The crew at Skydive Bay of Islands is what makes this an awesome place to go skydiving! From the check-in crew to the pilot, each and every one of our crew make sure you have the best possible experience! One of the most memorable aspects of your jump will be the person who gets you safely back on the ground – your tandem instructor! Our tandem instructors have over twenty thousand jumps and twenty years of experience between them and are trained to the highest level. Our friendly ground staff will look after you before and after your jump, and they’ll be there to help you take it all in when your feet finally touch down again.
Meet the crew!
General Manager/Tandem Master
Andrew has been a tandem master for 22 years, with 7 of those working at Skydive Bay of Islands. He completed his first jump 30 years ago in South Africa, and since then he has done more than 17,000 jumps!
Andrew’s favourite part about being a Tandem Master is that he gets to meet so many different people and be part of their first skydiving experiences.
His favourite memories of being a Tandem Master were when he was able to take his 2 kids for their first skydives.
DropZone Dog/Support Crew
Jamie is a 10-year-old Staffy and loves nothing more than spending her days at the Dropzone with her friends! Jamie can often be found following Andrew around or tricking our customers into giving her attention and cuddles. Jamie plays a key role in helping our customers feel calm, at ease, and part of the family!
Tandem Master
Before becoming a Tandem Master Maurice worked as a hotel manager back in Ireland. He did his first jump as a tandem customer in Cairns, Australia in 2006. Since then Maurice has completed over 10,000 jumps and been a Tandem Master for the past 10 years.
Maurice loves spending his days helping his customers to experience their first skydive and seeing the joy that it brings them.
His favourite memory was when he took his mum for a skydive!
Tandem Master
Before he was a Tandem Master Prashant served in the Indian Army. After serving for 20 years he took early retirement in the rank of Colonel and migrated to New Zealand to pursue his dream of becoming a full-time Tandem Master!
Prashant’s favorite part about his job is being able to make his customers experience skydiving fun, and ensuring they leave with memories they will be able to cherish forever.
Every customer comes with a different energy level and comes with their own personality and story. One of Prashant’s most memorable customers was a 9-year-old girl who told Prashant that she didn’t want to lose her pink Ugg Boots during the jump, and warned him that he would have to go find it if one were to fall off.
Manifest & Ground Crew
Lucie completed her first 20,000ft tandem jump here at Skydive Bay of Islands, and instantly was hooked, she’s an adventure adrenaline junkie! A ground staff/manifest crew role popped up and in a matter of 3 weeks, she had moved down to Kerikeri and started her crew role here and loves it!
After doing bungee jumps, swings and slingshots, she enjoyed skydiving the best. She has completed her AFF course and is now able to skydive solo!
Lucie is not only a full time student completing her NCEA level 3 with Te Kura, but she also attends a Business of Tourism Academy with ITC, as well as working here which SBOI really accommodates for.
Lucie favourite part about working at Skydive Bay of Islands is being able to give people an amazing experience and seeing their grins ear to ear after they completed their jump, it’s heartwarming and an awesome thing to experience. She see lots of different people walk through the doors here at SBOI, some from different countries and even different continents. It’s amazing to be able to chat with them and learn about their experiences and stories!
Ground Crew/Camera Flyer
After Dylan completed his first skydive in 2020 he knew he wanted to make his way into the industry, after a couple more years of working as an electrician he decided it was time to change jobs. He joined the team here at Skydive Bay of Islands in September of 2022 where Dylan started off as ground crew and has now worked his way up to being a camera flyer.
Dylan enjoys seeing the stages of excitement, fear and joy that come with doing your first skydive. As people come in and seem calm at first and then look nervous in the plane to being able to jump out with them and see the smile light up on their faces as they realise how freeing the feeling of jumping out of a plane is, truly indescribable.
The best part of working here for Dylan is being able to film and capture such a special memory for people as they can look back on their first skydive for years to come.
Pilot
Stefan went on his first flight when he was 14 and was hooked from that point forward. Combining his love of aviation and adrenaline led him to work here at Skydive Bay of Islands.
Stefan began flight school back in 2020 in Hamilton. He then continued his commercial and instructor training down in Nelson. Outside of flying he enjoys keeping active, and is always out seeking his next adventure.
Stefan loves being a part of the team at Skydive Bay of Islands – every day is different and he enjoys being able to deliver a unique and exciting experience to our customers. The most enjoyable parts for him are the amazing views from his sky office, and getting to see the customers on such a buzz after their jumps.
Ground Crew
Meet Emma, a 14-year-old ground crew member at Skydive Bay of Islands. Growing up on the dropzone where her dad works, she developed a passion for skydiving from an early age.
Despite her youth, Emma has completed three tandem jumps, fueling her love for the sport.
Emma’s infectious enthusiasm and warm personality create an inviting atmosphere for visitors and experienced skydivers.
Packer/Camera Flyer
From the moment Claire did her first tandem jump in 2014 she knew that she wanted to work in the skydiving industry!
Claire moved to New Zealand and enrolled in Skydiving School in January 2016. During her training, Claire came to work at Skydive Bay of Islands as a student and has now been part of our family for the past 7 years.
Claire’s most memorable jump was when she filmed outside camera for her twin sister back in 2016. One of her favourite parts of her jump is being able to jump into the Waitangi Treaty Grounds – this was such a privilege and the views are absolutely breathtaking!
Sales & Marketing Manager
After completing her first skydive at age 14, Paige knew she had found a new love for all things adrenaline. However, only after a year of studying law and criminology at Auckland University in 2017, did Paige realise her passion laid out of the ordinary.
In returning back to her hometown of the Bay of Islands in 2018, Paige soon began working for Skydive Bay of Islands, starting first as a manifest/ground crew member. Presently, she has expanded her role in also becoming Skydive Bay of Island’s marketing maestro.
Paige loves the many people she gets to meet every day at work. Her most favourite part about working in a manifest/ground crew role is seeing people’s expressions change from fear before jumping to jubilation and excitement after completing it. In her marketing role, she most enjoys meeting with friendly people, visiting some spectacular locations, and hearing amazing stories from other people in the tourism industry.
At present, Paige has completed five tandem jumps. Her second, which came as a surprise from the SBOI staff members when she first started, made her realise that she had walked into a strong family culture here at SBOI.
Ground Crew/Packer
Gavin did his first jump with his dad back in 2007 when he was just 6 years old! Gavin knew from a young age that he wanted to learn how to skydive. He grew up around skydiving and spent a lot of time at Dropzones, so over the next 10 years, he did 5 more tandems, and then started his AFF course to learn how to skydive solo when he was 16 years old.
Although Gavin loves all his solo jumps, his fondest memory was of his second tandem jump. Gavin jumped as a tandem customer with his dad onto a beach in South Africa, with his 2 uncles also jumping as camera flyers and filming outside camera of the jump!
Gavin has worked at Skydive Bay of Islands every summer since turning 16. He loves the fun, vibrant, and stimulating working environment. Whether he’s on the packing mat or helping gear up customers for their jump, Gavin constantly feels happy to be doing the job he’s doing.
- Jinal Patel
It was my first time skydiving and I was so impressed by the staff at Skydiving zone Kerikeri Prashant Kapoor was friendly and professional making you feel comfortable from the... read more 
1 January 2022Sean I had prashant as instructor for a tandem dive, couldn't have wished for a better person to jump out of a plane with. For anyone who hasn't skydived I would... read more
1 January 2022Chase944 Best 21st experience possible had the best day, couldn’t have asked for better staff managed to help us all do it even when a couple of our group had never... read more
8 August 2022
