Skydiving gets the nod from council
DOUGLAS SHIRE
- Port Douglas tourism giant set to be taken over
THE sport of skydiving (or parachuting) has landed in the shire without a hitch after Council approved drop zone areas associated with a proposed tandem skydiving operation.
Drop zones are the designated landing areas for the parachutists undertaking the activity.
At Tuesday’s Council meeting, Skydive Great Barrier Reef Pty Ltd received the approval to use the southern end of Four Mile Beach, Port Douglas; Wonga Beach; Cow Bay Beach; and Myall Beach, Cape Tribulation for the commercial activity of tandem skydiving.
Skydive Great Barrier Reef selected the sites for the following reasons:
- Excellent beach access;
- Far enough from the main public beach area to avoid populated beach areas;
- Close to surf life-saving facilities.
The application was well received by the councillors and it was pointed out that this is a heavily regulated sport; it will have a positive impact on the shire and will be a boost for the tourism industry.
The core operations, including aeroplane take-off, landings, training and administration, will be conducted from an approved facility in Cairns. There will be a maximum of six flights per day with a maximum of four customers per flight. Flights will be spread across the various nominated drop zones based on customer preference, tides and weather conditions.