Go skydiving in Malaga

It’s the kind of thing you’ve seen on the television, but never actually imagined you’d do it. Until you find yourself in a flying suit, helmet, googles and the most hermetic earplugs ever and it’s your turn to step out into the arena. Welcome to a unique experience – skydiving in Malaga.

The preparations

As a student, I’d entertained the idea of going parachuting, but never went because the cost was way out of my budget. Many years later, a group of work colleagues set up a weekend skydiving in Seville, but family commitments meant I couldn’t go. Since then, I’d never thought of it again until I got an email from Fly4Real offering me a skydive experience.

That’s why we’re driving north of Malaga on a warm June day to the first skydiving venue on the Costa del Sol. We’ve passed the lakes and the Caminito del Rey and seen the striking village of Teba on the horizon before we arrive at our destination: the new Fly4Real installations.

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The outdoor skydiving simulator is on at full pelt and makes a lot of noise, which explains why Fly4Real have chosen such an isolated spot. The net already has a skydiver doing his thing on it. He makes it look so easy until he does a few pirouettes and dives in the air. That’s when you get to appreciate that this is the stuff of professionals.

And very professional they are too. Managed by MD Allan Hewitt, himself a practised parachutist, the skydiving centre has a skilled team of highly trained instructors. They worked on stunts in Tomb Raider and Superman, but their biggest claim to fame is that they taught Tom Cruise to skydive for Mission Impossible.

The experience

After our introductory talk, it’s time for the real thing. Our instructor talks us through the dive and gives us essential training in the hand gestures. These will make the difference between a successful experience or, literally, a nosedive.

Then, we put on our flying suits, appropriately in Spanish flag yellow and red. Next it’s off with all jewellery and watches, on with the helmets and goggles and in with the earplugs. These turn out to be the tightest I’ve ever worn and I can’t hear a single thing. A good job as it turns out because when we walk out to the ‘arena’ the noise of the machine is completely muted.

I’m on first (so no pressure) and step out onto the trampoline with more than a bit of trepidation. But the instructor puts me in the right posture and there then follow two minutes of skydiving action. You can see for yourself how I got on in the video below.

Did I enjoy it? The answer is resounding yes. It was fun, exhilarating and quite like nothing I’d ever tried before. It left me surprisingly energy-charged and I can see why they say skydiving is addictive. And there’s no doubt that on a second go, I’ll remember to keep my chin up and my legs bent…

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How to go skydiving in Malaga

Fly4Real is currently (autumn 2019) changing location to the Malaga coast. They don’t yet have an opening date for the new location, but bookmark this page for latest updates.

Skydiving experiences are suitable for everyone aged 5 to 95 and cost from €52. Family and corporate packages are also available. The company recommends you choose a package of 2 flights to get maximum benefit. Full information including online booking can be found here.

Make a day of it

Skydiving in Malaga certainly makes a fun thing to do and would be great combined with a trip to the Caminito del Rey on the same day. To do both, you need a Malaga rental car since you can’t combine them on public transport.

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