Skydive Monterey Bay
Marina Airport / Monterey Bay · near Marina / Monterey · Central Coast
Skydiving
At a glance
- Best season
- Year-round; coastal fog burns off midday; book ahead
What is here
- Scenery
- coastal
- Amenities
- Spectacular Monterey Bay coastline views · High-altitude (up to 18k) tandems · Turbine King Air — fastest jump plane in CA · Lands closer to the ocean than any CA center
- Best for
- The most scenic jump in California
- Features
- Freefall over the Monterey Bay coastline · Some of the highest tandems anywhere (18k) · Big Sur, Santa Cruz & Santa Lucia views · Airport built on a sand dune by the sea
Worth knowing
- Hazards
- Coastal fog can delay morning loads — midday often clearer · High-altitude jumps use supplemental oxygen — follow the briefing · Reservations recommended; weight limits apply · Popular — book scenic slots ahead
- Beginner friendly
- Yes
Guides, rentals and operators
- Operators
- Skydive Monterey Bay
Skydiving detail
- Offerings
- tandem · learn · licensed
- Aircraft
- turbine
- Altitude
- 18k
- Stature
- 3
- Jump notes
- A dropzone right on Monterey Bay offering some of the highest tandems anywhere — up to 18,000 ft (with a 15,000 ft option) using the fastest jump plane in California — with arguably the most scenic canopy ride in the state over the whole sweep of the bay, the Big Sur coast, and the Santa Lucia range
- Stats note
- King Air to ~18,000 ft (also 15,000 ft option); ~90 sec freefall; lands closer to the ocean than any CA center
- Experienced hub
- No
- Intl tip
- A dropzone right on Monterey Bay — the airport is built on a sand dune by the sea — offering California's most scenic skydive paired with some of the highest tandems anywhere: up to 18,000 ft (also a 15k option) in a fast King Air, for a ~90-second freefall over the whole sweep of the bay, the Big Sur coast, and the Santa Lucia range. Tandem and AFF, landing closer to the ocean than any other CA center. Fog can delay morning loads (midday often clearer); high-altitude jumps involve an oxygen briefing. Popular — book ahead, confirm weight limits, expect occasional weather holds.
- Nickname
- Freefall over the whole sweep of the Monterey Bay coastline — some of the highest tandems anywhere
The guide
Skydive Monterey Bay, based at the Marina airport right on the shore of Monterey Bay — the airport is literally built on a sand…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Skydive Monterey Bay — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 36.682, -121.762