Benable — create shareable lists of things you recommend!
E.g., products you love, local businesses, travel recs - you can add anything to a Benable list!
I Finally Jumped at Mission Beach Queensland and Here's What I Packed
30
items So you booked the skydive at Mission Beach and now you're spiraling about what to bring, what to wear, and what else to do while you're up there. I spent two weeks in this pocket of Queensland and figured out everything the hard way. Steal my list be...
Sections
6
Skydiving Gear I Actually Wore on Jump Day
Where to Stay Near Mission Beach Drop Zone
Restaurants Worth Hitting After Your Jump
Other Adventures to Stack Around Your Skydive
What to Know Before Booking Your Mission Beach Skydive
Packing Extras That Saved Me in Tropical Queensland
Skydiving Gear I Actually Wore on Jump Day
I showed up in jeans the first time and the instructor looked at me like I'd lost my mind. These are the exact things I wore and brought that made the freefall comfortable instead of a flapping, freezing disaster.
Wear these under your jumpsuit. I made the mistake of loose joggers and they rode up past my knees during freefall. Compression keeps everything locked in and you won't be adjusting anything at 15,000 feet.
Under Armour Men's HeatGear Armour Leggings
Grab a pair with thin soles so you can feel the ground on landing. Bulky shoes made my friend stumble hard. These grip without being clunky and they dry fast if you hit the beach after.
Merrell Trail Glove 7 Review (Tested & Rated)
Tuck your hair back with this before the helmet goes on. My ponytail turned into a rat's nest my first jump. This kept everything flat and it wicks sweat so you don't look completely wrecked in your landing photos.
CoolNet® Neckwear
Keep these in your pocket for after the jump. You can't wear them during freefall but the Queensland sun at the landing zone is brutal. Polarized lenses saved me from squinting in every single post-jump photo.
Oakley Flak® 2.0 XL S (59
Get the handcam package from the drop zone, but bring your own GoPro for before and after footage. The instructors only film the jump itself. Having my own camera meant I caught the nervous pep talk and the wobbly-legged celebration.
Gopro Hero 12 Black Special Bundle Action Camera
Where to Stay Near Mission Beach Drop Zone
Finding accommodation here isn't like booking a city hotel. Half the places are tucked behind rainforest roads with no cell signal. These spots put me close enough to the drop zone that I wasn't stressed about morning logistics.
Stay here if you want to roll out of bed and see the beach where you'll land. It's a five-minute drive to the drop zone. The pool bar is where I calmed my nerves the night before my first tandem jump.
Castaways Resort & Spa Mission Beach
Try this if you want quiet. It's a small B&B surrounded by fan palms and it felt like sleeping inside a nature documentary. The owner gave me a ride to the drop zone at 7am without even blinking.
Licuala Lanka
Perfect if you're traveling on a backpacker budget but don't want a gross hostel. The cabins are basic but clean, and you're walking distance to the main strip. Saved me enough cash to upgrade to the 15,000-foot jump.
Eco Village
Bring a partner here. The huts sit right on the sand and you fall asleep hearing waves. Not the cheapest option but after throwing yourself out of a plane, you kind of deserve a nice place to collapse.
Sejala
Snag a powered site if you're doing the campervan thing up the coast. Hot showers, clean kitchen, and the camp spots back onto the beach. Woke up, made coffee, watched the jump planes take off overhead.
BIG4 BEACHCOMBER COCONUT HOLIDAY PARK
Restaurants Worth Hitting After Your Jump
You will be ravenously hungry after skydiving. Something about adrenaline crashing makes you want to eat everything in sight. These are the places where I parked myself and demolished a meal while my hands were still shaking.
Walk in here right after landing and order the big breakfast. Eggs, bacon, halloumi, the works. The staff are used to wild-eyed skydivers stumbling in. Portions are huge and the coffee brought me back to earth.
Science in the Pub stuffed peppers Mission Beach
Swing by for dinner when the adrenaline finally wears off. Their burgers are thick and messy in the best way. Sat outside, replayed my jump video about forty times, and split a jug of sangria.
Garage Bar & Grill
Drive ten minutes north for this one. It's tucked in the rainforest and the menu is all local produce. Their fish tacos hit different when you've just survived terminal velocity. Cash only, heads up.
Bingil Bay Cafe
For anyone who wants sunset drinks with their meal. Right on the waterfront, casual vibe, and the seafood platter is enough for two. This is where I finally stopped replaying the door-opening moment in my head.
Miller's Waterfront Restaurant & The Waterfront Sunset Bar
Grab fish and chips here and eat them on the beach. Nothing fancy. Just perfectly fried barramundi and a view of Dunk Island. Sometimes the simple post-jump meal is the one you remember most.
The Chippy No. 1
Other Adventures to Stack Around Your Skydive
One mistake people make is flying to Mission Beach just for the jump and leaving the same day. The area is ridiculous for outdoor stuff. I stayed a week and still didn't get to everything on my list.
Catch the water taxi from Wongaling Beach. The island has empty trails, a shipwreck to snorkel around, and beaches where you might be the only person. Pack lunch because there's nothing to buy out there.
MISSION BEACH DUNK ISLAND WATER TAXI
Drive an hour south for this. It's a ruined Spanish castle in the middle of the rainforest, lit up at night. Sounds fake, looks unreal. The evening tour with the eels and the waterfall lighting blew my mind more than the skydive honestly.
Disappointed. - Review of Paronella Park
Use the morning before your jump to walk this trail. It's flat, short, and you're surrounded by massive fan palms that look prehistoric. Calmed my nerves better than any breathing exercise ever could.
Local Walking Tracks - Licuala Fan Palm Walk
Pair this with your skydive if you want to go full adrenaline. Grade 4 rapids, you will get thrown around, and the guides are hilarious. Book it for the day after your jump while you're still riding that fearless high.
Dangerous rafting on Tully river
Bring your own mask and fins and wade in off the rocks. Saw a sea turtle within ten minutes. No crowds, no boat fees, just you and whatever swims by. Best free activity in the whole Mission Beach area.
Tam O'Shanter Point
What to Know Before Booking Your Mission Beach Skydive
Nobody told me half of this stuff before I booked and I wasted time figuring it out on the ground. Save yourself the confusion and read these before you hand over your credit card.
Start here if it's your first time. 14,000 feet gives you about 60 seconds of freefall and the beach landing is unreal. Book the earliest morning slot for the clearest views of the reef and the islands.
Skydive Mission Beach
Pay the extra for 15,000 if you can swing it. That additional thousand feet doesn't sound like much but it adds another 10 seconds of freefall and the panorama at exit is noticeably wider. Worth every dollar.
Skydive Mission Beach
Get the combo package, not just photos. You think you'll remember every second but the freefall is a blur. Having the video meant I could actually see my face at door exit, which was comedy gold for months.
Video & Photo Packages
Toss this on your booking before you go. Standard travel insurance often excludes skydiving and if weather cancels your jump, some policies cover the rebooking. World Nomads covered me when my first attempt got rained out.
Travel Insurance for 150+ Adventure Sports and Activities
Use this shuttle if you're coming from Cairns without a rental car. It drops you right at the drop zone and picks you up after. Saved me from navigating unfamiliar roads while my brain was busy panicking about the jump.
Return Shuttle to Rainforestation - from Kuranda
Packing Extras That Saved Me in Tropical Queensland
Mission Beach is humid, rainy, and full of things that bite. I learned this the sweaty, itchy way. Throw these in your bag and you'll actually be comfortable between adventures.
Slather this on every exposed inch of skin after sunset. The sandflies at Mission Beach are vicious and I counted 47 bites on my legs the first night I forgot repellent. Picaridin doesn't smell like chemicals either.
Sawyer Picaridin Insect Repellent - 3 oz.
Keep your phone and wallet in this during any beach or water activity. A sudden downpour soaked my backpack on day three and everything inside a regular bag would have been toast. This one folds down to nothing.
Sea To Summit Ultra-Sil Dry-Bag 20L Blue Atoll
Switch to this if regular sunscreen makes you greasy in humidity. Queensland UV is no joke. I burned through my shirt on a cloudy day once. This formula absorbs fast and doesn't slide off when you sweat.
Banana Boat SPF 50+ Dry Balance Sunscreen Lotion 400g
Bring a pair specifically for the beach and shower blocks. The ground stays wet here and closed shoes get moldy overnight. These dry in minutes and they're cheap enough that you won't cry if they get wrecked.
Women's Brazil Logo Flip Flops Yellow Pop
Toss this in your daypack for hikes. Tap water is fine in town but some trail water sources are sketchy. Filled up from a creek on the Licuala walk and didn't have to carry two liters from the car. Lightweight and it actually works.
LifeStraw Peak Series Collapsible Squeeze 1L