Pacific Skydiving Center

As a skydiver living in Hawaii this is one of the worst run DZ's HORRIBLE. DONT even try. This group is rotten to the core. I never talk bad about people but this is deserving of the highest critique. Rotten owners.

Gee the owner is an absolute horrible human. He is mean and miserable. After this skydive community SAVED his business he boots us to the curb. I can not believe after asking all of us to help him out he turns his back on all of us. He wont let fun jumpers jump. Only tandems just like the other crappy tandem mill. Now there are just two tandem mills occupying one of the best places on the planet to jump. This is so disgusting I am at a loss for words. We need to make it known to all of the skydive community what a rotten person this DZ owner is. I am disgusted. I supported them, we all come to their aid,,,  and then they then booted us out. 

Jump tickets are 50$ and from what I understand, fun jumping has been killed in favor of Tandems here. The DZ used to be a decent place for fun jumpers but now I guess only the clique that works there and a few people grandfathered in are allowed to jump there. Save your money for other activities and leave your rig on the mainland. 

First thing, it’s a tandem mill and if you go here thinking it is going to be any other than that, then you’re wrong. (If you’re only here for the bad stuff scroll down)

Jump Ticket: $30

Heli Jump Ticket: $60

They run from 7 and usually finish around 12, unless they are busy and you can get another hour or two in. The plane is nice, with a sturdy sliding door, a really nice extended lip on the door and good handles, good bench seats and an adequate number of seatbelts, and it climbs fast. Often around 6 +/- funjumpers can get on a load but you can easily get bumped if a tandem shows up. I have never heard a call longer than 5 mins so just know when you need to get your self ready. 

They have a Helo that you can jump. They promise altitudes 8-10k but you better believe it’s gonna consistently stick around 8k. Website says you get a scenic 15min ride around but they just climbed to 8k and did small circles out of the flight path until it was our turn to put jumpers out. 

Now the reason why it got three stars: As it’s a tandem mill, most of the instructors are not overly welcoming, but the fun jumpers are a pretty good group. Some of the older staff are good for a chat and are pretty welcoming. The tandems under canopy are a whole different story. If you have the misfortune of being near them under canopy, they fly a really irregular pattern (if you could call it a pattern) that has them ripping across the landing area as you would be hitting your base leg or final and then doing a hook turn (often a solid 180) at/below what looks like about 200ft. They are consistently nailing the landings, so if you are on a tandem you will have a good time. As a fun jumper you just have to land much further away to avoid their shenanigans, or prepare to be uncomfortable and likely scolded. I personally watched a wingsuiter get scolded by a TI because he was flying the regular pattern briefed at the DZ. The issue was it made that particular TI uncomfortable to have another (supposedly unpredictable) canopy in the stack near him(more than adequate separation). The “do as I say and not as I do” safety situation with the pattern coupled with the somewhat entitled approach by the TI left a lasting impression with me. Packing area is just a bunch of old dirty carpets, toilets are satisfactory. 

I completed my AFF course here and was pretty satisfied with it. Up until a few months ago, Pacific was the only place in Hawaii that allowed fun jumpers and AFF students. The other DZs in the state typically do not allow fun jumpers unless you happen to know the staff and so in essence tandems are really the only business mode in Hawaii. Fortunately Pacific is nice enough to break that model a bit by allowing the locals visiting jumpers to do some fun jumps.

I had my first jump ever with Pacific -- a long awaited dream come true to jump in paradise. The crew at Pacific was great, all things considered. With it being such a tourist destination and attraction, I think they have their hands full with non-english speakers and true one-timers from around the world, so it feels a little like an in/out factory where I anticipate other DZ to feel a little more familial and willing to help someone join the sport. Of the two places in all of Hawai'i, I can't compare, but I'm certainly glad I chose them.

I have never felt so disappointed in an experience. This was my first time ever skydiving and I was so excited to capture the whole thing! My instructor literally put me in an harness and then sat down on his phone while
Everyone else for pictures taken pre jump! I blew this off and thought it would get better. In his defense he did take some aerial shots but none prior or after and no where did he get the cool shots that showed all the beautiful ocean I was falling over top off. When we sat down to look at the pictures I was so mortified, the pictures he did take were half assed and horrible. My first jump was not even documented to where I could look back and have awesome memories. The manager pretended to care in a very patronizing way and then told me I had to pay anyways because it's in a contract. I literally walked away so upset. I don't think anyone should here. This was such horrible customer experience. I would go somewhere else that will make sure you make amazing memories. Customer service is key and this place is all about the money.

I'd heard mixed things about Pacific, but ended up with a great experience. They are admittedly tandem focused, but I got 3 jumps in, and could have made 4 or 5 if I had packed a bit faster and stayed a bit later. I don't know what the norm is, but we even got a full funjumper load up. Get there early - before sunrise early. Good people, relaxed vibe. It's a bit of a drive, but the scenery is great. Facilities are decent, though packing mats were a bit damp, particularly early in the day.

It's very funny that I've logged on to leave a review about this DZ and seen someone below has left a review almost identical to what I'm about to write!

I came to Hawaii on vacation and brought my current log books, licence, worldwide comprehensive insurance papers. Emailed and called the dropzone a couple of weeks before arriving in Hawaii and was told they accept fun jumpers and have equipment rental.
I was staying on Maui island and had to fly over to Oahu island to visit the DZ, dragging my wife along with me because she knows how much I love the sport.

When we arrived I was greeted by numerous staff that didn't know what was going on and were only concerned with the bus loads of tandems arriving at the DZ by the minute.

After been given the run around for about 30 minutes I was told by a moody instructor I can't jump.

I was very disappointed, so I spoke to the DZ owner/manager and he has got to be the biggest asshole I've ever met in my life, very rude and dismissive little old man. He gave me hope that I would be allowed to jump, made me sit around waiting for 2 hours till the DZ got a little less busy with tandems, then changed his mind and told me no!

Almost everyone at this dropzone was moody and I can't understand why??? The location is so amazingly beautiful and I can only imagine how stunning it would look up at 14k ft.
I've never been to a DZ and seen so many negative faces!

I am active duty military and have been for 13 years. I set up a group of 89 service members to jump over 24 hours. The drop zone made it simple and had transportation in the requested location at the requested time and all the staff was very friendly and the drop zone had a great vibe. Everyone that was there was open to all the Newbie skydiving questions and was all smiles and laughs and good times. I highly recommend this drop zone if jumping in Hawaii.

Found only one regular that when he talked to me I didn't feel like a burden for being there. Very nice desk crew. Dz is small so be good under canopy. Overall if the "jumping employees" would have been more friendly and personable this place would blow skydiver Hawaii out of the water.

Called weeks ahead to confirm that I could do a recurrancy jump, arrived with license and log book and told no. Decided to do a tandem with my friends, guaranteed to 14k. Bullshit, after I had sat there for almost 3 hours they announced no 14k due to weather, what a load of shit! People who arrived on the shuttle got to jump before us, their organization is horrible and the staff are unfriendly.

My sister and brother-in-law came to visit me and wanted to go skydiving, and we chose Pacific Skydiving due to their perfect safety record, "ultimate tandem" option, and the price (most bang for your buck). I also brought along one of my friends, making us a group of four. It was an absolutely amazing experience for all of us, and I ended up getting sucked right into this incredible sport. Even my sister, who was initially terrified, ended up having an amazing experience thanks to the top-level professionalism demonstrated by the tandem masters.

I ended up going back shortly thereafter and signed up for AFF. Because a short ground school course and two TAFF (tandem) jumps are required prior to taking the first-jump course and starting the classic AFF instruction (something I really liked because of how it gives the students a jump start on AFF and greatly enhances overall safety), I had the opportunity to meet and jump with two more members of the staff who were both outstanding: I found them to be very professional, knowledgeable, fun, and encouraging. Unlike some people who say that they find some DZs to be stand-offish, I found everyone at Pacific Skydiving to be positive and accepting - they certainly welcomed, embraced, and helped me any way they could right from the beginning, and I am most appreciative of this genuine Aloha.

The impression I received from everyone there was that they truly love the sport and art of skydiving, had a sincere desire to introduce others to skydiving by giving them a very positive experience that they will always remember, and that they are sincerely genuine: keep it real and be cool with them, and you will get all that and more in return. They are no-nonsense when it comes to safety, which (of course) is absolutely essential and should definitely be expected. I particularly liked how everyone was looking out for each other - something that became apparent very early on. The combination of great personality and professionalism made the whole experience one of the best ever.

It should be noted that Pacific Skydiving is very popular, and that a lot of tourists like to go there - after all, skydiving over Hawaii is very unique. With this comes some big crowds and some relatively long waits - not all the time, but definitely at certain times. We planned accordingly and ended up not having to wait at all; we showed up, were given a safety briefing, filled out paperwork, were hooked up with gear, and were soon in awe of the spectacular scenery 14,000 feet above Oahu. I did notice, however, that some people (all tourists so far as I could tell) expected just to show up with crappy attitudes and be treated like royalty. In all honesty, this was about the only negative thing that I encountered, and it was no fault of the DZ. In fact, I was pretty impressed by the level of patience demonstrated by the staff in these trying situations. So while my respect for the staff increased as a result, I was a bit disappointed that some customers had to bring the vibe down for the whole place with their disrespect. My advice is to plan wisely, show up early, and try to embrace every moment that you're there by reminding yourself that this is a very unique adventure that you are about to embark upon. If this is done, I don't think it's a too much of a stretch to say that you are very likely to have a life-changing experience.

Jumped 11/14/2012 (two weeks before the last review...) This was my second tandem and my wife's first (she's hooked now, I already was...). We had great tandem instructors, mine was a tall lanky guy with over 10k jumps and he was only 34! Good ground schooling and facilities (not high level big-city stuff, it's Hawaii, if you aren't familiar with the local living style, this fit in). We did some pretty good maneuvers in the air, head down flying and some flips and spins. Unlike the previous reviewer, my tandem guy offered and really tried to talk me into starting my A license with them! Told me I could get through ground school in half a day. Only reason I passed was I had an appointment to spend a grand on a tattoo two days later. I had none of the attitude or issues previously mentioned!

All in all, a great experience and I will definitely be jumping solo there after my A is done!

I showed up Monday morning at 0720. At 0740 people stared rolling in and I checked in. I told the dispatcher of my intent and she called over the head instructor. I told him of my intent to train for an "A" license and he told me that it wasn't going to happen. My reply was "What?" He said that they don't train people passing through from the mainland. I told him that I had been planning training here for 5 months and after 2 emails and two phone calls; it would have been nice to mention that. Especially since I just traveled 2,500 miles from Alaska and spent $5,000 to be standing here talking. Every communication from Pacific was "Just show up". He said that they don't even jump with license holders who are not current to bring then to currency. I asked to get ground school and the answer was "NO". I started to argue, but I could see that this was a lose-lose situation. 1.) I would lose the argument or 2.) I would win the argument with the dude that was going to fling me out of an airplane out 14,000 feet. Option 2 made me feel a little queasy...I went back to my condo. Their website says they train AFF which is almost fraudulent. If it had said they only train Hawaiians... I would have gone would have gone elsewhere.

Edit Remove

I visited Hawaii on vacation and had the opportunity to get a few jumps in. I called both dropzones only one picked up the phone... Pacific Skydiving Center.

Great DZ, full of fun-jumpers and lots of loads. The only downside is that it closes early like 1 or 2 PM due to the winds picking up daily around that time. Now this was in January, I can't attest to the other times of the year.

I had a good time, gear rentals were a little steep but oh well.

The PAC-750EX carries up to 20 jumpers and load turnaround times are about 15 minutes, so you're only limited by how fast you can pack.

Just called this DZ and talked to an absolute jerk. Annoying know it all with a heavy accent, kept interrupting me. I'm in no hurry to jump at this DZ.

This was my first time jumping, but (no surprise) won't be my last... when I'm back in Hawaii I'll definitely jump again with these guys.

The view was incredible (go figure, it's Hawaii), and even though we could only get 3 people up at a time it was a good social group bonding experience.

The management were extremely friendly and helpful, helping us out with lost items and accomodating our group reservation for eight. They talk up their product a lot, but they delivered... no one in our group was disappointed at all (not even the person who decided not to go up at the last minute... they weren't pushy).


You could tell the tandem jumpers are a bit jaded about the parade of tourists like me, but they hide it reasonably well behind an acceptable level of friendly demeanor. They don't push the tips too hard, but the extra $20-30 on top of the already substantial fee does sting a bit. Not that it's expensive for what you get... I looked around the internet before we chose a DZ and their prices seem to be very competitive for the quality of the jump... but it's still a couple of notes when you're all said and done.

They let you pay afterwards, which shows faith that you'll enjoy the ride (and in part so that you'll tip more/upgrade to video as well... but again, they were friendly and upfront about it.

Apparently they have an A+ safety record, although I have to take Guy's word for it (I asked and he said you can look up injury reports in the industry magazine? I don't know if they're available online).


Advice for first timers, convention groups, etc. looking to jump in Honolulu:

* Bring your own drinks/food and something to do while waiting to go up. We borrowed a football to toss around in the gorgeous sun.

* Get your group properly for early in the AM. Guy was really good about waiting while we roused our missing members from another hotel, but it was still embaressing. The earlier you leave, the faster you jump.

* Get a group of 8-10 and book online.

* Plan on paying for the photo/video package unless you're on a really tight budget. They do good lens work and the souvenir is awesome.. we had two guys audible to the combo package after the fact.

* Jump at Pacific. All said, they provided an incredible experience, well worth the money.

It's a very nice place to jump with the ocean on one side and the green Hawaiian mountains on the other. The PAC750 took us to 14000 feet everytime in no time. To bad they stop jumping when they are out of tandems.
We had a wonderful time there.

Showed up with my own equipment to make a few jumps. PAC 750 was a nice ride. The staff were helpful with detailed briefings on the area, the aircraft, the LZ, and on the procedures for the DZ. Had a great time.

If you plan on visiting I recommend you take your own gear unless you like jumping rather large student gear.

On a side note. I left my altimeter there. It just showed up at my home in Arkansas! Can't beat it.

It's a shame that after such an amazing view and having such a cool jump staff, the senior staff (namely the owner and his right hand woman) left such a bitter taste in the mouths of myself and the other 6 people I jumped with. Yes were all in the sport for the airtime and not the customer service, but here in the land of aloha a bit more can be expected. Just a minuscule amount of civilized communication goes a LONG way! That said, the views are worth it. You just have to put up with some bull$#!+.

The experience of the staff at Pacific is incredible. I moved out here two years ago with my (I thought) hot shot partner and with 7000 tandems, he was at the lower experience level of the staff. I am employed by the DZ so I am probably a bit biased but I would highly reccomed this DZ for visitors interested in making a tandem or experienced jumpers interested in seeing perhaps the most beautiful jump run on the planet from 13000+ feet.
Our new plane is a PAC750 and it is in spectacular condition (which might be a little odd for those of us used to 50+ year old aircraft, but nonetheless is is a wonderful plane). There is now food available on the DZ, and it is far better than the bar food at several mainland DZ locations, although a little slower as we are on Hawaii time here. The chef actually loves to cook and it shows.
During the week, if we are slow, we tend to be shut down by noon, up-jumperwise. If you wish to make a tandem, a portion of the staff is always on call until 2:30 or 3 pm. On weekends we go until we run out of both tandems and up jumpers. Management is a little stingy about the number of sport jumpers required to keep the plane going at times, but with 8 or so of you and some sweet talking we can go until sunset (awesome for me cause I'd much rather pack than cocktail waitress....skydivers are so much fun to be around...).
The staff here is generally a happy bunch, although (and I hate to be the one who announces it to the general public) they are paid way less than their mainland peers. If you are considering a job here, get your salary in writing. If you'd like more info about that part of working in paradise, feel free to email or pm me.
If you are doing a tandem, take note of the fact that tandems here are WAY cheaper than many mainland DZs that have a far less scenic view and less experienced staff. Monetarily speaking, a tandem here is a sweet deal you can't get anywhere else.
Hawaii truly is paradise. If you are an active jumper and find yourself out here please come check us out. For tandem students, I made my first jump at Pacific in 2002 and I would absolutely recommend making one with us. I believe that Pacific offers a unique and positive environment for your tandem skydive. However you do it, jump on Oahu!!!!

And be sure to stop by and say hi to Jess.

Aloha!

Blue skies!!

Will leave you with a little voice in your head sayin "just move to Hawaii and buy a 500 jump package"

I stopped at this DZ on Feb 14th of this year. I arrived early in the AM and was greeted by some of the staff. Everybody I met was pretty cool and laid back. Manifest had the cutest manifest ever..Noelle. She also knew what she was doing. She knew that I was a visitor from Alaska and needed to get jumps in while I was on vacation. She made sure I was on every load. It was not hard to find somebody to jump with at this DZ. This place is admittedly a Tandem Factory, but they will ensure you are on that plane if there are any available slots. The scenery along the coast was outstanding second only to the Glacier jumps in Alaska. They have a PAC750 airplane that gets to altitude really quickly. They still have the King Air, but they do not use it anymore because its a gas guzzler. After the Dropzone has no more Tandems for the day, everybody heads over to Skydive Hawaii to jump. I didn't, so I can't compare the two DZ's. The only improvement I could suggest is having somewhere to buy food without having to drive into town. Although, because this is not a Fulltime jumping facility (for funjumpers), the sale of food probably would not work too well. I have nothing negative to say about this facility. Cool people, Cool jumps, and when all else fails...you have Noelle. :)

Pacific Skydiving Center is by far the best of the two Oahu DZs. However in my opinion there are few wrinkles that they need to iron out. For example; If you need any kind of re-currency training they tell you to come in early and you come in early, and you watch load after load go up ... wondering when you are going to get up. You go up and ask manifest and they get annoyed at you. Then, all of the tandems are done for the day they shut down, and you wasted your whole morning. What they need is some kind of appointment to reserve an instructor.

Another problem is the availability of rental rigs. If you are a fun jumper, better get there early if you are not bringing your own rig. I have again sat around for a rig to become available, then the tandems stop, and there is another wasted morning.

That is the bad, here is the good. The clouds opened up and the light shined down upon me. I just did my A -License re-currency dive a few days ago. They pulled a tandem instructor away from doing tandems (wow) and took a right w/o a cypress to the rigger to have him put in a cypress, manifested me, gave me my ground school and wow, I actually jumped! Twice that day!

The other day I was able to get in 4 jumps, with the rig no one wanted. I wasn't picky, it was a pink Falcon 265, ( I would rather have jumped my rig, but its reserve was out of date) But I had a rig and was able to skydive.

It is hit or miss with this place. I am glad I had a stroke luck with everything working my way this previous couple of visits, but if you go there, and it doesn't work your way, well you have been warned.

The scenery is fantastic, the King Air gets up you altitude fast, and most of the staff are awesome to talk to.

Oh yeah one more thing, they need to start making coffee available to their customers!

I have to say that I can't be impartial because I work here. I've been editing the videos for many different camerapeople for the last 8 years and am happy to say I am the best video editor on this DZ. We've got the most experienced Tandem masters in Hawaii as well as having the Largest, fastest Jumpship(kingair 100). The view out here is amazing(best time for the scenery is in the winter). In the summer time I even set up our swimming pool for after jump beers and stories. Along with the clubhouse next door with all of the local jumpers hangin out. This place ROCKS!!!!!