Skydive Midwest

Amazing! Just amazing. From start to finish my first tandem jump exceeded my expectations in every way. The staff at Skydive Midwest are friendly, professional, experienced and lots of fun! Even though I was a total nervous-​newbie, they made me feel like a pro!
The weather was outstanding for my jump, I had scheduled to go the week before but it was cancelled due to cloudy weather — I’m SO happy I waited to enjoy the experience in better weather! If in doubt — wait/​come back when the sun in shining and the clouds are gone!
The ride up in the plane is super cool… and watching your fellow jumpers go is pretty awesome. Then it’s your turn. And you get to the opening, and look at the lights and think about what you’re about to do (and think about changing your mind!) and then you GO… AMAZING! The free-​fall is literally free… falling…awesome. Then your instructor releases the shoot and you’re making your way back down — where the views are simply amazing. Landing was my favorite part! The ride in from about 300ft is the coolest. My instructor Thad was outstanding. I rarely gush about people, but this guy is a star!
The pic/​video bundle in a winner — just get it!
I plan on jumping again at Skydive Midwest, after I let this first one sink all the way in. Pure. Joy. So, if you’re in the Chicagoland area, it’s the perfect location — give them a call!

This place changed my life.
I did my first tandem skydive here in 2010 and never looked back. Before they could get me out of the harness I was in the office asking about how to get licensed. I did 500 jumps my first year and went on to get instructor ratings and travel all over the world in search of freefall. I had no idea a trip to Skydive Midwest would set a new trajectory for my life, but the people, the management and the vibe at SDMW is truly unique.
Is there a chance you will drive from far away just to sit on the ground and look at cloudy skies all day? Yes! This isn’t an amusement park, this is aviation! The most critical part of SAFE aviation is weather. Complaining about weather holds on a skydiving review is like writing a review for a tattoo parlor and complaining about the sterilization process, but worse.
Outstanding aircraft, friendly and responsible staff and views of Lake Michigan, Chicago and Milwaukee make Skydive Midwest the best place to skydive in the Midwest! The owner is really cool too! I threatened to write him a bad Unilocal review because the vending machine was out of Red Bull and he drove to the store and bought me one! And not a small one, one of the large 24 OZ cans. What a guy! What a place! Thank you SDMW!!!

Was not able to jump because of bad weather. Which is fine but driving from Chicago to this place was very frustrating, since we called ahead of time to make sure that the jumps are not cancelled, so they basically let people come in regardless of where they came from and let them wait in the hanger until the sun comes out… I was expecting that if the weather was not good they wouldve called those people who are scheduled and would give them a heads up that they will have to wait, that way we can chose not drive and waste our time. Very frustrating. Im sure the actual jump is great but make sure the wheather is great too. Uggggh

Everyone here is AWESOME! this was the most intense experience ever in my life and everyone made it so much fun and as relaxing as possible :-) we are excited to do this again!

First time skydiving here! AMAZING! ENTIRE staff is amazing, super nice and helpful. My instructor was Eric and my photographer was Neil. OUTSTANDING time. Eric is hilarious and super fun. Neil did an AMAZING job with my video and pics. Whomever edits and puts it all together — great job!!! LOVED IT ALL! WILL Definitely be back to dive more and probably get my license!!!

Had a fantastic experience. This was my 2^nd tandem and I had the best time. The people at the front desk are really nice and fun! The location is great.
The instructors all seemed professional, thorough and confident. I truly felt safe at all times.
During the jump you see the lake and it is really just beautiful.
The only reason for 4 stars is because I thought this place, compared to the first place I jumped, «turned and churned» too fast. We were barely on the ground and our instructors were literally running back to the building to load up the next group. It felt slightly rushed and lacked the fun and light nature I experienced on my first jump.
But that aside this was a great place with great people and I would highly recommend it to all.

Went with a large group of 5. We had an early Saturday 8:00 appt. Got in and out quickly. All tandem jumpers. Our instructors were extremely nice and made you feel safe. They all seemed to have 5+ years of experience. Very pleasant experience. We’d all go again. The only scary part was signing the liability waivers. Great view of the lakes and Madison.

We came here for our first tandem dive using a groupon. Our appointment was for 9 am on a Sunday morning, and we arrived there at 8:30 to start check in. Upon arrival, there are a lot of forms to fill out and sign. It seems a bit intimidating because the waivers pretty much ask that you don’t sue the business in case of problems or injury. Don’t worry too much about the legal quagmire and keep signing (your life away).
After check in, an instructor taught our group the basic instructions. He was very entertaining. I was expecting a long wait time; however, the weather was perfectly clear and sunny, and we were able to board the very small plane around 9:45 to begin.
My tandem instructor was hilarious and chill-​he did great at answering my questions.
The actual experience: amazing! But short. Free fall is exhilarating and goes by quickly so try to take in as much as possible. It’s also very cold, so wear layers. Ears hurt when they pop at high altitudes too. Afterwards, the 6 minutes of parachuting is fun and you’ll be able to steer directions. You’ll get a certificate at the end, although they put the wrong date on mine ha.
We drove 3 hours to this particular location and had a great, memorable experience. If it wasn’t so expensive, I would go all the time.

Thank you Thad, for taking great care of my wife as the two of you plummeted to the earth. Took my wife here so she could scratch this off the ol’ bucket list. We had a great experience. They were very professional and willing to answer any questions. The weather was a bit sketchy so we had to wait a bit, but nothing excessive. If this is something that you are interested in, give this place a go… just take a look at the weather channel beforehand.

Bucket list, check!
New expensive addiction, check!
Skydive Midwest, you made all my birthday dreams and wishes come true. My tandem instructor, Adam, was fantastic. Our fall out of the plane was absolutely intense. I was a tad nervous but Adam was so reassuring that my stomach, heart, bladder, and sphincter were calm. He served as a great tour guide, pointing out the Milwaukee and Chicago skyline and bumper to bumper traffic.
The only mild discomfort happened during turns. My boobs were situated right above the harness and they received a signal with each turn. Thankfully Adam turned both left and right which evened out the boob strain.
If you pay $ 135, you can jump again (certificate doesn’t expire). What a deal!

Writing a review for skydiving itself is impossible. I can’t put down in words how exhilarating, mind wipingly awesome it was.
What I can review is the quality of the establishment. Professional, courteous and very friendly. They saw we were first timers and made us feel comfortable and excited. The photograph package is a must, definitely worth the extra cost. The place is comfortable and they provide a lot of very useful information on their website.
I’d advise to get there as early as possible, the light is great and the wait is negligible.
A big shoutout to Jake and Steve for being supportive and putting up with my nervousness. And for doing the macarena in the sky.

Let me start by saying the skydiving was amazing. I did my first tandem jump and everything was great about the class, the prep, the jump and the video production afterward. My tandem instructor helped me through everything and made sure I had the time of my life. That being said, I can’t give this place 5 stars for two reasons.
The first, is we called ahead of time and asked if we needed a reservation and were told outright, that we didn’t need one, they had jumps every 30 minutes or so and we could come in whenever. We called again, the day before to make sure we didn’t need a reservation and were reassured it was not necessary. We show up the next day and ended up having to wait over 5 hours to jump. People with reservations had to wait as well, but not the 5 hours we had to wait. It was horrible. If the woman on the phone had just told us to book a reservation we would have done that, but liked the flexibility of not needing one and trusted her assurances that it wasn’t necessary at all.
The second reason is when we arrived to check-​in as walk-​ins the woman at the front desk was so rude and mean to us we almost wanted to just walk out. But we drove the hour and a half from Chicago, so we were going to jump out of a plane. Because we had to wait so long and the woman at the front desk was so rude the entire experience was tainted. I loved the jump and can’t wait to do it again, but the whole checking in and waiting experience is the worst. They ought to have a screen in the main room with who is assigned to what flight and an approximate departure time to provide some transparency into the waiting process.
Also, they don’t have a restaurant on site, so you’ll need to stop by the fastfood places down the street if you get hungry.
At the end of the day, if you’ve never jumped. This place is professional and has great views of the lakefront. Everything runs quickly and efficiently, like an assembly line before you jump and the tandem instructors are great about giving you a wonderful jump and descent. I can’t wait to do it again!

I had a great time here. Third time was the charm. We came 3 different times looking for good enough weather to skydive. The professional jumpers were very nice. They are the nicest staff in the place (I’m looking at you front desk girls who sort of suck). My pro was Tim. He was great, conversational and fun.
I got the video package. So did my mom. My videographer, Chris, was great. I got the best video hands down. Mine was worth the extra money. If given the choice jump with Tim and get your video with Chris.
All in all a great fun place but if you get rain checks your best bet is NOT to call ahead, just show up. We called 10 times and front desk girls said they had no room. We finally just showed up and they fit us right in, no waiting.

Love this place. Great people, great atmosphere, comfortable location…
Closest skydive drop zone to Lake Michigan and Chicago. I recommend this place to any and everyone.

The best ever! This place was awesome, everyone was so extremely nice and they really made me feel very comfortable. I dove with Eric, he was amazing. Ask as many questions as you want and they happily answer them. Strongly recommended by me.

I had a great first skydiving experience here overall. The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars is because my friend ordered the video/​picture package and not only did her chute deploy prematurely and have her freefall cut really short but then they refused to refund the video/​pic package in spite of there being hardly any footage. The guy I dove with was great and my videos and pics turned out really well. I’d still recommend them in spite of my friend’s not so great experience seeing as I’m guessing that the chutes don’t prematurely deploy too often.

Good:
–People are great. Ask questions if you want to know something and they will let you know what’s up.
–Skdiving is always fun.
–They haven’t killed anyone yet
The Bad:
–you might have to wait due to weather so plan to chill for a bit

1,100^th review and why not review a once in a lifetime experience? Skydive Midwest, near Racine, was a great place to do my first Tandem Skydive! («First»? I thought «once in a lifetime» meant «once»!) With a Groupon, the dive was affordable, and worth the price.
Booked for 2pm Friday, I dove around 5pm. Others in my group of about 20 went earlier, just to give you a rough time estimate. Weekends, I have heard, can be a bear, but there are picnic tables, bean bags, a grill, and generally the waiting area isn’t bad. I’ve heard they’ve made lots of improvements here, so if you haven’t been in a while, there are new bathrooms, an indoor and outdoor waiting area, and vending machines. They could use a bubbler, as having to bring or buy water for a 3 hour wait seems unneccesary.
Our «training» (if you could call it that) was really quite rushed. The young guy that went through it, was a bit flip, and not as thorough as I would have liked for a risky situation. I noticed only one other (older) guy had any questions, so maybe I’m just less of a risk taker by wanting to know the proper steps of the jump. But others in our training were obviously nervous, and jokes about dying or «feeling off today» might be best if they’re skipped at this point in the jump process.
Talked with another jumper in our group and he hadn’t gone through the training, and wondered how to do the Tandem Jump. The great thing is that when you’re getting suited up with the gear, your instructor goes over everything with you again. My dive was with «Klicke», and he was awesome. I had a few questions in the plane, and he went through the whole process, and made me feel at ease, while also getting me pumped for the jump.
The Dive:
— 10 minutes of the plane going up to alt. of ~14,000 feet is a little unnerving, but I also decided if the world were to end, these risky adventurous skydivers would be a great lot to be paired with! Your instructor will go over the dive with you at this time.
— 1,2,3 Jump! Jumping out of a plane takes a lot of faith. In the equipment, and in your instructor. Let Go is all you can do.
— Free Fallin’! I’m pretty sure Tom Petty never jumped out of an airplane, and was speaking metaphorically. Cuz this part is nowhere near as relaxing as his dreamy song. But it’s also not as bad as I thought it would be. Going 120mph for 50 – 60 seconds towards farm fields is pretty cool.
— Parachute! When the chute opens, it’s pretty cool. The instructor then undid my hip clips to him and then checked my comfort level. He did a few 360 spins, and then let me drive the chute! I did a few 720s each way, and that was fun. It’s very relaxing, and offers incredible views.
— Landing! Sweet mother Earth! You’ll skid on your butt and get some grass stains, so don’t wear light colors. High five your instructor, and tips are appreciated for good service.
For 48 hours after your jump, you can book again at a discount. And if you want to get the whole experience on video, they offer that for a little over $ 100. Cool if you’re celebrating a birthday, or what not, but I found the Tandem Jump itself pretty unforgettable, and didn’t feel the need to share. Oh, except for this very long review! Thanks, Skydive Midwest!

I really can’t say enough good things about Skydive Midwest!
They are the very first drop zone partner for Canopies for Kids, which is this awesome non profit organization that enables skydivers to take stuffed teddy bears with them on their skydive. This experience is then used to position these bears as «The Bravest Stuffed Teddy Bears in the World», which are then given to sick children’ in hospitals. Such a cool cause and again such an amazing drop zone for being the first to partner with them! I highly recommend jumping with a bear if you go.
I’ve done two tandems with them and I’m currently in the process of going through their AFF to get my license. The staff there is just incredible! Some of the friendliest people you’ll meet, and they’ll definitely keep you safe. Safety is a big deal there. All their gear is very new and their packs are equipped with AAD’s– which is just another great reason to jump there. They also have a new plane this season that can take lot of people up at once.
In regards to prices, I think they are very reasonable from what I’ve seen at other drop zones and their new hanger is extremely nice compared to most! They have clean bathroom facilities, and an awesome porch and patio where you’ll often find them grilling in the summer time. If you’re driving up there from Chicago, it’s really not too bad of a trip, they’re located just off 94.
Most importantly, the jumps there are great! If you’re more adventurous just tell your tandem instructor and he’ll give you a great ride. If want something a bit more mellow, just let em know. Again very receptive staff who are there to make sure you not only feel safe, but that you have a great time too!
Also, on a clear day you can see both cities when you jump, Chicago and Milwaukee; along with Lake Michigan. My last jump was a sunset jump; and it was one of the most incredible views I’ve ever seen.
In short if your interested in skydiving in the Chicago, Milwaukee, or Madison area this is definitely the drop zone you should jump at!

I had already done one tandem jump somewhere else before I came here for another tandem. Compared to the other dropzone, this was a lot cleaner and way more professional (aka not a bunch of barely clothed hippies, but I digress). My instructor was pretty cool. Before we went up, he asked, «Do you want to do any flips leaving the plane?» «UHH YES.» The view when you’re in the air is awesome with Milwaukee to the north, Chicago to the south and then just miles of Lake Michigan.
I was just really impressed with how organized this place was. Also they have a new hangar that’s big and nice… and has real bathrooms. While waiting you can hang out on the deck watching people land or play some volleyball.
This place is the shit.