How to Breathe While Skydiving: 5 Tips for a Breath-Easy Freefall

Table of Contents

• Can You Breathe While Skydiving?
• How to Breathe While Skydiving
• What Breathing in Freefall Actually Feels Like
• Relax, Trust Your Instructor, and Enjoy the Journey!
• Ready to Experience Freefall?

Key Takeaways

You can breathe while skydiving, but your first few seconds in freefall may feel very different from breathing on the ground. The rush of the exit, the sound of the wind, and the sensation of moving through the air can make it tempting to hold your breath or tense your body. The trick is to establish a steady breathing rhythm, and focus on your instructor’s guidance rather than fighting the wind. With a few simple techniques, you can spend less time thinking about your breathing and more time taking in the experience.

The airplane door opens, the wind rushes in, and for a moment, one question may rise above everything else:

How am I supposed to breathe in this?

Freefall is an intense new sensation. The wind is loud, your body is moving through the air at high speeds, and there’s a lot happening at once. Understanding what breathing may feel like – and knowing what to do with your breath during your skydive – can make those first few moments easier to manage.

Here’s how to breathe while skydiving, including five practical tips to help you find your rhythm in freefall.

Can You Breathe While Skydiving?

The confusion around not being able to breathe while skydiving usually comes from feeling overstimulated while leaving the airplane.

During freefall, the relative wind is strong and constant as you fall at speeds upwards of 120 mph. You’ll feel it across your body, and it creates a very different sensation from standing outside on a windy day. Experiencing these sensations – especially for the first time –  can make your first breath feel unusual, but not impossible.

So, yes, you can absolutely breathe while skydiving. 

But, is it hard to breathe when skydiving?

Not usually. The combination of adrenaline, the rush of air across your face, and the excitement of the exit can cause you to briefly hold your breath or tense up without realizing it. Once you exhale and adjust to the airflow, breathing becomes much more natural.

How to Breathe While Skydiving

1. Take a deliberate breath before you exit

As you prepare to exit, breathe deliberately rather than falling into rapid, shallow breathing. It gives you one simple thing to focus on as you approach the aircraft door.

Your instructor will guide you through the exit and help you establish the correct body position. Following those cues helps you mentally prepare and focus on what you need to be doing rather than getting caught up in the heat of the moment.

2. Exhale when you leave the airplane

The first few seconds of freefall after exiting the aircraft are often the most intense because you’re processing several new sensations at once. 

If you find yourself holding your breath, exhale – or let out that first excited yell!

A conscious exhale can help break the habit of breath-holding and give you a natural starting point for your next breath. From there, return to a normal rhythm rather than trying to take exaggerated breaths.

3. Try breathing through your mouth

The wind can make breathing through your nose feel awkward during freefall. For many people, breathing through the mouth feels more natural. You don’t need to open your mouth dramatically. Simply allowing your mouth to stay slightly open can make breathing feel easier against the airflow.

Some experienced skydivers suggest breathing in through the mouth and out forcefully through the nose. However, if breathing through your mouth feels more natural, go for it! There’s no need to force a particular breathing pattern.

4. Don’t fight the wind

Freefall can create the strange impression that you need to brace yourself against the air. You don’t. The airflow is what supports your body in the freefall position. Your instructor will teach you how to position your body so you can work with that airflow rather than against it.

Trying to stiffen your entire body or push against the wind can make the experience feel more physically demanding. Instead, maintain the position you’ve been taught and let the air move around you as you reach terminal velocity.

Think less about controlling the wind and more about letting yourself experience it.

5. Let your instructor be your cue

You don’t manage any part of your first skydive on your own.

Your tandem instructor will be securely attached to you throughout your jump; they’ll give you the instructions you need. If you become distracted by the wind or adrenaline, look toward your instructor and return your attention to their cues. A simple mental reset can be enough:

Relax. Look up. Breathe.

Then get back to enjoying the experience – you’re doing it!!

What Breathing in Freefall Actually Feels Like

Breathing in freefall may feel unusual at first. Once you relax and take a breath, the sensation becomes less about the wind and more about the mind-blowing sensation of human flight. You’ll feel weightless, energized, and completely immersed in the moment as you take in the view from thousands of feet above the ground.

The closest way to describe freefall is less like “falling” and more like being suspended in a powerful stream of air. You’ll feel the wind across your entire body while the ground appears remarkably steady below you. There’s no roller-coaster drop or sinking sensation – just the strange, exhilarating feeling of floating while the world stretches out beneath you.

Relax, Trust Your Instructor, and Enjoy the Journey!

If you’re nervous about breathing during your first skydive, you’re certainly not alone. It’s difficult to know what freefall will feel like until you’ve experienced it.

It also helps to remember that freefall is brief. A typical tandem skydive at Skydive Monroe includes approximately 45 to 60 seconds of freefall before the parachute opens. After deployment, the intense airflow gives way to several quiet minutes under canopy. You’ll have time to catch your breath, talk with your instructor, and take in the view below.

The best preparation is simply knowing that the wind won’t stop you from breathing and understanding that your body’s initial reaction may be different from what you expect. 

Ready to Experience Freefall?

If concerns about breathing have been holding you back, you can put them to rest. With the right preparation, your first tandem skydive can be exciting, comfortable, and completely unforgettable.

Book your tandem skydive with Skydive Monroe and get ready to breathe easy, feel the rush, and experience freefall for yourself at the best skydiving destination in Georgia! Blue skies.