What is Night Skydiving?

Published: August 19, 2022

Imagine falling through the sky at 120 mph... now imagine doing it at night!! If you think skydiving sounds exhilarating in the sunshine, then just picture going night skydiving underneath the stars!

What is Night Skydiving?

Night skydiving is exactly what it sounds like - it is jumping out of a plane at night!

It is fairly similar to skydiving during the day - you ride the plane up to altitude, jump solo or with friends (note, your first night jump has to be solo), and fly your parachute to the ground. Night jumps are a novelty because they're not done all of the time, and they're a fun challenge. There are a few more logistics to think about with night jumps, so some extra precautions are taken.

What Qualifies As Night Time Skydiving?

According to the United States Parachute Association (USPA), an organization that regulates the sport of skydiving, night time skydiving includes any jump that is made between the official times of sunset and sunrise.

While it doesn't need to be completely dark to be considered night time skydiving, there are some parameters around timing in certain circumstances. In order for night jumps to meet license requirements or to qualify for world records, as examples, they need to take place at least one hour after the official sunset time and more than one hour before the official sunrise time.

Can You Tandem Skydive At Night?

You cannot make a tandem skydive at night because there are certain license requirements in order to make a night jump. Since we specialize in tandem skydiving at Skydive OC, we do not make night jumps. You're not missing out, though, because if you jumped at night here you wouldn't experience our incredible views of the Atlantic Ocean and the Ocean City coastline!

What Are The Requirements to Skydive At Night?

To be able to skydive at night, you must be an experienced skydiver - but not just any skydiving license will do. Because of the extra challenges of jumping at night, you must have at least a B license.

Skydiving licenses are issued by the USPA, and earning your B license means that you have: completed at least 50 skydives and at least 30 minutes of freefall time; landed within 33 feet of target center on 10 jumps; successfully completed 10 formation skydives; took a water training class; demonstrated required canopy piloting maneuvers; and passed a written exam.

Also, right before making a night jump, you should get training on night jumps by a person who is qualified to brief you about skydiving at night.

What Equipment Do You Need For a Skydive Night Jump?

Obviously all of the equipment that is necessary for a skydive during the day is also needed for a skydive at night, which is your rig (the backpack that contains your parachutes), helmet, goggles, and altimeter (which tells you how high up you are).

Since there are extra challenges at night, you also need special equipment for night. You want to make sure that you know what altitude you're at, that you can identify the landing area, that you can see other skydivers, and that other skydivers can see you. The gear that you're going to want on your night jump includes:

• A light visible from 3 miles away (a small strobe is often used once the parachute is open)
• An altimeter that lights up
• Goggles that are clear and not tinted
• A flashlight to make sure your canopy is all set when you open
• A whistle to make your location known to other jumpers around you

Night jumps are often made only on nights with a full moon once the moon has risen, and with no clouds blocking any of the light. Despite the natural illumination, extra lighting is still a good idea. Lighting solutions can be as sophisticated as floodlights, or as easy as having several cars beaming their headlights in the same direction.

As with everything in our incredible sport, night time skydiving is awesome. The first step toward any goal in skydiving, though, is to make your first tandem jump. Ready to seize the day and give it a try? Come jump with us!!