10/08/2026
DZO SPOTLIGHT: Art Shaffer, Skydive Palatka
Pictured: Art Shaffer (center).
On his sixth skydive, both of Art Shaffer's parachutes became entangled. He survived, and he made a promise that day: if given another chance, he would give more to the sport than he took from it.
Four decades and more than 19,750 jumps later, he is still keeping that promise.
Art made his first jump in 1985 in Williston, Florida. By 1992 he had flown in a 200-way world record formation. He was part of Skydive Palatka from its opening in 1995 and became its owner in 2005, building a drop zone he describes simply as a family.
More than 12,000 of his jumps have been tandems, each one an introduction to the sport. He also serves as lead rigger for the Round Canopy Parachute Team-USA, the Palatka-based team that supports veterans through skydiving. In 2019 he jumped into Normandy, France, for the 75th anniversary of D-Day.
This month, Art is featured in Parachutist magazine's October 2026 profile. The full piece covers the mentors who shaped him, the jump that stands above all the others, and the chance encounter in a grocery store that he counts as his most significant achievement.
Read the full profile at the link in the comments. ⬇️
