Top 7 Skydiving Facts

What is interesting about skydiving? There’s a whole world of skydiving facts and trivia that most people never even think about – from mind-blowing statistics to interesting skydiving information that’ll have you looking at your next jump through a new set of eyes! 

Whether you’ve never stepped foot in a plane or been leaping from them for years, we’ve got you covered with the coolest, fun facts about skydiving! 

We All Fall At Different Speeds 

Hold on a hot SECOND … if everyone is falling at different speeds, are those photos of everyone holding hands in the sky fake? Nope! We should reword and say we all naturally fall at different speeds. How fast a skydiver falls is referred to as fall rate, and skydivers can adjust their fall rate through a few different measures. 

People can wear baggier (or more tight-fitting) clothing, flatten out their arch (or accentuate it), and make other minor adjustments to ensure they’re able to fall alongside others. Small adjustments in fall rate are a part of learning to skydive solo, and are how people of all body types can shred the skies in unison! 

The Highest Skydive: 25+ Miles 

How high can you parachute from? Alan Eustace holds the World Record for highest skydive by leaping from 135, 908 feet above ground level (AGL). Yes, you read that correctly. That’s just over 25 miles up in the sky! This is sort of a one-off, and skydivers generally jump from altitudes between 5,000 feet and 14,500 feet AGL, with the average being around two miles up. 

Any jump from higher altitudes, about 15,000 feet AGL, is seen as a HALO jump – which stands for High Altitude Low Opening – and requires supplemental oxygen. And no, we’re not opening our parachutes low, but our normal opening altitude is low compared to the abnormally high exit altitude. Get what we’re saying? 

Although people aren’t regularly breaking the record for highest skydive, they are doing HALO jumps! It’s not unusual for skydivers to jump from around 18,000 feet to gain a few extra seconds of freefall time. Take this with a grain of salt, because in all honesty, it’s a time addition that’s noticeable only once you have a couple hundred jumps. As a first-timer, a skydive is a skydive … is a skydive! You’re in such a state of awe, time is just a concept! 

Dogs Can Skydive

Yep, you read that right. Dogs commonly skydive in military operations! And yes, they can even do it solo. 

Canine companions regularly serve in the military as Air Borne officers. When jumping solo, they land in water. And if they need to land on the earth, they’ll strap onto the front of their handler and essentially conduct a traditional tandem skydive. Check out Alex Coker and his late skydiving dog – K9 Duke – as they make the jump from 14,500 feet! 

You Can Skydive Hundreds Of Times In One Day 

HUNDREDS! The man, the myth, the LEGEND, Jay Stokes, jumped 640 times in one day. Mind = blown, right? How does this even work, doesn’t a skydive take about 20 minutes or so? Yes, an average skydive – from loading the aircraft to landing – will take about 20 to 30 minutes even for the most experienced skydivers, but Jay averaged two minutes per jump! He did this by exiting the aircraft around 2,100 feet each time and quickly spiraling his parachute to land, gear up, and do it again! He used multiple parachutes so he didn’t have to wait for a repack before heading back up.

Wouldn’t this be a bit hard on the body? You bet. Skydiving puts some stress on the body, simply because your body isn’t used to resisting wind at 120 mph! Mr. Stokes pulled off this achievement at 50 years old – inspirational. 

There’s A World Skydiving Day Record 

World Skydiving Day is a global celebration of community, camaraderie, and the sport of skydiving. The inaugural event – held just last year on July 13, 2024 – drew skydivers from across the globe together to make history by completing 30, 351 skydives in a single day! 

This remarkable achievement not only showcased the incredible passion and dedication of skydivers worldwide but also highlighted the sense of unity that exists within the sport. 

All Parachutes Are Different 

What is a fun fact about parachutes? They’re all just a little bit different! Tandem parachutes are different from sports parachutes, and there are innumerable variances depending on what the canopy pilot wants to accomplish between the exit and the landing. 

We could dive into their various sizes and shapes, look at the numerous packing techniques, talk about lineset distinctions, and explore the distinct purpose of each design, but we’ll spare you the finer details! The bottom line is that all canopies are created with the sole purpose of getting the skydiver safely to the ground, they just each do it in their own unique way! 

There’s No Age Limit To Skydiving 

Although there’s a minimum age to go skydiving at most dropzones around the world, there’s no maximum age! Alfred “Al” Blaschke is currently the oldest person to skydive! He was born in 1917 and was over 106 years old when he reclaimed his own previously broken “oldest person in the world to skydive” record! 

Who is the youngest person to ever go skydiving? Well, this one’s up for a bit of debate. It seems as though four years old is the agreed-upon youngest jumper! However, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that there have been even younger jumpers. In some countries, like New Zealand, there is no minimum age limit! As for dropzones that are members of the United States Parachute Association (USPA), though, the minimum age requirement to skydive is 18 years old.

Whether you’re fascinated by the highest jumps, the world records, or the unique experience of freefall, there’s no better way to fully understand these skydiving facts than by experiencing a jump firsthand. Book your jump today and take the leap into a lifetime of adventure!