Inside Skydiving: Staying Current in the Off Season
Skydiving is a seasonal sport in many parts of the world. Even drop zones in warmer climates often experience periods of downtime due to weather.
That leads to the obvious question: how do skydivers stay current in the off-season?
Most people understand that skydivers must meet minimum jump requirements to maintain a licence or rating, but staying current is about far more than just numbers in a logbook. It’s about skill retention, safety, confidence, and decision-making when you return to the sky after time away. So let's talk about it!
USPA LICENCE CURRENCY
Let’s start with the gold standard of sport skydiving: the United States Parachute Association (USPA).
Within the USPA system, there are four licences, ranging from A through D. Each licence requires progressively more jumps, skills, and experience, and each level builds on the one before it. For the purposes of this article, we’re not going to break down how to earn each licence, we’re going to focus specifically on what it takes to stay current once you already hold a licence, or if you’re a student actively working toward one.
All of the currency requirements discussed below are taken directly from the USPA Skydiver’s Information Manual (SIM) for 2026.
USPA
Students: Students who have not jumped within the preceding 30 days should make at least one jump under the direct supervision of an appropriately rated USPA Instructor.
A Licence: A-licence holders who have not made a freefall skydive within the preceding 60 days should make at least one jump under the supervision of a currently rated USPA instructional rating holder.
B Licence: B-licence holders who have not made a freefall skydive within the preceding 90 days should make at least one jump under the supervision of a USPA instructional rating holder.
C + D Licence: C- and D-licence holders who have not made a freefall skydive within the preceding 180 days should make at least one jump under the supervision of a USPA instructional rating holder.
INSTRUCTOR CURRENCY, WHAT DOES IT TAKE?
If you’re employed in the sport as an instructor, you’re considered “rated.” All skydiving instructors must earn and maintain formal ratings, and the requirements vary depending on the discipline. The three most common instructional ratings are Coach, Accelerated Freefall Instructor (AFF-I), and Tandem Instructor (TI).
Each of these ratings comes with its own experience thresholds, responsibilities, and currency requirements. For the purposes of this blog, we’re not going to dive into how to earn an instructor rating. Instead, we’ll focus on the part that matters once you already have one: how do you keep your rating current?
| “Currency is the life blood of skydiving.”
USPA
Coach Rating: (1) made at least 15 coaching jumps (2) attended a rating-renewal seminar (3) having taught or assisted with the entire general portion
AFF-I Rating: (1) minimum of 15 AFF student jumps (2) attended a rating-renewal seminar (3) having taught or assisted with at least one entire first-jump course or completed review training of the first-jump course for an uncurrent jumper.
Tandem Rating: (1) minimum of 15 tandem jumps (2) have a current FAA Class 3 (or higher) Medical Certificate or an equivalent acceptable to USPA on file with USPA Headquarters (3) attended a rating-renewal seminar (4) having taught or assisted with one entire first-jump course or ISP ground training for tandem progression in Categories A and B (5) within the previous six months, has completed a full review of all tandem emergency procedures
The Tandem Instructor rating is unique because it comes with an additional layer of responsibility: instructors must also comply with manufacturer-specific currency requirements. For us, that means a tandem skydive must be completed a minimum of once every 90 days.
WHAT ABOUT CSPA?
As a Canadian drop zone that recognizes licences issued by the Canadian Sport Parachute Association (CSPA), we do need to address this topic.
The United States Parachute Association (USPA) has built its system around currency for a reason. It’s widely recognized in the sport that a lack of currency, combined with complacency, is one of the leading contributors to incidents and injuries. That’s why USPA currency requirements are intentionally strict and should never be taken lightly.
| "Working with an instructor isn’t a punishment, it’s a safety measure."
If too much time passes between jumps, working with an instructor isn’t a punishment,
it’s a safety measure designed to get jumpers back up to speed in a controlled, structured way.
These standards exist to protect not only the individual skydiver, but everyone sharing the
airspace with them.
Below, we’ll outline the CSPA currency requirements by licence level so you can see how they
compare and what’s expected when returning to the sport after time away.
CSPA
Student: A student parachutist who has not made a jump within the previous 60 days shall make a check-out jump with an instructor
A Licence (A CoP) - B Licence (B CoP) - C Licence (C CoP) - D Licence (D CoP):
Under CSPA, there are no formal jump-number or time-based currency requirements tied to a licence level. Once a jumper earns a Certificate of Proficiency (CoP), that certificate remains valid as long as the jumper’s CSPA membership (affiliation) is current.
If a jumper has been inactive for an extended period, CSPA does not mandate a specific recurrency process at the national level. Instead, responsibility is delegated to the individual drop zone, which may require refresher training or supervised jumps based on safety considerations. In other words, how recurrency is handled is determined locally, not centrally.
This is a meaningful contrast to the United States Parachute Association (USPA) system, which sets explicit, standardized currency requirements and clearly defines when instructor involvement is mandatory after time away from the sport. The USPA approach removes this ambiguity by ensuring consistent expectations across all affiliated drop zones.
OFF SEASON OPTIONS
My recommendation is simple: always keep your licence or rating current. Letting it lapse almost always costs more in the long run, more time, more money, and more hoops to jump through to become recurrent or re-certified.
For those of us in Canada, that often means planning a mid-winter trip to the United States to get a few jumps in and keep licences up to date. It can also be worth reaching out to drop zones in southern Canada to see if they open during shoulder seasons or brief weather windows around key currency milestones.
And while the United States Parachute Association focuses on strict currency requirements at all levels, and the Canadian Sport Parachute Association focuses primarily on membership validity (unless you’re a student or an instructor), the takeaway for jumpers is the same: time away from the sport should always be treated seriously, and refresher training should be viewed as a smart, proactive step when returning after a layoff.