Best Skydives on the East Coast of Australia

Short answer

The best skydive on Australia’s East Coast is Mission Beach from $379: up to 15,000ft, up to 60 seconds of freefall and a landing on the sand, with free transfers from Cairns. For the islands, jump over the Whitsundays from Airlie Beach from $349, also with a beach landing. In Byron Bay, the 15,000ft jump over Cape Byron is from $379. Cheapest jump on this page: the Cairns 14,000ft jump and the Noosa 13,000ft jump, both $319.

Prices are per person in AUD and update from our live listings. Photo and video packages cost extra on every jump here.

The shortlist

8skydives ranked

$319lowest entry price

7places to jump

Compare them side by side

#	Skydive	Altitude	Freefall	Beach landing	Transfers	From	Where
1	Mission Beach Tandem 15,000ft	up to 15,000ft	up to 60 sec	yes, weather permitting	free return from Cairns	$379	Mission Beach
2	Tandem Skydive with Beach Landing	up to 15,000ft	up to 60 sec	yes, Midge Point when conditions allow	free return from Airlie Beach	$349	Whitsundays
3	Byron Bay Tandem Skydive 15,000ft	up to 15,000ft	up to 60 sec	not listed	return from Byron accommodation	$379	Byron Bay
4	Cairns Tandem Skydive up to 15,000ft	up to 15,000ft	not listed	not listed	free return from Cairns and surrounds	$349	Cairns
5	Cairns Tandem Skydive up to 14,000ft	up to 14,000ft	up to 60 sec	optional	free from Cairns city or your hotel	$319	Cairns
6	Sydney Wollongong 15,000ft	up to 15,000ft	up to 60 sec	beach skydive	return from Sydney city	$399	Wollongong
7	Noosa Tandem 13,000ft (Weekend)	up to 13,000ft	up to 45 sec	not listed	not listed	$319	Noosa
8	Great Ocean Road 15,000ft	up to 15,000ft	up to about 60 sec	beach skydive	not included (free Melbourne coach where offered)	$399	Great Ocean Road

“Not listed” means the listing does not state it.

from $379 ppSee the trip →

Mission Beach Tandem 15,000ft Skydive (With Cairns Transfer), from $379. Up to 60 seconds of freefall from up to 15,000ft over the coast, with reef and rainforest views, then a landing on the sand, weather permitting. Free return transfers from Cairns, training, three months’ Australian Parachute Federation (APF) membership, compulsory personal accident insurance and a certificate are included.

Who it suits Anyone who wants the classic beach skydive, and anyone staying in Cairns who doesn’t want to stop at Mission Beach on the way north.

from $349 ppSee the trip →

Tandem Skydive with Beach Landing, from $349. Up to 15,000ft with a scenic flight over the Whitsunday Islands and the Great Barrier Reef, up to 60 seconds of freefall, a 5 to 7 minute parachute ride and a landing on Midge Point Beach (an alternate landing nearby at high tide or in offshore winds). Free return transfers from the Airlie Beach area, goggles that fit over glasses, the APF levy and a colour certificate are included. Allow about six hours.

Who it suits Anyone in Airlie Beach before or after a sailing trip.

from $379 ppSee the trip →

Byron Bay Tandem Skydive 15,000ft (With Byron Bay Transfer), from $379. Up to 60 seconds of freefall from up to 15,000ft over Cape Byron, the lighthouse and the surf beaches, from its own drop zone. Return transfers from your Byron Bay accommodation, three months’ APF membership, insurance and a certificate are included.

Who it suits Anyone spending a few days in Byron, and groups booking together.

from $349 ppSee the trip →

Cairns Tandem Skydive up to 15,000ft with Transfers, from $349, climbs to up to 15,000ft with reef and World Heritage rainforest views, with free return pickups from Cairns and surrounds, APF membership, insurance and a certificate. Allow about three hours.

Cairns Tandem Skydive up to 14,000ft, from $319, gives up to 60 seconds of freefall at up to 200km/h after a roughly 20-minute climb, then 5 to 7 minutes under the canopy, with an optional beach landing and free air-conditioned transfers from Cairns city or your hotel. Allow about six hours.

Who they suit Anyone based in Cairns with a spare half day. On price, the 14,000ft jump ($319) is cheaper than the 15,000ft jump ($349). All Cairns skydives are on the Cairns skydiving page.

from $399 ppSee the trip →

Sydney Wollongong 15,000ft Tandem Skydive (With Transfer), from $399. A beach skydive over Wollongong with up to 60 seconds of freefall, return transfer from Sydney city, APF membership, insurance, a certificate and a $20 merch voucher for the drop zone.

Noosa Tandem 13,000ft Skydive (Weekend), from $319. Up to 13,000ft over Noosa, Coolum Beach and the Sunshine Coast with up to 45 seconds of freefall at around 200km/h. This is the weekend jump: lower altitude, shorter freefall.

Great Ocean Road 15,000ft Tandem Skydive, from $399. A beach skydive with up to about 60 seconds of freefall and a scenic climb over the coast and Bells Beach. Travel to the drop zone at Connewarre is not included unless you take the free Melbourne coach where it is offered.

Who they suit Wollongong if you are only in Sydney; Noosa if you are passing through on a weekend; the Great Ocean Road if you start or finish your trip in Melbourne.

In New Zealand, tandem skydives we sell start from $219 AUD; see skydiving in New Zealand.

What to know before you book

Altitude and freefall: the altitude in each title is the maximum (“up to”). At 15,000ft the listings give up to 60 seconds of freefall; at 13,000ft, up to 45.
Beach landings depend on the tide and wind. Mission Beach and Airlie Beach both say so, and Airlie names its alternate landing.
Weight: the Noosa, Wollongong and Great Ocean Road listings charge a surcharge at 94kg and over. Check the tour page for other jumps.
Extras: photo and video packages are sold on the day or at checkout on every jump here.
Time: allow three hours for most jumps with transfers, six for the Airlie Beach and Cairns 14,000ft jumps.

How we ranked them

We sell every skydive on this page, and we ranked them on four things:

Live price from our listings.
The jump itself: altitude, freefall time and whether you land on a beach.
What is included: free transfers, APF membership, insurance and certificate, and what costs extra (video, weight surcharges, travel to the drop zone).
Where it fits a backpacker route: a jump that comes with a transfer from the town you are already in beats a cheaper one you have to get to.

We do not quote operator ratings on this page because we do not hold a verified rating for every operator here.

Which one is right for you

One jump on the whole coastMission Beach.
In Airlie Beach for a sailThe Whitsundays beach landing.
In ByronThe Cape Byron jump.
Based in Cairns with half a dayEither Cairns jump; both include transfers.
Only in SydneyWollongong.
Lowest priceRight now, the Cairns 14,000ft jump and the Noosa 13,000ft jump, both $319.

Costs by location, altitude and extras are in how much skydiving costs in Australia. Other things to do around Cairns are in the Cairns adventure activities guide and on Cairns day trips by price.

FAQs

What is the best skydive on the East Coast of Australia?

Mission Beach, from $379: up to 15,000ft, up to 60 seconds of freefall and a beach landing, weather permitting, with free transfers from Cairns. The Airlie Beach jump over the Whitsundays, from $349, also lands on a beach.

Which skydives land on the beach?

Mission Beach (weather permitting) and Airlie Beach (Midge Point, when conditions allow) list beach landings. The Cairns 14,000ft jump offers an optional beach landing. The Wollongong and Great Ocean Road jumps are listed as beach skydives.

Is 15,000ft worth it over 13,000ft?

You get more freefall: up to 60 seconds from 15,000ft against up to 45 seconds from 13,000ft on the Noosa jump. Most East Coast jumps here go from up to 15,000ft.

Are transfers included on East Coast skydives?

On most. Mission Beach and both Cairns jumps include transfers from Cairns, Airlie Beach from the Airlie area, Byron Bay from your Byron accommodation and Wollongong from Sydney city. The Great Ocean Road jump does not include travel unless the free Melbourne coach is offered.