Does Skydiving Hurt?

Generally speaking, no, skydiving does not hurt! Think of it this way: does sitting in a crowded car hurt? Nope. It might be a little uncomfortable, but it’s not painful. What about riding an amusement park ride? Mmmm… it may be a little awkward and different but it usually is not painful. Let’s look through the steps of a jump to assess the potential for pain and assure you that skydiving is typically a pain-free process that people do hundreds and even thousands of times!

• Note: Skydiving is NOT like a roller coaster, but they’re similar in the sense that they both put our bodies through some…  unusual and slightly uncomfortable positions.

Effects of Skydiving Along the Way

Arrivals this way, please

The ride to the dropzone (skydiving center) and the signing of the waiver (dun, Dun, DUHHHH!) can be the most mentally strenuous part of the entire day. Seriously, once you meet our awesome staff we can assure you the nervous jitters will quickly fade away and turn into excitement. We would also like to note here that, statistically speaking, you’re much more likely to get physically hurt on the ride to the dropzone rather than while actually skydiving. 

Gear up

After everything is signed, sealed, and delivered, it’ll be time to get your skydiving equipment going, starting with putting the harness on. The harness is what’s used to keep you secured through four attachment points to your tandem instructor. This is a time to get to better know your instructor and let them know of anything you’re excited about or concerned about – like if you commonly experience motion sickness (don’t worry). 

• Pro Tip: This is also a time to get everything moved to the, ahem, center of the room. You know, make sure nothing is trapped under the strap that you’d want to use again. Catch our drift?

Loading the aircraft (always from behind!)

Loading the airplane will require some squatting, crouching, and ducking. Many people inquire about what skydiving feels like and whether or not skydiving hurts your back and body. Negative, ghost rider! While crouching in the plane and deployment of the parachute has the potential to be a little uncomfortable, it isn’t an inherently painful process. 

Once you’re on the aircraft, the ride to altitude will fly by! Everyone will be doing gear checks, and talking about their dives, and you will feel the excitement in the plane rise as you climb. Deep breaths!!! 

It’s go time

Alright, we’ve made it to altitude, your goggles are secured and looking as fashionable as ever, and we’re ready to absolutely SEND IT. Your instructor is fastened to you and they’ll quadruple-check everything just one more time before exiting. At this time you and your instructor will sort of scooch toward the door of the airplane. Envision doing a deep squat and slowly shuffling forward, with someone else attached to your back. When you get to the door, your instructor will make sure everyone is in position, you’ll smile at your videographer, and you’ll fall from the plane (wooo!!)

Freefallin’

Alright, you’re truly doing the thing now, you’re cookin’ through the SKY, you’re soaring around with the clouds, and you’re nailing the arch! Potential discomfort during this stage can be from the intense wind that will whip your hair around and make your skin flap like it’s never flapped before. The most common “pain” that will happen from this part (or any part, really) of the skydive is soreness. One way to mitigate feeling sore the next day is to not try and counteract the wind, just relaxxxx! 

You might be wondering about the possibility of rain during freefall, but there’s more than one reason we don’t skydive in the rain! The overall danger of low visibility as well as the pain of a million teeny tiny raindrops smashing into your face, arms, legs … you name it! If you think that’s lame and you’re a real go-getter with pain tolerance, being covered in a gazillion little red dots is definitely not very ideal for your landing photos. 

• Note: Once in freefall, your instructor will complete at least one more gear check just to be 10000% sure everything is good to go! We’ve got you (wink).

The canopy ride

This is the part of the skydive where you’ll feel overwhelmed with relief, elation, peace, and literally any other positive emotion you can think of! You did the dang thing! The potential for pain here is all in the ears. The pressure changes experienced from the fall to the parachute deployment can cause your ears to need to pop. This is an easy fix! Move your jaw around, pinch your nose, close your eyes, and pop ‘em! If these tricks just don’t do it, try pulling down on your ear lobes.

During the canopy descent, you’ll be able to talk with your instructor, take in the stunning views, and realize that you just checked something MAJOR off your bucket list. Some discomfort on the leg strap area is common during the canopy ride, but don’t worry, this part won’t last too long – only five-ish minutes until you’re celebrating with your pals on the ground!

Feet and knees up!

While under canopy, your instructor may let you take the reins, but when it’s time to land it’s best to leave it to the professionals. Your instructor will tell you when to lift your feet and knees, think of a piked position that activates your core. Do you need to be a bodybuilder with a rippin’ 18-pack to do this? No. You just need to be able to hold this position for 10 to 20 seconds – ain’t nothin’ but a thing! The most important thing about landing is to listen to your instructor. Upon gliding in, your videographer will be there to capture your smiling face! 

So, does skydiving hurt? Nope! It can be a little awkward and uncomfortable, but the feeling of exhilaration and achievement will be overpowering! We can’t wait for you to experience the thrill of a lifetime with us! Book your tandem skydive today!