Skydive Dubai: Prices, Requirements and Palm vs Desert (2026)

A tandem skydive over Palm Jumeirah costs ~AED 2,749 with photos and video, and the same jump over the desert costs ~AED 2,199. You exit at 13,000 ft for about 60 seconds of freefall at ~200 km/h, and the whole visit takes 3–4 hours. You must be 18–75, under 90 kg (women) or 100 kg (men), and booked weeks ahead – this sells out.

How much does skydiving in Dubai cost?

Skydive Dubai charges ~AED 2,749 for a tandem jump over the Palm and ~AED 2,199 over the desert, both including photos and video. Strip the media out and the same jumps cost ~AED 2,199 and ~AED 1,899. Medical insurance is included in the package price at both sites – that covers the jump, while standard travel policies often exclude skydiving, so check yours before you fly.

The GetYourGuide price matches the operator's own Palm rate almost exactly (converted from $749 at the fixed peg of 3.6725 dirhams to the dollar) – you're jumping with the same Skydive Dubai instructors either way, GYG just handles the checkout. The listing is non-refundable, so book it once your Dubai dates are fixed; in return you get instant confirmation, English-language support, and it sits alongside the rest of your trip bookings in one app.

Optional extras bought direct include an Instagram reel (~AED 150) and a selfie-view angle (~AED 250). There is no public discount code for either dropzone: the cheaper routes are the desert site or the package without photos and video.

Palm or desert: which Skydive Dubai dropzone?

There are two tourist dropzones, not three. The Palm dropzone sits on the Dubai Marina waterfront at Al Seyahi Street, which is why people search for a "Marina" jump – it's the same place, and you land beside the water with Palm Jumeirah below you. The Desert Campus at Margham puts dunes under you instead, and costs ~AED 550 less.

The "Desert Campus for licensed skydivers" page that turns up in search is a separate programme at that same desert site, for solo jumpers with an FAI-recognised licence and recent jump currency. It isn't a different product from the tandem jump, and it isn't the tourist experience. Skydive Dubai asks solo jumpers to check the desert site is open before travelling, so confirm the same for a desert tandem.

Is Skydive Dubai safe, and what is the "death rate" search about?

Two deaths at Skydive Dubai are on the public record, and both involved experienced solo jumpers, not tandem passengers. In April 2015 an expert skydiver holding a USPA class D licence, with more than 500 jumps, died at the desert site; the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority's Air Accident Investigation Sector concluded he had lost situational and altitude awareness after deploying his canopy. In October 2024 a wingsuit flyer died at the Margham dropzone.

Neither involved the tandem product this article is about, where you are harnessed to a qualified instructor who deploys the parachute. For scale, the US Parachute Association puts tandem fatalities at roughly one per 500,000 jumps over a decade, against about one per 217,000 for skydiving overall, which includes experienced solo jumpers doing far more demanding things.

That doesn't make it risk-free, and no honest operator claims otherwise. It does mean the risk you take as a first-time tandem passenger is not the risk in those two news stories.

What are the age, weight and medical requirements?

Tandem skydiving at Skydive Dubai is open to ages 18 to 75, with a Declaration of Fitness form signed and stamped by a doctor for anyone aged 70–75. The weight rules are strict and enforced:

• Women: 90 kg or less, with a BMI of 27.5 or less applying above 85 kg
• Men: 100 kg or less, with a BMI of 30 or less applying above 95 kg
• You are weighed at check-in, in your clothes and shoes
• No minimum weight applies

A doctor's form is also required for epilepsy, blackouts, high blood pressure, heart or lung disease, diabetes, a dislocated shoulder and several other conditions. No alcohol or drugs for 24 hours beforehand, no scuba diving within 24 hours, and Skydive Dubai advises against jumping while pregnant.

If you're asking about a 12-year-old, you want indoor skydiving – a wind tunnel, a different attraction from a different company. Jumping from a plane starts at 18.

What happens on the day?

Allow 3–4 hours from check-in, even though the jump itself is over in minutes. You meet your instructor about an hour before boarding, the plane takes roughly 20 minutes to climb, and you exit at 13,000 ft. Freefall lasts close to 60 seconds at about 200 km/h, the parachute opens at around 6,000 ft, and the canopy ride down takes 4–5 minutes.

A camera flyer jumps alongside you, and the photos and edited video are part of the package on the Palm listing. Friends and family can watch from the ground, where there's a café.

What should you wear?

Comfortable athletic clothes and laced trainers. Skydive Dubai publishes what it won't let you jump in, so leave the sandals and heels at the hotel.

• Wear: sportswear, and shorts that cover the thigh
• Bring: your passport or ID card
• Not allowed: sandals, flip-flops, boots, heels, sleeveless or low-cut tops, swimwear

When is the best time to skydive in Dubai?

October to April is the comfortable half of the year, and morning slots avoid the worst of the heat. Skydive Dubai suggests booking one to three months ahead, and the Palm listing is regularly flagged as likely to sell out.

Jumps depend on the weather, so a booking can be delayed or moved. Build it into the first half of your trip rather than your last morning, and keep the day after free as a fallback.

Is Skydive Dubai worth it?

At ~AED 2,749 this is the priciest experience covered on this site – about fifteen times an off-peak Burj Khalifa ticket – and the one people talk about afterwards. Reviews sit near the top of the 5★ scale across nearly 2,000 ratings, with instructors and the video package drawing most of the praise; the recurring gripe is waiting around at check-in.

Go for the desert jump over the Palm if the money matters more than the backdrop – either way, book weeks ahead, this sells out.

For the rest of a Dubai trip, our guide to things to do in Dubai covers the cheaper thrills, Burj Khalifa tickets the other big view, and the Dubai Marina hotel guide the area you'll be jumping over.