Known as the adventure capital of Namibia, Swakopmund is a charming coastal town comfortably nestled between the Namib desert and the Atlantic Ocean. This popular beach resort has plenty of fun outdoor activities on offer to keep thrill seeking visitors entertained for a good few of days. Quad biking, sand boarding and skydiving in Swakopmund are some of the most popular activities to do. 

Are you planning to visit Swakopmund when in Namibia and have you ever wondered what it feels like to free-fall over the world famous Skeleton Coast? You’ve come to the right place!

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post updated on 10 aug 2024 (originally published 2015)

Why skydiving in Swakopmund?

Skydiving is not unique to Namibia nor to Swakopmund. There are many places in the world where you can jump out of a plane, with a parachute, of course. So why would I recommend Swakopmund for skydiving?

• Scenery: Skydiving in Swakopmund is exceptional because it offers the combination of a fun, adrenaline fuelled activity with the breathtaking scenery of a place where the ocean meets the Namib, the oldest desert in the world. The view over this surreal, other-worldly landscape is just jaw-dropping and a never to forget experience.
• Budget: Skydiving is definitely not the most price friendly activity to do and many people won’t have budget after already having spent money on a holiday or vacation abroad. However, Swakopmund is known to offer skydiving experiences at relatively affordable prices compared to many other popular skydiving locations around the world. 
• Exchange rate: With the current favourable exchange rate (as of 2024) between currencies like Euros and US Dollar compared with the local Namibian Dollar, the prices are even more advantageous.
• Value for money: And with regard to the budget friendly price you pay, you receive excellent value for money. The instructors are all experienced professionals and the company (Ground Rush Adventures) have been in business for nearly 20 years.

When travelling in peak season, make sure to book in advance as it is a popular activity. Book your skydiving in Swakopmund here or with this company.

To skydive or not to skydive...

Are you, like me, suffering from vertigo and wondering if skydiving is for you? Well, I have been suffering vertigo since being a teenager (long time ago) I was only fourteen years old. It all started when I went on a trip to Paris and decided to climb the Eiffel tower by taking the stairs. To make a long story short, I went up the Eiffel tower, enjoyed it and came down with vertigo.

Over the years, my vertigo softened, but don’t ask me to do these weird adrenaline sports that require heights. And yes, I mean bungee jumping. Who on earth in their right mind jumps off a bridge with only an elastic band wrapped around their ankles? No way would I ever try this, even though bungee jumping is very popular in southern Africa, with the Bloukrans bungee in South Africa being the highest in the world and Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe over the mighty Zambezi river.

I have been to Swakopmund quite often, each time eyeing the skydive activity, yet every time I found an excuse not to do it. 

Even though I’m not at all keen on bungee jumping, I did want to, one day, jump out of a plane, with parachute and with a professional instructor.

My personal experience skydiving in Namibia

On one of my trips to Namibia I visited Swakopmund with a group of tourists of which most of the group decided to go skydiving. This pulled me over the edge and I decided to also sign up, thinking, at least I can go with them to the airfield strip where the jump would take place and pull out at the last moment.

I also kind of hoped the weather would be bad the day of the skydive, so the decision of not jumping would not be in my own hands. Anyway, the morning of the jump, I hopefully poked my head outside and looked at a perfectly clear blue, wind free sky. Bugger…I would jump today…. I was anyhow convinced I would still be able to say no at the last moment. Of course I could, I smiled…

The moment we arrived at the club of Ground Rush Adventures, all went very fast and before I realised it I was stepping into the Cessna plane with the skydive instructors, while I was still waiting to get some kind of explanation. I was still hoping to wait for the others to jump first and chicken out at the end. So probably it was a good call to have me first on the list so I didn’t have time to think about anything.

Anyway, before getting on the plane I asked the instructor again to give me the instructions. He just looked at me, smiled and said “just enjoy the ride”. Well, that still did nothing to ease my mind so I tried again and asked if there would be anything that could go wrong. He shook his head. I guess that calmed me down since if something would go wrong, it wouldn’t be my fault…as if it would matter in the end.

The flight up took about 30 minutes and I think it was the calmest flight I’ve ever had. I was so relaxed and just enjoyed the view over the Namibian desert, the Atlantic ocean and the Skeleton coast. This half hour passed extremely fast and before realising I was hanging out of a plane.

Yes, I finally did it...

That moment where you jump off the plane and experience your first ever free fall is just indescribable. It feels amazing. 

The first moments of the free fall a lot is going on in a very short space of time. It all goes so fast so there is no time to think. The wind is racing over your face at a speed of about 200km/h (or 124 miles/h) as you free-fall towards the ground. It’s a wonderful sensation as you don’t really notice you are falling towards the ground at high speed. In a way I was glad I didn’t book a videographer to fall along, I think I wouldn’t have made the best impression and would never be able to show anyone my amazing skydive video.

And then, about 30 seconds later, the free fall was over, the parachute opened and we started gliding. It feels like a sudden shock going from 200 km/hour to a mere 20 to 30 km/h (12 to 18 mi/h). That moment was just something you have to experience yourself, it’s actually indescribable, but I’ll try.

It was the most beautiful feeling ever, so relaxed, being ‘one’ with your surroundings, so peaceful, so…so…And then I realised, skydiving is fun and everyone should have done it at least once in their lifetime.

The moment you land and realise ‘I did it’, is just out of this world. It makes you so happy and makes you want to savour that moment. I can really recommend it.

We used Ground Rush Adventures / Skydive Swakopmund for the tandem jump and we can highly recommend them. Most of the photos are credited to them as well. This post is not sponsored, we did pay for the activity ourselves.

If you want to book skydiving, we recommend booking your activity in advance which can be done here or here.

So, what was your best adrenaline moment? Did you ever try skydiving?