Find out what’s new and exciting at our drop-zones in Busselton and Rottnest Island

Can you believe 2016 is almost over? It’s certainly been a great year here at Skydive Geronimo and we’ve got lots to share with you.

The biggest news was probably our name change and re-branding that happened at the tail end of 2015. Remember when we were Southern Skydivers? We crossed over to the Skydive Geronimo brand for a major reason: the opening of our second drop zone at Rottnest Island. Find out what the name Skydive Geronimo means here.

Time flies when you’re having fun and we’ve had plenty of it this year. In this post, we share with you Skydive Geronimo’s best of 2016 and what you can expect in the new year.

Western Australia’s only island skydive

Launching our drop zone at Rottnest Island in January 2016 was definitely a highlight and a great way to start the year.

Rottnest Island is Perth’s hottest holiday spot. The island is a popular year-round destination for its secluded beaches, sublime snorkelling, laid-back nature and of course, those cute little selfie-loving critters, the quokkas.

And what better way to see Rottnest Island’s stunning seascapes than with a scenic flight and tandem skydive from 14,000 feet above.

We’ve had a great start to the 2016/2017 summer season and cannot wait to share this amazing island skydive with more adventurers. We operate 7 days a week so we’re ready whenever you are.

GIFT! To sweeten your Rottnest adventure, every tandem skydive passenger receives a FREE Island Explorer tour with ADAMS Coachlines. The hop-on-hop-off bus lets you discover the best beaches, bays and favourite spots around the island.

We were in it to win it

We were so stoked to be finalists in the 2016 Western Australia Tourism Awards. It’s such a cliché to say ‘it was an honour just to be nominated‘ but that’s the perfect sentiment to describe our feelings. To get the nomination, entrants need to score at least 75% on their application so we know we did great.

When we did win GOLD in the Adventure Tourism category in 2014, we were over the moon and we’ll always be proud of that achievement.

A huge congratulations goes to our successors: Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures, Ningaloo Discovery and Three Islands Whale Shark Dive who each won a gong in the adventure category. See you in 2017.

New faces and staff promotions

Our Skydive Geronimo team has gone through a few changes in 2016. We’ve said sad good-byes to Abe, Grant, Mike, Ben H and Jess but on the flip-side, we’ve added several valuable members to the crew.

Introducing our newest team members:

Clive joined our Rottnest team as a Ground Control Assistant (GCA). He’s the guy who stays in touch with the pilot during your flight to altitude and makes sure the drop zone area is clear and safe for your landing. Clive is also a pilot.

Riley M started at Busselton as a GCA and is now the main pilot. Say hi when you see him in the plane.

Paul M is a familiar face in Australian and New Zealand skydiving. He joined us in May and has recently been promoted to Operations Manager and Chief Instructor  for Busselton. Don’t worry, Paul’s still a skydiving instructor so you may find yourself strapped to him.

Riley A is our newest GCA in Busselton. Like Riley M, Riley A has a pilot’s license and one day will move up the ranks to drop pilot.

Nat is your first point of contact when you arrive at our Busselton location. She’ll answer all your questions and team you up with your skydiving instructor.

Paule B is the latest and greatest team member to join us. Not only does he jump from our planes, he maintains their safety because he’s also an aircraft mechanic.

Ben K has been our parachute packer and video editor since 2014 so he’s not new but we’ve got some exciting news about him. Ben is now a certified skydiving instructor. He’s worked so hard for this promotion and we’re proud as punch. Well done Ben.

So, you want to be a skydiver?

We have a tight community of sport skydivers at our Busselton drop zone that’s growing all the time. Skydiving is more than a “once in a lifetime” experience for many; it’s a thrilling and rewarding sport and hobby.

We’ve put 22 people through the Accelerated Free Fall (AFF) course in 2016, which is super exciting for us. Our newest student, Cyril powered through the course and is well on his way to becoming a licensed skydiver. Cyril dreamed of learning to skydive since he did a tandem skydive in his home country of Belgium.

“I always liked high sensation activities so when my girlfriend bought me a tandem skydive as a gift, I knew I would love it,” says Cyril. “After that, it was just a matter of when and where to do the course so I could jump solo.”

When Cyril met Paul M, our skydiving instructor, he knew the opportunity to become a licensed skydiver was upon him and he, pardon the pun, jumped at the chance. Learning to skydive has been a positive experience for him.

“It’s been so amazing. The fact that Paul expressed his pride in my achievements encouraged me and made me proud of myself,” says Cyril.

Cyril completed the AFF program in November and got to share a special moment with his father, a former Judo Olympian who is visiting from Belgium, soon after.

“Paul took my father for a tandem skydive and I did a solo jump, so my dad got to see me jump from the plane first. We like the same things so this was an amazing moment for both of us. He’s happy that I’m following my dreams,” he says.

Cyril is currently working towards a career in skydiving.

NEW! Our AFF course is now offered on a weekly basis at our Busselton drop zone.

What our customers are saying

We love that our customers share their experiences on Trip Advisor and our Facebook pages . Here are a few recent reviews.

“My wife and kids surprised me for Father’s day / Birthday with a Full Monty package for me and tandem for both kids. We chose 10,000 ft due to our budget however the girls at Geronimo explained the difference a 14,000ft jump would make. Sure glad we went higher. From the first contact to the last all staff members were so awesome. And the level of professionalism from all of them makes this an experience of a lifetime. Can’t wait to go again.Thanks all at Geronimo for the experience. See you for the next one.” ~Justin Fantasia

“The best experience ever. Jake was the best, so cool, calm & relaxed. The video and photos are the best mementos for those that can’t be up there with you.

Totally recommend everyone to tick this off their bucket list and especially with these guys x” ~Amanda Gilmore

“After jumping at two other places in Western Australia, I can safely say you guys are by far the best! You guys are the meaning of the “full experience”. Thanks again for chucking my boy off a plane, who would have known that it would be so satisfying lol. Cheers again and we will definitely be back!” ~Jody & Teone

“Such a great and vibrant team that accommodated me on a last minute spontaneous trip! They made the experience extra special and memorable with their professionalism, passion for what they do, and that free drink post jump was lush! Special mention to Paul for being a great instructor! Thank you!” ~Marlise B

Need a last minute (and totally awesome) Christmas gift?

Christmas is just around the corner and we know some of you may be stumped for a kick-ass gift for that special person.

Giving an experience as a gift lasts a lifetime in the receiver’s memory. A skydive gift can even change someone’s life, like it did for Cyril.

Our vouchers are downloadable upon purchase and you can choose any value from $100 or, if your budget allows it, buy a full voucher for a tandem skydive.

Download a voucher now!