Grips 0 #1 February 1, 2007 Hey guys. I was thinking about finishing my AFF at Skydive Montrey Bay. Would anybody recommend them for AFF training, or just overall? If not Skydive Monterey Bay, who else around the Central Coast? Thanks! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
monkycndo 0 #2 February 1, 2007 I'm not familiar with SMB. I am familiar with Hollister and highly recommend their staff. I went through my AFF there. The landing area is huge. The landing area is not at the airport, so you have a 15 minute van ride back after landing. This gives you 15 minutes of undivided attention from your instructors for a thorough debrief. Give them a call at 1-800-funjump.50 donations so far. Give it a try. You know you want to spank it Jump an Infinity Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
brianfry713 0 #3 February 1, 2007 I did my AFF at SMB a few years ago, and the weather sucked. The views are nice, when they're not covered with clouds. Adventure Center Skydiving in Hollister gets much better weather further inland. The winds and/or clouds kept me on the ground constantly, and it took me 4 months to finish even though I was there all the time. I haven't been there in a little while, but the plane at SMB is super fast. Depending on where you're coming from, you could also try Skydive Santa Barbara in Lompoc, Bay Area Skydiving in Byron, Skydance Skydiving in Davis, or the Parachute Center in Lodi. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
huckfinn 0 #4 February 1, 2007 If you want to go to the "cooler", more social dz, go to Hollister. They seem to care about the people having fun more. The van ride won't bother you until you have about 50 jumps. If you want a fast plane, beatiful ocean view, and good altitude, go to Montery. The weather will be good till about june. They both have big landing areas. No matter which you choose, leave the nest and go visit the other dzs in Northern Cal. when you have a few jumps. Ginny Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Elisha 1 #5 February 1, 2007 QuoteIf you want to go to the "cooler", more social dz, go to Hollister. They seem to care about the people having fun more. The van ride won't bother you until you have about 50 jumps. If you want a fast plane, beatiful ocean view, and good altitude, go to Montery. The weather will be good till about june. They both have big landing areas. No matter which you choose, leave the nest and go visit the other dzs in Northern Cal. when you have a few jumps. Ginny Note to self: Must get to SMB and jump fast plane before June. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kelpdiver 2 #6 February 1, 2007 As the others said, weather can be a serious issue at Monterey. I did far too many AFF jumps to get cleared for solo - the weather was certainly part of the cause. When you can only do 1 or 2 jumps a day... In the summer months - the fog can sock the place during the morning, then it burns out at 10 or 11, and by 1 or 2 the winds are up. Then the clouds roll in towards the evening. Coming from SF with a 2 hour drive, it was not the way to go. (Prepaying for the 7 levels was the really big mistake). And it wasn't always the weather - if few tandems were coming, we used the 206 and that meant the time between jumps was much longer, so that 3 or 4 hour window might still only get you 1 jump. That said, if you're nearby, it's not so bad. And right now, the weather is definitely better. But I've rarely had any issues at Hollister. Their valley seems to escape cloud cover that is everywhere else. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tonyhays 86 #7 February 2, 2007 QuoteNote to self: Must get to SMB and jump fast plane before June. Yeah, it only takes about six minutes to 15K. Maybe eight if its a full load. Sometimes we go to 18K, but that takes almost nine minutes!! The wait is terrible!!“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.” Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Grips 0 #8 February 2, 2007 Yeah, I heard that have an awesome King Air. Do the AFF students get to jump from 18,000 for the same price, or do you need to upgrade? Should weather be an issue in April? I'm not much concerned about the view, as long as I get to jump. If I have a couple weeks, do you think its enough time to get all the AFF done? Cheers. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tonyhays 86 #9 February 2, 2007 Going to 18K usually depends on the tandems. If a tandem does it and you are on the load, no extra charge for the AFF. The fun jumpers are required to upgrade if that happens though. A couple of weeks *should* be enough to get all of your AFF done and more. I have never been here in April so I can't say what the weather is like at the time. Your profile says you have nine jumps. Are you so uncurrent that you will have to start over?“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.” Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Grips 0 #10 February 2, 2007 QuoteGoing to 18K usually depends on the tandems. If a tandem does it and you are on the load, no extra charge for the AFF. The fun jumpers are required to upgrade if that happens though. A couple of weeks *should* be enough to get all of your AFF done and more. I have never been here in April so I can't say what the weather is like at the time. Your profile says you have nine jumps. Are you so uncurrent that you will have to start over? Nah, my last jump was in Nov, last year. I might do another couple here before I go back. The thing is I'm going to be so close to SMB, and I will actually have time to do it. I hope that I won't have to start over. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PWScottIV 0 #11 February 7, 2007 Quote Do the AFF students get to jump from 18,000 for the same price, or do you need to upgrade? I could be wrong, but I don't think you're able to do anything more than a Tandem from over 15k without your A-License... Can an AFFI confirm that? Also, where will you be traveling from for your training? I've done AFF at Byron, Davis, and Lompoc...Gravity Waits for No One. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
monkycndo 0 #12 February 7, 2007 QuoteQuote Do the AFF students get to jump from 18,000 for the same price, or do you need to upgrade? I could be wrong, but I don't think you're able to do anything more than a Tandem from over 15k without your A-License... Can an AFFI confirm that? . I did two of my AFF jumps from 18K. There are no restrictions that I know of. On the lower level jumps, the dive flow is so simple, the extra altitude isn't of much benefit. The later jumps, that altitude does help. The only reason I went to 18K was because a tandem was going. I wouldn't pay extra for it otherwise.50 donations so far. Give it a try. You know you want to spank it Jump an Infinity Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kelpdiver 2 #13 February 10, 2007 Quote I did two of my AFF jumps from 18K. There are no restrictions that I know of. On the lower level jumps, the dive flow is so simple, the extra altitude isn't of much benefit. The later jumps, that altitude does help. The only reason I went to 18K was because a tandem was going. I wouldn't pay extra for it otherwise. The language in the SIM recommends that one have a B license for the 15-20 range. The S&TA at SMB in 2004 read that as a directive more than a mere suggestion, after I had a sloppy exit after a 40 minute ride in the 206. While a KA is fast enough, I think it's a bad idea to risk hypoxia in the students on a slower climbing otter or worse a fully loaded 206. Though the brain recovers pretty quickly 30 seconds down, if they've lost their cool they won't regain it. I had to do my last levels in the 206 only going to 11k, and yeah, that was really tight on working time. I would have loved to just have the usual 14-15k. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
