History of Skydive Empuriabrava
WHEN PASSION AND PROFESSIONALISM JUMP FROM 4,000 METERS, THE DREAM OF FLYING IS PERMANENT
The chronicle of Skydive Empuriabrava hides a fascinating story of passion for skydiving, of dreams made real, of entrepreneurs who entrust their project to the skies of Empordà. And it is the story of a company that was born almost half a century ago, full of episodes that have marked an era in themselves, and that have been woven together to create an imposing chronology that reaches up to the present day, when the prestige and worldwide recognition of Skydive Empuriabrava is unquestionable.
Let’s take a step back, talking about who was a true visionary. In the 70s Joaquim Densalat , a film producer and a great aviation fan, got into adventure cinema and got involved with director José Antonio de la Loma . This collaboration resulted in the thriller about parachuting and smuggling Waka Waka , with many scenes recorded in the skies of Empuriabrava. From Densalat’s masterstroke, the aerodrome began to have quite a bit of jumping activity , especially on weekends.
At that time, the land was owned by a developer from Empuriabrava, promoted by Miquel Arpa, and the skydiving activity was managed by the Girona Skydiving Club under its “Paraclub Girona” section. The owner’s initial idea was to promote an airport to accommodate private jets of wealthy families who adored the Empuriabrava marina , but the length of the runway was not long enough, and this exploitation channel soon disappeared.
In 1975 the management of the aerodrome changed hands, and passed to the Promotora Esportiva de l’Empordà , and three years later Josep Oriol Tomàs Bartrina, the father-in-law of Roland Hilfiker (remember that name) arrived who bought it as an aeroclub and converted it into a private airport. At that time it was one of the only ones in Spanish territory and had a permanent customs, with the Civil Guard controlling the entries and exits of visitors to Empuriabrava.
FROM AIRPORT TO AVIATION SCHOOL, TO BECOME A PARACHUTE DIVING CENTER
In 1977, Jaume Comas , an experienced pilot who still works at the center today and is its general manager, joined the company. The filmmaker Densalat continued to bring many jumps, especially in the summer, and complementary services such as the restaurant, tennis court and even a swimming pool were greatly enhanced.
After a while, David Bowen, a Briton who wanted to exploit the aerodrome with charter flights, arrives and buys the business. Neither the strategy nor the results are as expected and soon Anthony Handley appears, another Englishman who arrives from the aeronautical world with his own small planes and buys it with the idea of setting up an aviation school there. It seems that the business is off to a good start but internal problems cut short its momentum, and we are faced with February 1984, on a very windy day, when Roland Hilfiker appears, with the intention of setting up a skydiving centre . Roland came from the United States and more recently from Switzerland, and had made a career in Europe training jump instructors . His CV included more than 7,000 jumps, records of all kinds and individual and collective titles. When, together with his American partners Mitch Decoteau and Maria Peterson, he took over the reins of the Costa Brava Skydiving Center (currently Skydive Empuriabrava), implementing a revolutionary method that pushed the center to levels unthinkable until then.
A REVOLUTIONARY TEACHING METHOD
In 1977, Jaume Comas , an experienced pilot who still works at the center today and is its general manager, joined the company. The filmmaker Densalat continued to bring many jumps, especially in the summer, and complementary services such as the restaurant, tennis court and even a swimming pool were greatly enhanced.
After a while, David Bowen, a Briton who wanted to exploit the aerodrome with charter flights, arrives and buys the business. Neither the strategy nor the results are as expected and soon Anthony Handley appears, another Englishman who arrives from the aeronautical world with his own small planes and buys it with the idea of setting up an aviation school there. It seems that the business is off to a good start but internal problems cut short its momentum, and we are faced with February 1984, on a very windy day, when Roland Hilfiker appears, with the intention of setting up a skydiving centre . Roland came from the United States and more recently from Switzerland, and had made a career in Europe training jump instructors . His CV included more than 7,000 jumps, records of all kinds and individual and collective titles. When, together with his American partners Mitch Decoteau and Maria Peterson, he took over the reins of the Costa Brava Skydiving Center (currently Skydive Empuriabrava), implementing a revolutionary method that pushed the center to levels unthinkable until then.
At the same time, it is worth highlighting tandem jumps which have also played a key role, since the foundation of the Costa Brava Skydiving Centre , in the popularisation of these jumps in Europe. In tandem, the jumper is attached to an instructor, which makes skydiving accessible to everyone , without the need for any specific preparation.
Thanks to all this, Empuriabrava becomes the largest learning center in the world , with students from all countries, and brings many experienced skydivers to Empuriabrava.
It is the first time that the center has positioned itself at the forefront of the sector, and its managers are committed to being the best in everything, even in the planes used to launch the jumpers. Until then, there was no aircraft owned, and a Cessna 207 was rented, which was the first to be used at Girona airport.
LEADER IN EUROPE IN NUMBER OF JUMPS
Little by little, skydiving is gaining popularity around the world, but in Empuriabrava the success indicators are skyrocketing. In October 1985 it becomes one of the few professional skydiving centers open all year round with continuity, with a staff of 5 people, and that same year 25,000 jumps are already achieved, becoming a reference in Europe in the world of skydiving.
In addition, also in October comes one of the historic moments, the first Boogie, a meeting of parachutists who jump in large formations. And this was the spark that exploded at Christmas, when the call for a new Christmas Boogie almost slipped out of our hands, with the participation of half a thousand jumpers from all over the world. Only two years later it reached a thousand, and the spectacular activity had to be moved to the Girona-Costa Brava airport, to be able to use larger planes. The operation was complex, with the transfer to Girona of planes, caravans, offices, material and the mobilization of 1,200 people.
An anecdote from the company’s history was the surprise arrival of the then King of Spain, Juan Carlos I, who was coming to Catalonia to participate in the Christmas Race in Palamós. This forced us to stop all the assembly so that the monarch could land, and once he was gone we were able to continue with the organization of the largest Christmas Boogie ever held in Europe.
At that time, the company that manages the facilities is the Costa Brava Skydiving Center, which will be the one that will professionally develop the increasingly popular skydiving activity. The pilot Jaume Comas joins the company in 1985 and the same tenants will continue to operate the activity despite the new change of ownership that occurs in 1987, when David Bowen sells his company to the Swiss company Fórmula i Propietats SL It is worth noting that the aerodrome has always suffered strong urban pressure, with the growth of the Empuriabrava marina and the attempt of many investors to take ownership of the land to build hundreds of apartments there. Despite everything, the skydiving activity has never ceased since its launch almost 50 years ago.
The first privately owned Pilatus aircraft and the first World Championship
It was this same year, 1987, when the first plane was finally purchased, a Pilatus with a capacity for 9 people , which was one of the largest parachuting devices of the time. To promote the facility, the HIGH TIMES magazine was published, which was self-published at Skydive Empuriabrava, printed in full color in 4 languages and sent by mail to jumpers and clubs around the world.
At a technical level, Skydive Empuriabrava has always been at the forefront, but if there is a moment when the step forward is definitive it is in September 1989, with the celebration of the largest World Championship ever held in these facilities . We hosted almost 800 athletes from more than 40 countries, in a championship that was broadcast on television around the world and was attended by several government authorities.
And so we enter the golden age of Skydive Empuriabrava, which every year adds more and more jumps, and more popularity. Freefall jumps, landings and precision jumps are developed. In 1986 the journalist Pitu Abril starred in the first jump broadcast live on the radio and in 1993 the first lady of Catalonia, Marta Ferrussola, also came to jump, creating very high expectations.
A LONG LIST OF CELEBRITIES WHO HAVE FLYED TO EMPURIABRAVA
Among the hundreds of thousands of fans who have parachuted in Empuriabrava, there are a number of famous figures, who due to their media impact have revolutionized the day-to-day operations of the facilities with their arrival. Always highlighting the safety transmitted by the team of instructors, the equipment and the planes used, pilots such as Michael Schumacher , Valentino Rossi , Sito Pons or Marc Gené , the singer Kylie Minogue and the tennis player Sergi Bruguera , among many other television presenters, actors and athletes of various disciplines, have enjoyed the skies of Empuriabrava.
Setting a trend in terms of security
In matters of safety we have always been pioneers, and we have set a trend with the implementation of the mandatory use of an automatic parachute opening system (AAD) . This is an electronic device that, in the event that the main parachute does not open for any reason, the emergency parachute is activated and opens automatically within the safety height.
Much more than an Olympic jump
Taking advantage of the rise of this sport in the late 1980s, pressure was put on the International Olympic Committee to declare parachuting a demonstration sport. With the inauguration of the Olympic Stadium of Montjuïc in Barcelona , In 1989, our jumpers put on a spectacular display, landing inside the five Olympic rings that were drawn on the lawn of the brand new stadium. This jump changed an era.
It was the appetizer of what would come three years later with the celebration of the Barcelona Olympic Games , when the arrival of the Olympic torch in Empúries saw a massive jump in front of more than 100,000 spectators.
We are fully in the stage of records and Empuriabrava is becoming an important center for attracting great skydivers. The good climate of Alt Empordà and its good communications are elements that also influence, and thus it becomes the training headquarters for the Spanish team in the Formation Flying discipline, and for the world champions of the Freefly team from France. And to this day, the best jumpers in the world continue to come here for training stays, and each time incorporating new sports disciplines. And the fact is that, especially throughout the 1990s, many new disciplines appeared.
The milestone of 100,000 jumps in one year
And riding the crest of the wave we reach the end of the 90s, became the largest airfield in Europe in terms of jump volume, exceeding 100,000 in 2001, and just two years later the one millionth jump was celebrated. We thus became the first jump center in the world to reach this legendary figure.
The busiest year was 2011, with almost 140,000 jumps. Since 1998 we have been the center with the highest volume of jumps in Europe continuously, in 2013 we already exceeded two million jumps and in 2020 the accumulated figure had already climbed above two and a half million jumps.
But not everything is justified by absolute figures. The strong growth of the activity has always been linked to safety and quality of service, an attribute that has always been highlighted by the users of the facilities, many of whom have jumped in almost all parts of the world. Skydive Empuriabrava has always had highly qualified technical staff, some of whom are international references in their areas, and this fact has rewarded us with the loyalty of the jumpers and has positioned us as a reference at a global level.
Vision and leadership remain, despite changes in ownership
In 1994, Ivan Coufal, Jaume Comas and Peter Jones took over from Roland Hilfiker as owners. They were at the helm of the company for more than 18 years, during which their management allowed for constant growth of the skydiving center, which remained at all times a benchmark throughout the world.
With the intention of putting the business situation in order, in 2005 Skydive Empuriabrava bought Fórmula i Propietats SL. In 2012, the company was acquired by a Dubai business fund through the company Skydive Dutch BV. From that moment on, a series of important investments in the facilities began, with the aim of consolidating the equipment as a leader in the sector in Europe and as a nerve center for skydiving enthusiasts.
The Earth of Heaven
It is a qualification that does justice to the leadership that has always distinguished Skydive Empuriabrava, which has opened the doors of skydiving to all levels of practitioners : from tandem jumps that allow beginners to live the experience of flying without any prior preparation, to parachutist training and more advanced teaching, including courses to become a professional instructor. And also with a very specialized area in high-level training, to be able to qualify for all international competitions.
And the offer is not limited only to jumpers, but also to aviation. Since 1995 Skydive Empuriabrava has had its own aviation school , and offers complete private pilot courses , as well as the experience of feeling like a pilot for a day , with a brief theoretical flying class accompanied by a flight with an instructor that allows the client to experience the sensation of flying an airplane. And tourist flights are also offered , to climb into the sky of the Empordà and enjoy the privileged landscape of the Cap de Creus , the Aiguamolls de l’Empordà , the ruins of Empúries , the Medes Islands or the Gulf of Roses .
The ideal complement to all this offer arrived in 2012 with the launch of the Windoor , the wind tunnel. Managed by an external company, this infrastructure adds a lot of value to the skydiving destination, and makes Skydive Empuriabrava one of the few places in the world where there is a skydiving center and a tunnel in the same space.
For all this, aware of where we are and where we are looking, they call us The Land of the Sky .
The prestige of world records and championships
The sky of Empuriabrava has been the scene of several European and world records , a fact that has boosted the international recognition of Skydive Empuriabrava. Among the many records that have been achieved, the European Freefly record (2013) with 96 skydivers, the world record in horizontal freefall (2012) with a speed of 304 km/h, the world record in sequential formation flight (2013) with 106 jumpers or the Guinness record for tandem jumps (2014) with 35 jumps in one hour , just to name a few examples. And beyond the records, the facilities have also been the scene of the most exciting competitions, such as the King of Swoop , one of the most spectacular skydiving events that rewards speed, distance and precision in landing, and which has brought together the best specialists in the world.
And outside the Empordà facilities , the team of professional jumpers from Skydive Empuriabrava has participated with great success in events around the world . Among the many recognitions, the participation in several world records of large formation stands out, such as the one achieved in Thailand in 2004 with 357 skydivers . Two years later, some of our jumpers were also protagonists of the new world record, in a free fall formation of 400 skydivers.
Film and television commercial set
The good weather conditions and the beauty of the natural surroundings of the aerodrome have always been a draw for film directors and advertising creatives . The filming of films, music videos and television commercials have also helped Skyidve Empuriabrava to expand its popularity, especially when in 2011 we hosted the recording of the skydiving scenes of the film You Only Live Once , one of the most successful films in Bollywood cinema . Its premiere introduced Skydive Empuriabrava to the Indian market, customers who have not stopped coming since then.
The aerodrome was also the setting for the filming of the 2000 video clip Bird of Prey by Fatbloy Slim , and in 2004, flight chase scenes for the French film Agentes secretos were filmed there, starring Monica Bellucci and Vincent Cassel .
Producers have also found in Skydive Empuriabrava a collaborating partner for their advertising productions, highly valuing the facilities, equipment and high qualification of our professionals . Specialists who have acted in dubbing of actors and, in the audiovisual field, the camera jumpers have captured an infinite number of images using all professional cameras attached to their helmets. In addition to our own means, we can provide all types of necessary equipment, both in the field of aviation (planes, helicopters…), and in terms of technical material (parachutes, specific audiovisual equipment…).
