Guide · Skydiving

Fox Glacier skydiving: jumping above the glacier coast

The glacier region has one of the most dramatic drop zones in the country: ice, rainforest and ocean in one view. Here is how the tandem jumps work, which height to choose and who can go.

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Editorial team, foxglaciertours.comUpdated October 25, 2026read in 6 minutes7 sources

The tour that goes with it Franz Josef: 13,000ft, 16,500ft or 18,000ft Skydive 4.9 (129 reviews) 3 hours from$205per person Check availabilityFree cancellation up to 24 hrs before

Quick answer

01Where: The listed tandem skydive departs from Franz Josef, half an hour from Fox.¹
02Heights: 13,000 ft, 16,500 ft or 18,000 ft.
03Free fall: 45, 65 or 85 seconds, by height.
04Time: About 3 hours in all.
05Price: From $205, rated 4.91 from 129 reviews.

Skydiving in glacier country

Few places put this much scenery under a parachute. The glaciers of Westland Tai Poutini National Park run down from the Southern Alps almost to the coast: Fox Glacier is 13 km long and its face sits less than 300 metres above sea level.² ³ From the sky, the white of the Alps, the green of the rainforest and the line of the Tasman Sea fit into one frame.

The tandem skydive on GetYourGuide for this region departs from Franz Josef, the twin township half an hour north of Fox.¹ If you are staying in Fox, it is an easy drive, and the same morning can still hold a walk at Lake Matheson. Booking through the listing gives you free cancellation up to 24 hours before.

Above it all stand the highest peaks in New Zealand. Aoraki/Mount Cook reaches 3,724 m, and its national park next door has 19 peaks over 3,000 m.⁴ ⁵ On a clear day, a jump here is as much a scenic flight as an adrenaline rush.

Jump day

How a tandem skydive unfolds

Arrival

Check-in

Assessment by the Tandem Master at the drop zone.
Briefing

Harness and gear

Your instructor explains the exit, the position and the landing.
Climb

Flight to height

The plane climbs to 13,000, 16,500 or 18,000 ft.
Free fall

The rush

45, 65 or 85 seconds, by the height you chose.
Canopy

Float down

The calm part, with the coast and the Alps below.

Choosing your height

The listing offers 3 heights: 13,000 ft, 16,500 ft or 18,000 ft. The higher you go, the longer the free fall: 45, 65 or 85 seconds before the parachute opens, depending on the option. The flight up also takes longer from higher, which gives you more time to take in the view from the plane.

For a first jump, the lowest height is plenty: the free fall feels long, and the canopy ride afterwards is the calm, scenic part. The higher options are for people who want the longest possible free fall and do not mind the cold and thinner air at altitude. Your instructor will explain what that means on the day.

Age decides some of this for you. The listing says children aged 13 to 16 can jump only at 13,000 ft; those over 16 can jump at any height, but under 18 they need written parental consent. Plan the family booking around those rules before you pay.

Free fall

Seconds of free fall by jump height

seconds

Free-fall times for each option as the GetYourGuide skydive listing gives them.

The options

Heights, free fall and ages

Height	Free fall	Ages 13 to 16	Under 18
13,000 ft	45 seconds	Allowed	Parental consent
16,500 ft	65 seconds	Not allowed	Parental consent
18,000 ft	85 seconds	Not allowed	Parental consent

As the skydive listing states them; everyone is assessed by the Tandem Master on the day.

Three ways up

Jump, fly or hike

Free fall

Tandem skydive

From Franz Josef

Heights: 13,000 to 18,000 ft
In all: About 3 hours
Weight: Surcharge over 100 kg

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Fox Glacier: Scenic Helicopter Flight with Snow Landing

Shortest

Snow landing flight

From Fox Glacier

In all: 25 minutes
On the snow: About 8 minutes
Access: Wheelchair accessible

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Fox Glacier: Up to 3 Hours Hike with Helicopter Transfer

On the ice

Heli-hike

From Fox Glacier

On the ice: Up to 3 hours
In all: 4 hours
Minimum age: 9 years

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Decision helper

Is a skydive your glacier moment?

Pick by what you want to feel

I want the biggest rush It is my first jump I am a young teenager I want to touch the ice The coast is cloudy all week

18,000 ft

85 seconds of free fall.

13,000 ft

45 seconds of free fall is plenty.

13,000 ft only

Ages 13 to 16 jump only at that height.

The heli-hike

Up to 3 hours on the glacier.

Try Wanaka

A 3-hour tandem skydive is listed there too.

Glaciers cover 40% of it. There are 19 peaks over 3,000 m including New Zealand's highest mountain, Aoraki/Mount Cook.

Department of ConservationSource 5

Who can jump

A tandem skydive needs no training: you are harnessed to an instructor who controls the jump and the parachute. That does not mean anyone can go. The listing says all participants are assessed by the Tandem Master at the drop zone. Be honest about health, injuries and medication when you book and when you check in.

Weight matters for the equipment. People who weigh over 100 kg may pay a surcharge on the day, according to the listing. If you are close to that figure, ask in advance so there is no surprise at the counter. Wear comfortable clothes and closed shoes; the operator provides the rest of the gear.

Adventure flying in New Zealand is regulated. The Civil Aviation Authority's Part 115, Adventure Aviation, has its own subpart for tandem parachute operations and another for parachute-drop aircraft.⁶ Operators work under those rules, which cover the aircraft, the instructors and the way jumps are run.

Checklist

Before you jump

Booking

Book your first available day
Keep an alternative day free
Written parental consent for minors

On the day

Comfortable clothes and closed shoes
Your honest weight at check-in
Tell the instructor about any injury

Cost for your group

Skydive or flight for your party

Pick an option and the number of people

Franz Josef skydive13,000 to 18,000 ftfrom $205 Wanaka skydiveAbout 3 hoursfrom $211 Fox snow landing25 minutesfrom $227

People 2

Total from$410

pp from $205

Check availabilityfree cancellation

We take the lowest GetYourGuide fare for each trip, multiply it by the people in your party and show it in your currency at European Central Bank rates; your date sets the real total.

Video

A tandem skydive over Franz Josef

We only contact YouTube after you tap the play button.

Weather and rebooking

Skydives need clear air even more than helicopter flights. The listing says all skydives are subject to favourable weather, and recommends booking your first available day in Franz Josef and keeping an alternative day free. If you cannot move to another date after a weather cancellation, you receive a full refund.

On this coast that advice matters. DOC notes that the park lies in the path of the prevailing westerlies, which can bring heavy rain at any time of year.⁷ Cloud over the Alps can close the jump window for a day or more, and the exact time of your jump may differ from the one you requested.

So plan your skydive like the heli-hike: early in your stay, with a spare day behind it. If you want to do both, book them on different mornings rather than the same day, so a delay to one does not push the other off your schedule.

What the jump feels like

The hardest moment is usually the door. The plane is loud, the air is cold, and your instructor shuffles you to the edge while you are still deciding whether this was a good idea. Then you are out, and the noise changes from engine to wind. The first seconds feel like falling; after that the air holds you and it feels more like lying on a strong breeze.

When the parachute opens, everything goes quiet. The canopy ride is the time to look around: the snowfields and peaks inland, the forest at your feet and the line of surf along the coast. Your instructor steers, and may let you steer for a moment if conditions allow. The landing is usually a gentle slide on your seat with your legs raised.

Dress for the cold at height even on a warm day, tie back long hair and leave loose items behind. Take off rings if your hands swell in the cold, and eat something light beforehand. If you want photos or a video of your jump, check before the day whether your booking includes them, because the listing does not say.

Franz Josef or Wanaka for your jump

If the West Coast weather will not cooperate, Wanaka is on your route over Haast Pass. Tourism New Zealand puts Wanaka 3 hours 30 minutes by road from Fox Glacier.¹ The Wanaka tandem skydive on GetYourGuide is also listed at 3 hours. It is rated 4.82 from 277 reviews and starts from $211.

The Franz Josef jump is rated 4.91 from 129 reviews and starts from $205. What sets it apart is the scenery: glaciers, rainforest and sea in one view. Wanaka offers lakes and drier mountains instead. Choose the one that matches the rest of your route and the forecast for the days you have.

To skydive over Franz Josef and Fox Glacier country, keep the jump flexible and the drive in mind. If the West Coast looks grey for days, a booking in Wanaka on the way in or out may save the experience; if the coast is clear, jump where the ice meets the forest.

Skydive, flight or heli-hike

All three let you see the glaciers from above, but they feel very different. A skydive is about the fall and the canopy ride, with the landscape spread out below. A scenic helicopter flight lets you look closely at the icefall and land on the snow; the shortest from Fox lasts 25 minutes in all.

The heli-hike is the slow option: up to 3 hours on the ice in crampons, with flights of about 5 minutes each way. It starts from $467, against $227 for the short snow landing flight and $205 for the skydive.

If you can only fit in one, think about what you want to remember. The ice underfoot, the scale of the glacier from close up, or the rush of free fall over the whole coast. A skydive plus a short walk to a glacier viewpoint covers both the air and the ground for a modest total.

Pick your day