Bucket List Skydiving Top 5

Every time you jump out of a plane, it's special. That's one of the reasons we love this sport, after all! Even so: there are some skydives that are dripping with super-duper-extra-awesome sauce. There are five kinds of jumps that are pretty much universally hailed as the best skydives you can do and naturally on every skydiver's bucket list. Whether you're a brand-new jumper or a seasoned pro, you've gotta collect 'em all!

1. Sunset Skydives

Every skydiver loves a sunset jump. The magic starts when you're cruising along on jump run, watching that golden glow pour in the windows--and it keeps going even after the landing, because we're usually met by beer and a campfire. Lots of skydivers choose to organize celebratory group jumps for the "sunset load"--like a tracking jump, where we zip together across the sky, or a "high pull," where we deploy our canopies close to the exit altitude and take our sweet time getting down. Bonus: gorgeous photos.

2. Night Skydives

Night jumps are pretty special. They don't happen every day. In fact, they're almost always the stuff of special skydiving events, called "boogies," because it takes some extra work to organize them. We like to do night jumps during the full moon, and we're required to wear lighting on our bodies so we can see each other in freefall and under canopy. Night jumps really work our skills as skydivers--and they can make even experienced jumpers pretty nervous! It's not often that we can re-experience that belly full of butterflies, so we sign right up!

3. Beach Skydives

Most people look at a beach and see a relaxing day in the sun--but a skydiver looks at a beach and sees a long, soft landing area with a guaranteed gorgeous view. We love to drag our toes through the sand as we make a long, zoomy landing--and we love the fact that beach jumps almost always mean that we get an audience for our goofy antics.

4. Exotic Destination Skydives

Adventures make for the best skydives! There are skydiving dropzones all over the world. That is great, because that's exactly how we want to see the world: from overhead. (This author, for instance, has jumped at several dozen dropzones on five continents.) Skydiving has a delightfully welcoming international community and the sport itself is something of a universal language. Best of all: Exotic skydiving videos beat normal vacation photos hands down. Check out the top 5 most beautiful skydiving destinations.

5. Awesome aircraft

Whether it's a biplane or a hot-air balloon or a rear-exit aircraft or a helicopter, super-cool specialty aircraft make the skydiving world go 'round. We'll cross continents for the chance to do a gainer out the back of a Russian chopper; to clamber out the seat of a tandem paraglider; to gingerly wiggle out of a microlight.

At the end of the day, though, any skydiver will tell you: the most awesome aircraft is the one that's right there for you to jump out of. The best skydive is the one that you're just about to do; it can change your life. We love jumping, and any way we can satisfy the craving is welcomed with a hearty cheer!

Won't you join us? Let's get checking off your bucket list ... skydiving is within reach. Learn about how YOU can tandem skydive.