AN SMA OBSERVER ADMITS THAT HIS PLT STRAYED INTO THE ZPH PARACHUTE JUMP ZONE WHILE PARACHUTE JUMPING ACTIVITY WAS IN PROGRESS. THE JUMP ZONE IS PUBLISHED ON THE APPROPRIATE CHART AND IN THE ARPT FACILITIES DIRECTORY.

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I WAS ASSISTING A PLT FLYING N E OF TAMPA. WE HAD RECEIVED A BEACON CODE FROM TAMPA APCH. APPROX 20 MI S OF LAKELAND VOR; WE OVERHEARD XMISSIONS BTWN APCH AND A JUMP ACFT ADVISING OF JUMPERS FROM 10000 FT MSL OVER ZPH. SOME TIME LATER; WE HEARD THAT THE JUMP ACFT WOULD BE LNDG TO PICK UP MORE JUMPERS. WE HEARD NO FURTHER ADVISORIES FROM ANY JUMP ACFT. AS WE APCHED ZPH; WE DIVERTED 2 MI TO THE E TO AVOID ANY POTENTIAL CONFLICTS WITH JUMPERS. WE OBSERVED AN ACFT WHICH HAD DEPARTED ZPH ON RWY 4 AND WAS MAKING A CLBING R (NON STANDARD) TURN. THE OBSERVED TRACK WOULD PUT US IN CONFLICT; SO WE MADE A SLIGHT L TURN TOWARDS THE ARPT. THE DEPARTING ACFT CONTINUED THE CLBING TURN AND WE DECIDED TO TURN DIRECTLY TO THE ARPT AND OVERFLY THE CTR TO AVOID THIS ACFT. AS THE DEPARTING ACFT PASSED 2000 FT OFF OUR R; APCH ADVISED US OF THE TFC AND THAT IT WAS A JUMP ACFT. AS WE WERE NEARLY OVER THE ARPT; THE PLT OBSERVED SEVERAL PARACHUTES ABOVE (AT 3000 FT MSL) AND TO THE L OF US. THE PLT EXECUTED A HARD R TURN (30 DEG BANK) AND WE DEPARTED THE AREA. WE NEVER OBSERVED OR OVERHEARD XMISSIONS FROM THE OTHER JUMP ACFT. FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THIS INCIDENT INCLUDE OUR NOT LISTENING IN ON THE LCL CTAF AND THE TURN TOWARDS THE ARPT TO AVOID TFC. WE BOTH AGREED THAT THE SAFEST PLACE TO OVERFLY AN ARPT IS DIRECTLY OVER THE TOP. HAD I BEEN ACTING PLT; WE WOULD HAVE BEEN ON AN IFR FLT PLAN AT 4000-5000 FT AND IN A SCATTERED TO BROKEN CUMULUS LAYER WITH LITTLE CHANCE OF OBSERVING JUMPERS. THE JUMP ACFT OVER ZPH HAD NEVER CONTACTED TAMPA APCH ADVISING THAT JUMPERS WERE AWAY. AN ADDITIONAL FACTOR WAS THE NON STANDARD DEP OF THE OTHER JUMP ACFT WHICH LED TO CONFUSION ABOUT HIS INTENTIONS. I SUGGEST THAT ACFT INVOLVED IN JUMP OPS SQUAWK A SPECIFIC BEACON CODE; PARTICULARLY WHEN MAKING HIGH ALT JUMPS.