Skydiving week in Royan

What does a skydive week in Royan look like, day by day?

Last updated: 16 December 2025

You book a skydive week in Royan, but what actually happens once you arrive? How many days are you at the airfield, when do you make your first jump, and is there also time to just sit by the sea with a glass of wine or an ice cream?

In this guide I walk you through a typical week in Royan. See it as a sample schedule for a seven day course: whether you choose an
AFF course,
Airwareness
or the
Airboss Academy,
the structure of the week feels roughly the same.

If you follow Airwareness, you stay for two weeks: the second week builds on the same rhythm, with extra jumps, coaching and more depth.

The bottom line:
A skydive week in Royan means a full week of living around jumping. Ideally you arrive on Saturday, meet the group and instructors, start ground school at 09:00 on Sunday at the airfield, build your skills jump by jump over the next days and use the last day as a buffer for weather, beach and travel home. In between there is plenty of space to land, literally and figuratively, at the Skydive Camp and in the lively town of Royan on the Atlantic coast.

After your booking you receive separate information pages from us with all practical details about Royan and a checklist, so you know exactly what to bring and how to prepare. This guide is mainly meant to give you a feeling for what the week looks like.

Note: this is an example schedule; the actual order can change due to weather and how the airfield operates.

➤ Show table of contents

Day 1: arrival in Royan and first impressions

You travel to Royan during the day. Many participants come by car or train, others fly to Bordeaux or La Rochelle and take the train from there. If you booked a bus trip via Airboss, you will be dropped off near Royan on Saturday morning and we will pick you up at the arrival location.

Our Airboss office is located in the hangar at Royan airfield. You recognise us by the orange Airboss logo. During the day we do a short intake: welcome, paperwork, document check and practical briefing. If you arrive later in the evening, we are usually at the Skydive Camp at the campsite next to the airfield and we will catch up with you there.

If you stay at the Skydive Camp, you sleep in the bunkhouse or in your own tent on the dropzone. Everything is within walking distance: aircraft, bar and restaurant. The rest of the evening is free. Some participants go straight to the beach, others head into town for something to eat. You feel: tomorrow it really starts.

Day 2: ground school and your first jumps

On Sunday the course starts at 09:00 at the airfield. Depending on your program (AFF, AFF Plus, Airwareness or Airboss Academy) we begin with an extensive ground school: safety, equipment, emergency procedures, body position in free fall, aircraft exits and flying and landing your parachute.

You get a lot of information, but everything is practical. We practise movements on the ground, run through the exit step by step and make sure you know exactly what to do and when. You notice your focus shifting from “help, I am jumping out of a plane” to concrete steps you can carry out.

If weather and operation allow, you make your first jump at the end of the afternoon or early evening. It is not a must, because the next day is fine as well, but it is possible. The door opens, the Atlantic coast is below you and you leave the plane with your instructors. That feeling is difficult to put into words; what you will experience for sure is that you can do much more than you thought beforehand.

Day 3: getting into the rhythm of the course

The third day often feels like a turning point. Most of the tension is gone, you know what the aircraft feels like, you recognise the sounds and the routine on the dropzone. Now you can really start building technique and confidence.

Where possible we plan several jumps for you. Between jumps you watch video, get feedback from your instructor and pick up short theory blocks on things like flying the pattern, reading the wind and making a good landing.

Because you are on a holiday destination, there is also time to breathe outside of jumping. Between two loads you grab a coffee on the terrace at the bar, after the last jump you might go to the beach or walk along the boulevard in Royan. That helps to keep your head from filling up completely with only tension and information.

Day 4 and 5: keep jumping and keep growing

In the middle of the week you notice that everything starts to flow. You pick up more quickly what is said in the briefing, your body knows better what to do in free fall and you fly your parachute more consciously. These are often the days when you make the biggest steps in your progression.

Depending on your program you work on:

• your remaining AFF levels and first solo jumps;
• formation work with an instructor or coach (in Airwareness and Airboss Academy);
• more accurate canopy control and cleaner landings;
• more calm in free fall: time to breathe, look around and enjoy.

Our target is about two to three jumps per day, as long as weather and operation allow. In between there is space to ask questions, recharge and connect with the others. That mix of focus and holiday feeling is exactly what makes Royan so strong.

Day 6: wrap-up, extra jumps and evaluation

We use day six to wrap up goals. Do you still have one level to go, want to make an extra solo jump, are you almost ready for your A license goals or do you want to repeat a jump to refine something? This is a good day to plan that in.

Together we look at where you stand: how many jumps you have made, which goals you have reached and what logical next steps are once you are back home. Sometimes there is room for a last jump within the agreements and your level. Often you see that people really dare to let go at that point and feel what they have learned in just a few days.

In the evening there is often a relaxed closing moment. No official ceremony with ribbons, but a moment to look back, share stories and celebrate that you took the step. If you have finished your course, this is also when you officially receive your skydiver license.

Day 7: buffer day, beach and travel home

We deliberately keep the last day flexible. Sometimes we use it to make up a missed jump because of the weather, sometimes it is really a buffer day where you do not have to do anything except recover.

Many participants spend this day on the beach, in town or on a terrace, together with people they shared the aircraft with that week. You notice that the atmosphere is different: less tension, more awareness that you have done something special. Participants have grown closer to each other. Phone numbers are exchanged and plans are made to skydive together somewhere in the Netherlands.

After that it is time to travel home. With a head full of impressions, new friends and a logbook that is no longer empty.

Who is a week in Royan for?

A skydive week in Royan is meant for people who want more than a one-off tandem jump. You really want to learn to skydive, from your first AFF course to the step towards your A license, for example via the Airboss Academy. You like the idea of spending a full week on one thing instead of planning a single jump every few weeks on a different day.

Even if you have a busy life at home, a week in Royan can do a lot for you. By stepping out of your daily routine, you can fully focus on learning, practising and enjoying. No emails, no meetings, but a clear program and a team that guides you step by step.

What do you take home after a skydive week?

You go home with more than just jumps in your logbook. You have experienced what it is like to do something that feels scary and to become skilled and relaxed in it, step by step. You take that experience into other parts of your life.

In concrete terms, a week in Royan usually gives you:

• a solid step towards your AFF or A license (for example via the Airboss Academy);
• confidence in free fall and under canopy;
• a network of people who have taken the same step;
• memories of jumps above the Atlantic coast that you will not forget anytime soon.

More inspiration for your skydive journey

• ➔ First skydive: what it is like to step out of an aircraft for the first time.
• ➔ How do I start skydiving?: all the steps from first idea to course.
• ➔ Skydiving costs: where your investment actually goes.

Want to know more about learning to skydive during your holiday? Then also read the blog
Learning to skydive on holiday.

A week in Royan is not an escape from your life at home, but a pressure cooker for growth. Every day a jump, every day a step closer to the version of yourself you want to be.