Nobody remembers their skydive clearly. The exit is a blur, the freefall is 30–40 seconds of sensory overload, and the canopy ride goes by while you are still grinning. That is why the footage matters more than for almost any other activity — it is the only version of the jump you get to keep. This guide explains what is included at Skydive Palawan, what the two upgrades add, and how to decide.
What you get at a glance
Included with every jump
₱0 extra
- 4K handcam photos and video filmed by your instructor
- Raw files plus an edited, ready-to-post reel
- Digital skydiving certificate
Insta360 Handcam Upgrade
+ ₱3,700 per jumper
- Immersive 4K 360° video of the whole jump
- Reframe any angle afterwards on your phone
- Add online or on jump day
Camera Flyer Upgrade (outside video)
+ ₱15,500 per jumper
- A professional camera flyer jumps with you and films from outside
- Two full perspectives: handcam plus outside
- Subject to availability — book ahead
What Is Handcam Video?
A handcam is a small 4K camera mounted on the back of your instructor's hand. It films from arm's length, pointed at your face, from the moment the door opens to landing. Because it is right there with you, it captures what a skydive actually feels like: the exit, the wind, your expression in the first three seconds, the view over your shoulder as the canopy opens. It is the format most skydiving videos you have seen online are shot in.
At Skydive Palawan, 4K handcam photos and video are included in the ₱28,100 Island Selfie rate — not sold as an add-on — and every jumper also receives an edited, ready-to-post reel alongside the raw files. If you never spend another peso, you still go home with the footage.
Handcam strengths
- • Always with you — no separate jumper to coordinate
- • Best for reactions and faces
- • Included, so no decision to make
Handcam limits
- • Wide-angle, arm's-length framing — you fill the frame, the scenery is background
- • No shot of you from a distance in the sky
- • Your instructor is flying the jump first and filming second
The Insta360 Upgrade: 360° Video
The Insta360 upgrade swaps in a 360° handcam that records in every direction at once. Afterwards you "reframe" the footage on your phone — point the virtual camera at yourself, at the instructor, at Long Beach 10,000 ft below, or swing it around during freefall for the kind of shot that is impossible with a fixed lens. It is the cheapest way to get a genuinely different-looking video, and it is available on every package for ₱3,700 per jumper, added online at booking or at the dropzone on the day.
Who it suits: anyone who wants the scenery to feature as much as their face, and anyone who likes editing their own clips. The tiny-planet and orbit effects come from this camera.
The Camera Flyer Upgrade: Outside Video
This is the option people mean when they ask for "the professional video". A dedicated camera flyer — a licensed skydiver with a helmet-mounted camera — exits the plane with you, flies alongside in freefall a few metres away, and films the whole thing from outside: you and your instructor falling over the Palawan coast, the parachute opening above you, the canopy ride from below. You get both angles: the handcam from your instructor and the outside footage from the flyer.
It costs ₱15,500 per jumper. The camera flyer occupies a seat on the aircraft, so it is subject to availability and worth booking in advance rather than on the day, particularly in the December to May peak. On a busy load, upgraded jumpers may fly one camera flyer per flight.
We sometimes call the upgraded experience the Island Paparazzi jump. The full price breakdown is on the tandem skydiving prices page.
Which Should You Choose?
Just the included handcam
You want the memory and something to post, and you would rather spend the money on a second night in Palawan. This is most guests, and the footage is excellent.
Add Insta360
You want the scenery as the star, or a video that looks different from every other skydive on your feed, for the price of a dinner.
Add the camera flyer
This is a once-in-a-lifetime jump — a proposal, a milestone birthday, a bucket-list trip — and you want the cinematic shot of yourself in the sky over Long Beach. Or you are two jumpers who each want outside footage of the other.
Why You Cannot Bring Your Own GoPro
It is the most common request we decline. Personal cameras — GoPros, phones, any action camera — are not allowed on a tandem jump, and this is not a sales tactic. A camera on a first-time jumper is a snag hazard for the parachute lines and a distraction during the parts of the jump where you need to be listening to your instructor. The USPA, whose standards Skydive Palawan operates under, recommends at least 200 jumps and specific camera training before anyone jumps with a camera. Your instructor has that; you do not yet.
What About the Beach Landing?
San Vicente is one of the very few dropzones in the world where the jump can end on the beach itself — 14 km of Long Beach sand rather than an airfield. At Skydive Palawan a beach landing is available on request and approved on the day, depending on flight capacity, tide and weather. Everyone on the same flight lands in the same place, so ask when you book and again at check-in. It is a bonus, not a paid inclusion, and when it happens your handcam or outside footage ends on the sand.
Getting Your Footage
Raw handcam files are transferred to you at the dropzone after your jump, usually within the hour, and the edited reel follows. Bring a phone with free storage or a cable; 4K files are large. Insta360 footage comes as a 360° file you open in the free Insta360 app to reframe and export. Camera flyer footage is delivered in the same way once the flyer has landed and offloaded.
Skydiving Video: Quick Answers
Is skydiving video worth it?
At Skydive Palawan you do not have to decide — 4K handcam photos, video and an edited reel are included in every jump. The upgrades are worth it if you want a second perspective: the Insta360 (₱3,700) for immersive 360° scenery, or the camera flyer (₱15,500) for professional outside footage of you in the sky.
What is the difference between handcam and outside video?
Handcam is filmed from your instructor's hand at arm's length, so it captures your face and reactions. Outside video is shot by a separate camera flyer falling alongside you, so it shows you and your instructor in the sky with the landscape below. The camera flyer upgrade gives you both.
Can I bring my own GoPro skydiving?
No. Personal cameras are not permitted on tandem jumps because they create snag hazards and distraction. The USPA recommends a minimum of 200 jumps before jumping with any camera. Your instructor films the jump in 4K instead.
How do I get my skydiving photos and video?
Raw 4K handcam files are transferred to your phone at the dropzone shortly after you land, and an edited ready-to-post reel follows. Bring a phone with free storage. Insta360 footage opens in the free Insta360 app for reframing.
Do you land on the beach at Skydive Palawan?
A beach landing on Long Beach is available on request and confirmed on the day, subject to flight capacity, tide and weather. It is offered as a bonus rather than sold as a package.
Ready to Take the Leap?
Every Skydive Palawan jump comes with 4K handcam photos and video plus an edited reel, so the question is not whether to get footage but whether to add a second perspective. For most people the included handcam is plenty. If you want the full-frame shot of yourself falling over Long Beach, the outside camera flyer is the upgrade that delivers it.
