Best Skydivers in the World: 7 Incredible Skydiving Records
Skydiving
Table Of Contents
- Highest Freefall Parachute Jump
- Most Skydives in 24 Hours
- First Human to Break the Sound Barrier in Freefall
- Fastest Speed in Freefall
- Largest Skydiving Formation
- Most Burning Parachute Jumps By An Individual
- Wingsuiting World Records
Key Takeaways
From stratospheric leaps and supersonic speeds to massive formations and fiery stunt jumps, this roundup highlights seven of the most jaw-dropping skydiving records ever achieved. Featuring legends like Alan Eustace, Felix Baumgartner, and Tom Cruise, each feat showcases the daring, innovation, and thrill-seeking spirit of the world’s best skydivers.
Within the exhilarating realm of skydiving, numerous disciplines showcase extraordinary feats, each with its own prestigious world record skydive. From Canopy Piloting and Canopy Relative Work (CRW) to Big Way Formation Skydiving, Speed Skydiving, Accuracy Skydiving, Vertical Formation Skydiving, and Wingsuit Skydiving, the diversity of records is vast. Narrowing down the most remarkable world record skydive achievements to just seven was a challenge!
There are over 41,000 United States Parachute Association (USPA) member skydivers (and counting)! Setting a skydiving record is a sought-after achievement amongst skydivers wanting to make a name for themselves and accomplish something unforgettable. While we believe
all skydivers are absolutely amazing. Some stand out from the crowd with their remarkable achievements. Here’s our list of some of the best skydivers in the world and the incredible skydive records:
1. Highest Freefall Parachute Jump
Record: 135,899 feet
Skydiver: Alan Eustace
When: October 24, 2014
Location: Roswell, New Mexico
In Fall 2014, Alan Eustace put on a specially-designed space suit, attached himself to a giant helium-filled balloon, and ascended into the skies of New Mexico! The now-retired Google executive still holds the skydiving world record for the highest jump at a breathtaking
135,899 feet, hitting speeds of 822 mph and breaking the sound barrier!
Not only did Alan achieve the world record for the highest skydives in the world, but he and his team also invented several new technologies specifically built for stratospheric exploration. Without a typical capsule to provide life support, they built an entire life support system into the suit, called StratEx. This spacesuit is now on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum located in Chantilly, Virginia.
2. Most Skydives in 24 Hours
Record: 640 skydives
Skydiver: Jay Stokes
When: September 9, 2006
Location: Greensburg, Indiana
Depending on experience, weather, and busy-ness at the dropzone, a typical day of jumping for a skydiver is about six to 10 jumps in a day. What are the most skydives in 24 hours? Currently, the skydiving world record for most parachute jumps in 24 hours is at an impressive (and a bit nauseating) 640 skydives!
Jay Stokes, a former Army Green Beret, decided to celebrate his 50th birthday by jumping out of an airplane 640 times! That’s one skydive almost every two minutes!! How did he do it? Well, there were dozens of volunteers helping to pack his 23 parachutes and four pilots flying three airplanes at the Greensburg Municipal Airport. The jumps were performed at around 2,100 feet in altitude; he would spiral his parachute down to land quicker; and he undid the straps on one parachute to put another one on while running to an already-ready airplane! Makes us tired just thinking about it! A truly amazing feat, indeed. Go Jay!
3. First Human to Break the Sound Barrier in Freefall
Record: First Human to Break the Sound Barrier
Skydiver: Felix Baumgartner
When: October 14, 2012
Location: Roswell, New Mexico
Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner completed a parachute jump from a height of 127,852 feet – known as the Red Bull Stratos project’s Supersonic Freefall. The speed of sound is 1,236km/h (768 mph). During Baumgartner’s stratospheric skydive, he reached a top speed of 1,357.6km/h (843.6 mph). At those speeds, did Felix pass out? He said, “It was really brutal at times. I thought for a few seconds that I’d lose consciousness. I didn’t feel a sonic boom because I was so busy just trying to stabilize myself.”
4. Fastest Speed in Freefall
Record: 1,357.64 km/h (843.6 mph)
Skydiver: Felix Baumgartner
When: October 14, 2012
Location: Roswell, New Mexico
Skydive speed records at the competition level from typical jump heights usually rest around 400 to 500 km/h (248.55 to 310.68 mph) with the fastest speed in speed skydiving at 529.77 km/h (329.18 mph), achieved by Marco Hepp of Germany. But overall, what is the world record for fastest skydiving EVER!? Our friend, Felix, holds the title for that! When Felix broke the sound barrier, he was traveling at 1,357.6 km/h (843.6 mph). Only another stratospheric skydive can break that record!
We would like to extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Felix, who passed away in July 2025. Thank you, Felix, for being an inspiration to skydivers everywhere – now and those to come. Legend!
5. Largest Skydiving Formation
Record: 400 Skydivers
Skydiver: World Team 2006 (Organizers: BJ & Bobbie Worth)
When: February 8, 2006
Location: Udon Thani, Thailand
The World Team 2006 400-way is currently the largest freefall formation in the world. The event was organized as a part of the Royal Sky Celebration honoring the 60th anniversary of the reign of King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand. The record-setting skydive was performed at 26,500 feet AGL with a completed formation (all skydivers linked) held for 4.25 seconds, and a staged breakoff beginning at just under 7,000 feet.
This amazing feat required 500 World Team Members from 30 nations, including skydivers, Alpha Team, over 100 Royal Thai Air Force Flight, videographers and documentation team members, ground staff and crew, support staff, and lots of supplemental oxygen to prevent hypoxia from the high altitude!
6. Most Burning Parachute Jumps By An Individual
Record: Most burning parachute jumps by an individual
Skydiver: Tom Cruise
When: March 2022 – late 2024
Location: Drakensburg, South Africa
Tom Cruise is at the top of the list of famous skydivers. Ya know, those super sick skydiving stunts he pulls off in all the Mission Impossible movies? They’re real! Of course, we don’t jump through thunderstorms or deploy extremely close to the ground, but the actual jumps themselves are 100% real.
That means that his most recent stunt showing a parachute engulfed by flames is real! To get the perfect shot (and the world record, of course), he did this stunt a total of 16 times – what a THRILL. When discussing the logistics of the stunt with his crew, he’s quoted for jokingly saying, “We don’t take risks, obviously.” Hah – all respect to you, Tom!
7. Wingsuiting World Records
Record: Speed, distance, and time in flight
Skydiver: Sebastián Álvarez
When: Early 2025
Location: Whiteville, Tennessee
Sebastián Álvarez absolutely shattered three world skydiving records while flying his wingsuit. He went the fastest anyone has ever gone (reaching 342mph of forward speed), traveled over 33.22 miles, and had a total flight time of 11 minutes and 1 second – and this is all before he deployed his parachute and piloted it safely to the ground! With his drive and dedication to push the limits of what man can do, Sebastián is an inspiration for skydivers worldwide.
Ready to put a skydive adventure in your record book! Book your skydive and jump into paradise with Skydive Key West. Blue skies.
Ready to put a skydive adventure in your own record book! Book your skydive and jump into paradise with Skydive Key West. Blue skies.
