even the common cold can cause problems due to the rapid change in air pressure – and then I climbed into an attractive pink and orange jump suit.
FOOTAGE
You have the option of a handy cam video or video shot by someone who dives with you and, due to the fact that the difference in price was only small, I chose the latter. You don’t look too hot as the air contorts your face, so the further away the camera is the better.
THE FLIGHT
The plane is quite small and is empty in the cabin except for two long benches. Skydive Wanaka has the strapline ‘Strap yourself to a beautiful stranger’ and, as soon as this is done, they get you to straddle a bench and shuffle backwards. Last in, first out!
As you gain altitude, the guides give you a little more information about the jump, but mainly use the opportunity to tease you. Comments like ‘This is actually really dangerous’, ‘I don’t have a good feeling about this’ and ‘Oh God. What am I doing?!’ are banded about by the experts.
APPROACHING THE EXIT
A few of our companions leapt from the plane’s open door at 12,000 feet but I’d opted for 15,000. At the higher altitudes, the air was noticeably thinner and some passengers used the oxygen tubes to keep the lightheadedness at bay.
After moving onto Robbie’s lap so he could tie our harnesses together, and receiving ridicule from the other instructors for being ‘so inappropriate’, we edged forwards.
HANGING OUTSIDE THE PLANE!
All too soon, I was hanging with my legs wrapped around the outside of the plane waiting to jump. There was no going back now!
THE JUMP
Suddenly, we were somersaulting through the air. We righted ourselves and I struggled for a few seconds to free my hands from the harness and arrange myself into the freefall position.
FREE FALLING
From this point on, it was pure fun and excitement. The views over Wanaka, the lake and Mount Cook were incredible.
IMPRESSIVE CONTROL
As we plummeted towards earth, my guide and the camera man engineered their falls so that we met up in free fall. We even managed to grab each other’s hands and to spin in a circle for a few seconds.
LANDING
After one minute of free fall, Robbie opened our parachute. We spun from side to side and spiraled downwards, enjoying the views while catching our breath, and the landing was effortless.
Without a doubt, skydiving was one of the best experiences I’ve had. The rush of adrenaline lasted for hours and the memories will last a lifetime.
So, which is scarier – a skydive or bungee jump?
In my opinion, a skydive is moderately less terrifying for the simple reason that you have an expert to reassure you the whole time and you don’t have to make judgement on when’s the best moment to take a leap of faith.
I’d also recommend a skydive over a bungee jump because the whole experience lasts much longer and you have time to appreciate the spectacular views as you fall, instead of them rushing by in a blur while your mind momentarily goes blank from terror.
In terms of value for money, the skydive definitely comes out on top, but if you can afford to splash the cash, they’re both in my top 10 adventure experiences. New Zealand is also the perfect place to get involved due to its high safety records and unbelievable scenery.
VS 
SKYDIVE WANAKA
- Based a short drive from Wanaka’s town centre, Skydive Wanaka operates jumps from 12,000 and 15,000 feet, giving you 45 or 60 seconds of freefall, respectively.
- On the flight up in their new turbine plane, you will see some incredible scenery, including the snow-capped peaks of Mount Cook and Mount Aspiring.
- The instructors are hilarious and make you feel as comfortable as possible considering what you’re about to do. They are experts in safety and professionalism, while creating an exciting and incredibly fun atmosphere.
- Skydive Wanaka will pick you up from your accommodation and show you a safety video on your way to the hangar.
- They have free internet at their base so you can share your photos or DVD with the world just moments after landing! They even have a choice of songs that they will edit in with your footage.
- Make sure you wear shoes that can withstand 200 kph wind pressure.
- Note that, unfortunately, it isn’t possible to participate if you weigh more than 100 kg.
GETTING TO WANAKA
Intercity Buses provide services to Wanaka from the following popular destinations (rough times in brackets): Queenstown (1 hour 40 mins); Mt Cook (3.5 hours); Franz Josef (6.5 hours); Christchurch (7.5 hours). Further transfers are available from these locations. Use the tool below to search for a specific journey or click through to the Intercity homepage to learn about their discounted passes and activity tours.
WHERE TO STAY
It’s worth booking your Wanaka and Queenstown accommodation well in advance. While other destinations don’t seem to get fully booked in the Kiwi winter, these two towns are havens for adventure sports seekers all year round. I was there in July, which was a very popular time for skiing and it was tough to find somewhere that wasn’t fully booked. I ended up in a place called Matterhorn South and they were very accommodating – converting a motel room into a mini hostel dorm for me and a few other girls. Most of the hostels are within walking distance of each other so at least if you need to knock on a few doors before you find a place, it shouldn’t take you too long.
FIND ACCOMMODATION DEALS
I’ve recently started using HotelsCombined to search for accommodation as I travel. It’s become one of my favourite tools because it aggregates the results of online searches from over 40 travel sites to bring you the best deals much faster than if you had to look them up to compare them separately.
I was a guest of Skydive Wanaka. They did not request that I write a favourable review and any opinions expressed here are my own.
You can follow my Kiwi adventures on Twitter via the hashtag #ScaredBritless or check out my Facebook updates here. For more information about travelling in New Zealand, visit 100% Pure New Zealand.
SO happy for you! I really liked skydiving but I have yet (a big yet) to be able to compare it to bungee jumping. The mountain behind you is an amazing backdrop for the photos though.
It was a really scenic place to do it. I’m glad I chose Wanaka. I dare you to do a bungee! Go on!! ;)
Hi,
That looked amazing, I’m 26 years old and love bungee jumping but have never completed a skydive, I would love to try it, I reckon I’ll have to someday. I burst a blood vessel in my eye when I jumped off the bridge but you can wear goggles can’t you?
Simon
You burst a blood vessel in your eye?! That sounds nasty! Did it recover? Was it linked to not wearing goggles, or was it something to do with the pressure in your head as you fell? Goggles are compulsory when you skydive (at least I’m sure they are with any reputable company), so your eyes will be protected. I’d definitely recommend giving it a go if your doctor said it was ok after your bungy mishap…?!
Wow!!! I would pick both as scarier. I mean, they’re both up so high!! You are quite brave. =)
nicole recently posted..Can I Get a Soda … with Ice?
Haha. You can’t pick both! They do have slightly different reasons for being scary, but I have never been as terrified as standing on the edge of the platform for the 134-m Nevis bungee. That was insane!
This was so cool, Arianwen. What’s so ironic…is that my dad, bless his soul above us. He was an aerobatic pilot…a teacher…but did the former as a hobby. And had to do this training. And broke his ankle on his first jump. He got right “back on the horse” and ended up being a finisher in many competitions! Thank you for this, my blogger friend :)
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I bet you’re so proud of him. Not many people can say their dad was such a daredevil! Sorry to hear he injured himself, but good on him for not letting it put him off doing it again!
Oh sky diving looks amazing! I’d pick that over a bungee, but the truth is I’d probably wimp out. Or would I? Maybe I could be more adventurous than I think…
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I love how you’re talking yourself into it! I think you could do it!
Awesome! I signed up to skydive and bungy in New Zealand, but skydiving was canceled because it was cloudy…sadness. I totes agree with you that the mental ability to jump was key in bungy jumping. What made it worse for me? The girl in front of me stood on the plank for about 7 minutes, too afraid to jump, so I had to wait for her! When I did it, I was too afraid to actually jump so just leaned forward…and looking at my video now, the staff member seems to have given me a slight push lol. It was probably for the better – I think it’s dangerous if you like jump but don’t quite jump. That’s why the railings don’t go all the way out to where you’re supposed to jump, I think, so you can’t like fall and then try and grab on, which would be dangerous.
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I’m so sorry yours was cancelled because of the weather. That’s a real shame. And that’s a very good point about the platform not having a railing! Imagine if you chose to hang on at the last minute!! You could easily dislocate your arm!! In my video, the guy looks like he’s pushing me a bit too, but I don’t think it was enough to make me leave the ledge if I hadn’t jumped off myself.
I always wondered which would be scarier! A bungee jump was terrifying but having the guy strapped to you definitely makes it easier. I’ve never done a bungee because I really don’t think I’d be able to force myself to take that first step and jump!
Monica recently posted..Nusa Lembongan: Paradise in Bali
I always thought that too though. There’s something about teetering on the edge of that platform with the weight of the bungee cord pulling you forwards that actually makes you feel like the quickest and easiest way to get back to being comfortable again is just to jump and get it over with!
So if I absolutely hated my bungee jump, I shouldn’t write off sky diving? I actually ended up jumping after no hesitation (no idea where I got that strength from) but the bouncing….ugh it makes me feel sick just remembering!
Don’t know why I want to put myself through it again but I definitely would like to try sky diving!
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Oh dear. I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy the bungee. I thought it was terrifying for a few seconds, but I didn’t hate it. Sky diving is a completely different feeling though. You have time to register where you are, but you’re so far from the ground it isn’t that scary. You can really enjoy the views. I think you should give skydiving a go. Sorry if you find you hate that too, but most people I’ve spoken too said they’d go straight back up and do it again!
I would def sky dive but I don’t think I’d ever bungee jump. Plus, yesterday I watched on YouTube a video of a woman’s bungee cord snapping over Victoria Falls – and that’s turned me off even more. Sky diving looks like lots of fun though – and a much better way to take in the views!
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I’ve seen that video. It’s horrific what happened! And then apparently she had to swim through crocodile-infested water with her legs tied together. That’s why I had to do a bungee while I was in New Zealand. They have a great safety record, which isn’t something I’d say with confidence for many parts of Africa…
You little dare devil. I love what you are doing and you look like you are having so much fun during the skydive!
TammyOnTheMove recently posted..Capture the colour competition 2013
It was amazing! I need to get back onto the adventure sports. I’ve been very normal and restrained since I got to Oz!
I would have to assume the same! I have been skydiving twice and it is a thrill but I think bungee jumping would be way worse! If you don’t want to jump when you’re on the edge of the plane, your instructor is going to go regardless. When you’re on the edge and having to mentally tell yourself to jump…well that’s a whole different ball game!
Exactly! I agree with you 100%!
Definitely bungee as I haven’t done one yet. Got this irrational fear of breaking my neck! Done a sky dive though and that was AMAZING would definitely do it again!
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I was more worried about my ankles than my neck, but I guess you could overshoot and do some serious damage if you weren’t in the capable hands of a reputable company. Where did you do your skydive?
I Really like bungee jumping and it feels amazing. I think sky diving is more scarier than bungee.I have tried once bungee jumping but didn’t try sky diving yet.Actually i don’t have any idea about sky diving but i want to do it once.
I think you should give skydiving a go. It really isn’t as scary as a bungy. Once you’ve done both, I want to hear which you preferred!
Just stumbled across your blog post trying to find out the difference between skydiving and bungee jumping! I have skydived and also jumped off the Auckland Sky Tower and I loved both. The idea of bungee jumping terrifies me more than both because of the whole “falling” feeling… but I am going to Queenstown in February and I kind of want to try it just to compare… but then I’m scared I won’t enjoy it. Is it a competely different feeling to Skydiving? I really enjoyed the skydive feeling, but I am not sure I will enjou the bungee jump.
It sounds to me like you’re pretty adventurous, so I reckon you’d be ok with a bungy jump. You feel a lot more secure than you might imagine. The harness is very comfortable and you don’t feel anything when you reach the rope’s full stretch. The only hard bit is the initial point where you have to jump off. That bit’s harder than going out of the plane on a skydive because you have to do it by yourself and you have to go head first! But once you leave the edge it’s an awesome feeling and it’s over before you really have time to think about what’s happening. You have a cord to pull that releases your legs and swings you upright as they winch you back up, which is way better than coming back up while still dangling upside down!! If you’re a bit worried, why not try a combo. In Queenstown, there’s the Kawarau, which is a small drop and also kind of cool because it’s the world’s first bungy and there’s also the Ledge, which allows you to go off in any style you like with the harness around your body instead of your legs. You could see how one of those goes and then give the Nevis a go if you think it’s ok. Sounds to me like you’re the type who’d regret it if you didn’t give it a go…! I dare ya!
Good read. Don’t know if you know but the Facebook pop-up/layer thing makes your site unviewable on an iphone.
Thank you – and thanks for the heads up. Someone’s told me that before, but they managed to fix it by zooming out and clicking on the top, right corner of the pop-up to close it. I hope that works for you. The site will be getting a big redesign soon, so I hope to iron out any errors like that.
Just went skydiving in Cairns, Australia, having previously bungee jumped in Guangzhou, China. And I concur with your sentiments. No one’s going to push you in the bungee. It’s all about you, and your ability to conquer your own fear. And golly gosh darn it, it is the scariest thing I ever did. With the skydiving, the instructor isn’t going to ask you, “How you feeling love? Mind if I gently nudge you out of the plane?” You’re getting off the plane whether you like it or not. And because that control isn’t in your hands, skydiving is less scary. But it’s more amazing!
Oh, wow! I bet that was a great place to do a skydive! And I agree, I haven’t done anything scarier than a bungee jump, and I doubt I ever will!
I have tried both, they are totally two different experiences in Skydive you’ll feel more safe as you are jumping with an expert skydiver and you have no worries when to open the parachutes plus when you are up and looking around you won’t feel scared because the view looks unrealistic so your brain won’t send you the signs to be worried unlike the Bungy Jump the surrounding looks real and very clear and you see the hight which will make you feel little more nervous plus you’ll jump alone which requires courage to take the step to jump
I personally loved Bungy Jump more
I totally agree! I’ve done 4 bungy jumps now, so clearly I like them a lot, but I would still choose a skydive if I could do either today :)
Hi, i am planning a trip to New Zealand. When do you think is the best time to visit nz? Would love to try skydive and visit the glacier. Thanks! :)
I went in July. It was a bit cold, especially on the South Island. For that reason, I’d recommend avoiding winter (June, July and August). To be honest, you can skydive and glacier hike at any time of the year. There are a lot of different places to skydive and those on the North Island will probably be a fair bit warmer if you are there in the NZ winter. It also depends what you want to do with the rest of your trip. For example, surfing and visiting some of the beaches would be much better in their summer. I had a great trip and did loads of activities, which shows that it doesn’t really matter what time of year you go as long as you dress for the weather. Have a great time!
Both are crazy I say…. You got real guts to do that…. Why on earth would you risk your beautiful life for such crazy stuff :D
I see it as making the most of my beautiful life’s opportunities…! I do draw the line at any activities that don’t have exceptional safety records.
I have done a skydive and it was the best experience of my life ive never done a bunjee jump iam scared big time about that I want to do it but I just don’t feel brave enough
It is pretty scary, but you might surprise yourself. I was petrified too, and it was also one of the first things I did involving heights. You just have to will yourself to jump and then it’s over pretty fast! ;)
Skydive Dubai offers an unparalleled view. I’d never been before and wanted to go at some point in my life so I figured why not do it here (while I was on a 2 day layover in Dubai).
I can imagine that being amazing! I visited Dubai a few years ago and I’m sure it would look fascinating from the air! What a way to kill time on a layover! Kudos to you! :)