Sorry...was on a gig and not been here for a couple of days!
Yes, Skydive Dubai is the place to go! It is a fully licensed and affiliated USPA (United States Parachute Association) drop zone and has recently been granted its student teaching clearance so you can train there. it is wholly owned by HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum (Crown Prince of Dubai) as he is a very talented and keen skydiver and is often there when official engagements allow.
Location is at the Palm end of JBR and is absolutely awesome. The city views on the way up and particularly on the way down are simply fantastic. The facility is comprehensive and well run with 2 turbine aircraft that can whisk you up to 13,000 feet in about 12 minutes. There are opportunities for helicopter jumps from time to time.
If you just wish to experience the thrill, you can book a tandem jump where you are strapped to the front of a qualified instructor, who does all the work whilst you enjoy the ride. Cost is AED 1200. An additional jumper with helmet mounted camera can record the entire experience through the training process (10 minutes) getting on the plane, the ride to altitude and then the jump including the landing (often quite amusing!) for an additional AED 500.
If the bug gets you, then you can now book and AFF (Accelerated Free Fall) course, which takes you through the theory and practicals of getting your basic skydivers A license. This involves a series of 8 jumps minimum, in which you learn and apply the skills needed to control your body in freefall and safely deploy and land a square ram air parachute. Your first 3 jumps are taken with 2 instructors who are jumping with you and stabilising you if required. Once you get the basics, one instructor stays with you for the rest of the jumps and then passes you out to continue for a series of 10 observed 'consolidation' jumps where you are totally on your own. A spell in the iFly windtunnel at Mirdif City Centre is invaluable to help with the tricky problem of accurate bodyflight and can speed up the learning curve.
Once qualified, you can basically do your own thing and gradually you will start to jump with other people and learn new skills from formation jumps to freefly (head down or sitfly) canopy piloting skills, aerial gymnastics or wingsuit.
You need to contact the dropzone to confirm the price of the course as it has only just been introduced.
BASE jumping is not actually illegal, however you will probably be arrested for doing it here as the platform you jump from (Building, Aerial, Span or Earth) may well belong to someone else and this is a tresspass. The parachutes are slightly different from the ones used in regular freefall and the chances of you bumping into the scenery are infinitely higher. My advice? Get good at regular skydiving, then get off to Norway where they can legally jump from a cliff in a fjord. Take a good instructor and comprehensive life insurance policy!
Bungee jumping comes here from time to time as its seen as a visiting attraction. If you want to try it, get a ticket down to New Zealand, where it was invented, and jump with A.J.Hackett, who are the biggest and best. Queenstown in South Island is the adrenaline capital of NZ and there are many gorges and bridges to hurl yourself off. I have a mate who has done over 900 jumps and is heading for his 1000th!
Hope that helps?
Knight
