What is it like skydiving for the first time?

The day of your first skydive will probably feel a bit like a whirlwind. You'll experience new emotions and energy, which may make some things harder to remember. The skydive happens fast - a few minutes in the plane, freefall, parachute ride, and before you know it, you are back on the ground.

How scary is skydiving for the first time?

Some say it's similar to bungee jumping in the first moments. But the truth is, it's different to both of these things. It's hard to describe the sensation of looking out of the door when you're just about to jump, or freefalling through the air. The day of your first skydive will be full of new experiences.

What does skydiving feel like first?

Skydiving is incredibly hard to describe, but first-timers often report that first-time skydiving feels nothing like a rollercoaster; nothing like bungee jumping; nothing like falling. They talk about how skydiving feels like a freedom the likes of which they've never experienced.

What do I need to know before skydiving for the first time?

Do you feel your stomach drop when skydiving?

Because the delta between your horizontal and vertical speed does not increase drastically, you do not experience a stomach drop when you skydive. Furthermore, the freefall portion of a skydive doesn't feel much like falling at all. Rather, it feels like you are resting, supported on a column of air.

What to Expect about Skydiving for the First time ✈️

What's the scariest part of skydiving?

The door opens, your skin tingles from the brisk feel of the air at 13,000ft, and if it wasn't before, it's real now! This part of the skydive lasts roughly three seconds. The hardest part is stepping up. This is the final push.

Can you breathe while skydiving?

Yes, you can! A common misconception about skydiving is that you can't breathe during freefall, but breathing during a skydive is actually not much harder than breathing on the ground.

Do you pee when you skydive?

Involuntary urination during skydiving is rare. The vast majority of tandem instructors will tell you that they have never experienced this issue with their students before. You will probably only have to worry about peeing your pants if you have a history of urinary incontinence or if you have a weakened pelvic floor.

Do your ears pop when you skydive?

First, the pressure changes – called barotrauma – is the sensation you feel when your ears feel plugged or clogged. Air is naturally trapped in our middle ear. To equalize the pressure, air is being passed through the middle ear to the throat via the Eustachian tubes – hence the “popping” of our ears.

How scary is skydiving?

Simply put, the actual skydive (the free fall) doesn't feel scary because you don't feel out of control. Unlike a rollercoaster where you're being rocked and jostled, the free fall is smooth. There aren't sensations of plummeting to earth uncontrollably and you don't get ground rush.

How do you calm down before skydiving?

Does skydiving feel like free falling?

Luckily, skydiving doesn't feel anything like that. It feels more like flying than falling. It's very windy, loud, and intense. Your adrenaline is pumping and your senses come alive.

What should you not do when skydiving?

Should I skydive if I'm afraid of heights?

We're here to tell you that–as weird as it may sound–fear of heights doesn't matter a bit on a skydive. If you're, like, that's impossible, then calm down, Wiggum. It's true! It might surprise you that being on a ladder will always feel more precarious than being in the door of a plane.

Who should not skydive?

Is skydiving safer than driving?

The answer is surprising: statistically speaking, yes, skydiving is safer than driving. As you get behind the wheel for your daily commute, you may not even bat an eye, but did you know it's far more "dangerous" than jumping out of a "perfectly good airplane." It's true.

Is skydiving hard on your body?

Typically, compared to many high-impact athletic activities, skydiving is pretty gentle on the body.

Can you black out while skydiving?

Yes, you can pass out while skydiving.

Is skydiving scarier than roller coasters?

While a roller coaster is designed to push your body to its limits, skydiving is a much smoother, much freer experience. It's hard to describe, but if a roller coaster was the ocean, it would be choppy and rough, whereas a skydiving is like a serene lake, much calmer and almost tranquil.

Why do I feel weird after skydiving?

Your brain has trouble keeping up with what's happening. We call this feeling 'sensory overload'. It's like your brain is stuck in the airplane still looking down at the ground long after your body has exited and is in freefall. Skydiving is windy, adrenaline pumping and intense.

What does a skydive feel like?

In freefall, it's just pure fresh air. You hear the loud rush of wind. It's similar to static from blowing into a microphone, or the loud sound in your head the moment you splash into water. It is not harsh or painful, but it is too loud to carry on conversation.

How often does skydiving go wrong?

Statistics show that there is one tandem student skydiving fatality for every 500,000 tandem jumps which makes the odds of death . 000002%! According to the National Safety Council, an individual is more likely to die by a lightning strike or being stung by a bee.

How hard do you land when skydiving?

You can expect that the skydiving landing speed is approximately the speed of a fast bicycle ride and that the final stages of the landing — or, as we call it, the “flare” — will bring you to a gentle near-halt just as you're touching back down to earth.

What happens if you open your mouth while skydiving?

Keeping your chin up while you skydive will ensure that the 120 mph air will hit your neck and bottom of chin. If you look straight down and open your mouth to scream you will inhale 120 mph wind!

How many parachutes are there when skydiving?

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires there to be a 2nd parachute in all skydiving equipment that has been certified and packed by a licensed FAA Parachute Rigger. Whether you are making your first tandem skydive or going on your 1000th skydive you are required to have two parachutes.