From Humble Beginnings to Soaring Heights: The Journey of Skydive Australia

Skydive Australia has evolved remarkably over the past 25 years, growing from a single six-seater Cessna 206 and one drop zone in Wollongong to the world’s largest skydiving company with 12 zones nationally. Despite this growth, founder Anthony Boucaut’s most cherished memory remains a spectacular sunset jump from the company’s early days.

While on holiday in Mexico with his future partner Tamahra Prowse, Anthony decided to skydive with a local company that landed on the beach in Playa Del Carmen.

“We took off from a dusty Mexican dirt strip in a plane that seemed held together by an incredible amount of duct tape, with more instruments missing than present in the dash, and used parachutes that looked like they were last seen in 1942 over Berlin,” he said, laughing.

“But we survived, and I thought, ‘I’ll bring that idea back home to Wollongong.'”

In 1999, while still in university, Anthony founded the company originally known as Skydive The Beach. Despite recognizing the high risks involved, he wasn’t deterred by the small bank loan he had taken out the previous year.

“I was young, felt invincible, believed in the vision, and wanted to share the thrill of freefall with everyone,” he said.

“The loan seemed large at the time, but it bought six tandem parachutes, a small Cessna 206, and a little HiAce eight-seater bus that consumed more oil than fuel. No one ever imagined we’d be running multiple 54-seat buses between Sydney and Wollongong 15 years later.”

Determined to make North Wollongong the landing site, he enlisted Tamahra’s help in putting together the development application, a process that took more than a year and was hard-fought.

“Having never run a business before and not having worked in one—I had served seven years in the military and then attended university—running my own business and dealing with customers and staff was quite a shock,” he said, laughing.

“I made every mistake in the book and even invented a few new chapters.”

Despite the challenges, Anthony looks back on those early days with fondness.

Source:

https://regionillawarra.com.au/skydive-australias-25-year-leap-from-one-wollongong-drop-zone-to-national-leader/29605/

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