How Scary Is Skydiving?

Every skydiver, whether taking their first jump or training for their skydiving license, works through skydive anxiety. It’s normal, if not healthy, to fear something as extreme as voluntarily exiting a plane in flight – but is skydiving scary? Skydivers will tell you it’s not; here’s why –

Is Skydiving Scary?

Actually, no. Skydiving in and of itself is not scary … but the anticipation of skydiving can certainly get the butterflies going in your belly. 

First-timers typically catch a case of the jitters the moment they harness their courage to book their tandem skydive, and don’t totally relax until the jump is over! Once back on the ground, tandem students typically admit in reflection that everything they thought would be scary really wasn’t (namely freefall), and that aspects of the jump they didn’t consider to be frightening (the ride up, exiting, and landing) kind of freaked them out.

The Ride Up

The brief flight up to altitude isn’t usually thought of as a scary part of skydiving. Most of us have flown, after all. Once you’re kitted out in your skydiving harness and board the plane with your instructor, though, reality sets in. There’s no turning back … and that does feel daunting. As we say in skydiving, you pay for the ride up, not the ride down. You can’t just go back up if you chicken out on the first pass. You’ve got to pay to play.

The Exit

Everyone thinks freefall will be “the worst” part, but if there were an item in that category, it’s the exit. There’s even a name for it: door fear. Until it’s time to fly, the light in the plane is red. When it flips to green, it’s all systems go! As scary as it may feel to literally take the leap, remember your training on the ground; know that you’re in good hands with a highly-experienced instructor; and remember skydiving is safer than you thought.

Freefall

The fear of freefall is largely unfounded. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t feel like you’re plummeting to the ground and you won’t experience the “stomach drop” sensation you get on a rollercoaster. This is for three reasons. 

First, on a rollercoaster you drop from a height after coming to a standstill or after chugging along slowly … but when you skydive you jump from a fast-flying plane and then continue flying fast on exit.

Second, within seconds of exiting you reach terminal velocity. This means the force of gravity pulling you down to earth equals the air resistance coming up at you. Most people achieve terminal velocity at 120 mph (75 kmh), and all the while you feel as if you are floating more so than falling. 

Lastly, because freefall occurs a few miles/kilometers up, you don’t feel a sense of “ground rush”. This is why so many people who are afraid of heights can skydive. The pre-jump perception that the ground will feel uncomfortably close just isn’t real.

The Parachute Flight

Flying under canopy feels awesome. In contrast to the speed of freefall, it’s peaceful and serene. It’s not scary; it’s lovely. We mention it here, though, because those prone to motion sickness may feel a little green around the gills while flying around. In the same way you won’t feel carsick when you’re driving, you can ask your instructor to let you steer for a bit to help you feel grounded – or you can ask your instructor to take it easy. Some like it mild, some like it wild; they can adapt to your needs.

The Landing

Your tandem skydiving instructor has made a minimum of 500 landings. The aspect of what might make the landing feel scary, though, is that this is the part of the tandem skydive where you have a job. As you will have learned during your pre-jump brief, you must lift your legs at the hips so that your instructor has room to maneuver the landing on behalf of you both. If you listen to your instructor and lift on cue, no fear is necessary. 

What Is Skydiving, Then?

If skydiving isn’t scary, what does skydiving feel like? So glad you asked …

Skydiving Feels Amazing

Skydiving feels like nothing else you’ve ever done. It’s freedom in the purest sense of the word. You are literally away from it all, which allows you to release all of the mundane day-to-day things that nag at your thoughts on the ground.

Skydiving Is Empowering

Skydiving scared yields the ultimate gift of empowerment. If you can choose to face your fear –  and overcome it – what is there that you can’t do? New job? Get it! Big move? Why not? Pop the question? Seize the day! Harness that confidence and soar!!

Skydiving Brings Perspective

It’s no coincidence that people skydive for the first time for a purpose. For some it’s to release the pain of a loss, for others it’s to reclaim a sense of self, and still others jump to rejoice in a personal victory. Whatever the motivation, the catharsis and perspective gained on landing is palpable and longstanding. 

Skydiving Promotes Focus

Skydivers may seem like a devil-may-care crew of adrenaline junkies, but in truth skydivers are some of the most determined, goal-oriented, safety-conscious rule followers out there. For skydivers to keep skydiving, they’ve got to color within the lines. There’s a lot to learn to go solo and a never-ending list of what you can do once you earn your wings. 

Skydiving Means Community

There’s no family like the sky fam. Not only does it span the globe, but it welcomes everyone. It doesn’t matter if you’ve jumped once or a thousand times; if you’ve worked your way to the top or not working at all. You’re part of the crew. The skydiving community is inclusive, encouraging, and inspiring. 

So, how scary is skydiving? Not so scary! And, let’s be real, the tension and excitement of honoring the fear is part of what makes skydiving so much fun! Ready to feel alive? Take flight!