History of Skydiving in the El Paso Area
Add information about the staff and history of skydiving at the Dona Ana County Airport
You may be surprised to learn that skydiving has a long history in the El Paso area. It all started in Santa Teresa, NM at the Dona Ana County International Jetport. In the late 1970’s, along came Bob Kern, a Vietnam veteran with a Special Forces background and a trunk full of Army surplus parachutes. Skydive El Paso was born. Being the first permanent skydiving operation (Dropzone) in Southern NM, skydivers drove from all over the Southwest to participate in events they hosted. Unfortunately, Bob passed away in 2016, leading to the closing of El Paso Skydive.
Later, from 2019 until late 2024, two skydiving operations jumped at the Dona Ana County International Jetport. Skydiving in the area finally resumed, allowing several local jumpers to continue to hone their skills and earn professional credentials!
When both of the previous skydiving center owners closed their doors permanently, the local community was left without an exciting service. Southwest Skydive was born!
Who We Are…
The Southwest Skydive LLC team is comprised entirely of local professional USPA skydivers, FAA commercial jump pilots and aviation enthusiasts. We strive to make your first skydiving experience exceed your expectations, as did ours!
Our staff and instructors share an incredible passion for the sport of skydiving and a commitment to it’s safety. We truly love what we do and it shows! Our instructors are certified by the United States Parachute Association and have many years with thousands of skydives all over the world. We jump UPT Sigma Tandem parachute systems, the world leader in tandem skydiving equipment. Our parachute packers are certified by the FAA, ensuring the highest quality maintenance.
We understand that there are countless other ways to spend your hard-earned money and time, so we sincerely appreciate your business! See you in the sky!