Skydiving looks like an individual sport from the outside. Anyone who jumps knows better. The people on your load shape your progression, your safety and how much fun a weekend is. Turning up alone at a new dropzone, booking an AFF course with nobody at your stage, or driving to a boogie solo are all harder than they need to be. This guide covers where skydivers find jump buddies, how to write a post that gets replies, and how to do it safely.
Why finding a jump buddy matters
A jump buddy solves three problems at once. Progression: freefall skills like formation skydiving and freeflying need a partner in the air, and plateaus tend to break faster with someone consistent to train with. Cost: fuel, accommodation at events and tunnel time all split neatly two ways. Motivation: a booked weekend with a buddy survives a marginal forecast far better than a vague plan to jump alone.
Students feel this most. An AFF course is a big financial and psychological step, and doing it alongside someone at the same stage means shared travel, someone to debrief with on the ground, and a partner for the jumps that follow the course.
Where skydivers look for jump partners
Most of the sport still relies on word of mouth, which works well at your home dropzone and poorly everywhere else. Here is how the usual options compare.
| Method | Best for | Limitations |
|---|---|---|
| Dropzone noticeboard and word of mouth | Your home DZ, people you already know | Does not travel with you, invisible to visitors |
| Facebook groups | Reach, local chatter | Posts vanish in the feed within hours, no filtering by level, dates or discipline |
| Day-of dropzone apps | Seeing who is at the DZ today | Built for the day itself, not for planning a course, trip or event weeks ahead |
| DZSpotter Jump Buddies | Planning ahead: courses, boogies, trips, tunnel, coaching | Newer board, so post your own request rather than only browsing |
How the DZSpotter Jump Buddies board works
Jump Buddies is an intent board, not a dating-style swipe app. You post what you are looking for, and the board does the matching by making your request findable. There are eight intent types: jumping together, course buddies, boogie or event crews, trip planning, tunnel sessions, getting current after time away, looking for a coach, and coach available.
Each post links to a real dropzone or event from the DZSpotter directory, carries your dates, and shows your jump count and licence level pulled straight from your profile. That last part matters: a post cannot claim a different level than the profile behind it holds. Interested jumpers tap Interested, join the post's group chat, or message you directly on the platform. Posts expire automatically once the date passes, or after 45 days for open-ended requests, so nothing you see on the board is stale.
How to write a buddy post that gets replies
The posts that get replies are specific. Compare "anyone want to jump sometime?" with "B licence, around 180 jumps, at Netheravon the weekend of the 12th, keen on 4-way and happy to fly with newer jumpers". The second one tells a reader instantly whether they fit.
- Name the place and the dates. Link the dropzone or event so people planning around it can find you.
- State your level plainly. Jump numbers and licence do the work. Nobody is impressed by vagueness and everybody plans around specifics.
- Say the plan. Belly, freefly, hop and pops, camera practice, or just sharing lift queues and a barbecue. A plan gives people something to say yes to.
- Set a deadline if there is one. A course start date or a ferry booking gives your post urgency and tells the board when to retire it.
Finding a course buddy for AFF and consolidation jumps
Course buddies are the most underrated match in the sport. In the British Skydiving system, an AFF course runs through 8 levels and is followed by 10 consolidation jumps before the A licence. Under USPA, the A licence requires a minimum of 25 skydives. Either way, that is weeks of showing up, waiting on weather and repeating jumps, and it is far easier with someone on the same timeline. Post the dropzone and your target dates, and check the course packages listed on DZSpotter to compare what dropzones offer. For the official syllabus, see British Skydiving or USPA.
Boogie crews, road trips and tunnel time
Events are where the sport is most social and where a crew makes the biggest difference. A carload to a boogie splits fuel and tolls, a shared cabin beats a solo tent, and a group already formed on the ground turns into loads in the air. Post a crew request linked to the event, and look at the event's DZSpotter page to see who else has posted for it.
The same logic applies indoors. Tunnel time is sold by the minute, so flyers routinely split a block of time: you fly half, your buddy flies half, and each of you gets an outside eye on the other's flying. A tunnel intent post with your nearest wind tunnel and what you are working on tends to find the other person quietly wishing someone would ask.
Staying safe when meeting jumpers online
A buddy match is a starting point, never a jump plan. The dropzone always governs who jumps, in what group, and under whose supervision. Before you jump with someone new, confirm licences, currency and any coaching ratings with the dropzone, not with the post. Keep first contact on the platform rather than handing out your number, and use the report function on anything that feels off. DZSpotter does not verify licences or ratings, which is exactly why the DZ's own checks matter. The board is restricted to adults aged 18 and over.
Ready to find your next jump buddy?
The board only works because real jumpers post real plans. If you are booking a course, eyeing a boogie, planning a trip or just want company on the weekend loads, post what you are looking for on Jump Buddies. It takes two minutes, it is free, and the person you end up sharing a plane with is probably wishing someone would post exactly what you are about to.
